Norah Sweeps Grammys
If the fact that eight artists each pulled in five Grammy
nominations hinted at some sort of awards parity, Norah Jones and
her debut album, Come Away With Me busted that theory.
Jones was five-for-five, as she and her record took honors for
Album of the Year, Record of the Year (for “Don’t Know Why”), Best
New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Female Pop Vocal
Performance (also for “Don’t Know Why”). Come Away With Me
was honored a total of eight times, as it won Best Engineered
Album, Non-Classical for S. Husky Hoskulds and Jay Newland;
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for Arif Mardin; and “Don’t
Know Why” earned the Song of the Year prize for writer Jesse
Harris.
The evening belonged to Jones, but there were plenty of other
multiple winners. Bruce Springsteen and The Rising were
thought to be the evening’s other front-runner. Though Springsteen
fell short in the top categories, he was still a three-time winner
for Rock Album of the Year for The Rising, and Best Rock
Song and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, both for that album’s
title track. The Dixie Chicks also took home three awards: Best
Country Album (Home), Best Country Performance by a Duo or
Group With Vocal (“Long Time Gone”) and Best Country Instrumental
Performance (“Lil’ Jack Slade”). The album also earned a Best
Recording Package award for art director Kevin Reagan. Perhaps the
evening’s most bizarre three-time winner was mysterious bluesman
Charley Patton, who, dead for nearly seventy years, has truly been
a long time gone. Revenant Records’ lavish reissue of Patton’s
scarce recordings won for Best Boxed Recording Packaging, Best
Album Notes and Best Historical Album.
After being waxed by Alicia Keys in numerous categories last
year, India.Arie won for Best R&B Album (for Voyage to
India) and Best Urban/Alternative Performance (for “Little
Things”). Coldplay (Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With
Vocal for “In My Place” and Best Alternative Music Album A Rush
of Blood to the Head) and Nelly (Best Male Rap Solo
Performance for “Hot in Herre” and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for
“Dilemma” with Kelly Rowland) also each took home a pair of
Grammys.
Much ado was made of the Grammys return to New York City after a
five-year hiatus (a spat between Recording Academy honcho Michael
Greene and then-New York City mayor Rudolph Guiliani had exiled the
awards to Los Angeles). The program opened with a The
Graduate reunion, as Dustin Hoffman introduced the frequently
separated Simon and Garfunkel, who buried the hatchet for, not
“Mrs. Robinson,” but rather a “Sounds of Silence” that was
heartwarming, if a bit rusty. Simon’s somber song set the tone for
an evening that was peppered with discontent about the possibility
of military conflict in Iraq. Statements were subtle (Sheryl Crow
sported a “No War” guitar strap and peace sign necklace), cathartic
(Coldplay’s energetic performance of “Politik”) and boneheaded —
“I hope we’re in agreeance that this war should go away as soon as
possible,” said presenter Fred Durst. Durst’s gaffe was only the
second worst flub of the night, as Hoffman, in his opening
comments, referred to an upcoming performance by “Bruce
Springstreet.”
And while some performances fell flat — a fusion of Nelly’s
“Hot in Herre” with his “Dilemma” collaboration with Kelly Rowland
was about as smooth as whiplash — several were emotional and
on-target. Backed by the New York Philharmonic, Coldplay frontman
Chris Martin played furiously on “Politik.” And whether it was a
premonition that he would come up short in the two top categories,
Bruce Springsteen looked positively pissed off running through “The
Rising.” The results were exhilarating, as he ripped into the song
with a sloppy garage-rock abandon unheard on the album. The Roots
provided a perfect simmering background to Eminem’s “Lose
Yourself,” leading the song to its concluding boil. And, in the
type of collaboration that usually reads better on paper, Elvis
Costello, Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Steven Van Zandt played
“London Calling” straight and true as a tribute to the Clash and
the late Joe Strummer.
The evening’s other emotional moment came with Robin and Barry
Gibb’s acceptance of the Bee Gees Legend Award, following an ‘N
Sync-performed medley of some of the band’s hits. “This is a little
bit harder than Robin and I imagined it to be,” Barry said, before
introducing the family of late-Bee Gee brother Maurice Gibb.
Maurice’s son Adam took the stage to accept for his father.
But the show balanced the emotional with the amusing. For each
tribute to those who had passed — including lifetime achievement
awards for Tito Puente and Alan Lomax — there were lighter
moments, like an anonymous stage-sharer claiming that “Rock would
be nothing without B.B. King,” during the Foo Fighters’ acceptance
for Best Hard Rock Performance (for “All My Life”) or Rod Stewart
asking Harvey Fierstein (in “Hairsparay” drag) “Could you hold the
dog, Harvey?” before handing over an un-introduced pooch to open an
envelope.
And then there was Norah Jones, who seemed genuinely surprised
to have cleaned up, so much so that she added to the evening’s list
of flubs, unable to pull back a “shit,” during her acceptance
speech for Best New Artist.
Jones is a true Cindarella story — a torch singer scoring five
Grammys first time out. A different marketing turn, and she could
have been duking it out for a single award, the Best Jazz Vocal
Album that Diana Krall earned for Live in Paris. Jones’
good fortune, which already includes a two-week stint at the top of
the pop charts, should likely continue for the immediate future.
But as an excited Robin Williams said upon putting his Grammy (for
Best Spoken Comedy Album) to his ear, “Oh my God, listen . . . you
can actually hear careers ending.” After all, the last artist to
sweep all the top categories was Christopher Cross in 1980.
The complete list of the 45th Annual Grammy Awards winners:
Record of the Year
“Don’t Know Why,” Norah Jones
Album of the Year
Come Away With Me, Norah Jones
Song of the Year
“Don’t Know Why,” Jesse Harris (performed by Norah Jones)
Best New Artist
Norah Jones
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
“Don’t Know Why,” Norah Jones
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
“Your Body Is a Wonderland,” John Mayer
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With
Vocal
“Hey Baby,” No Doubt
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
“The Game of Love,” Santana with Michelle Branch
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
“Auld Lang Syne,” B.B. King
Best Pop Instrumental Album
Just Chillin’, Norman Brown
Best Pop Vocal Album
Come Away With Me, Norah Jones
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Playin’ With My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues, Tony
Bennett
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
“Steve McQueen,” Sheryl Crow
Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
“The Rising,” Bruce Springsteen
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With
Vocal
“In My Place,” Coldplay
Best Hard Rock Performance
“All My Life,” Foo Fighters
Best Metal Performance
“Here to Stay,” Korn
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
“Approaching Pavonis Mons By Baloon (Utopia Planitia),” Flaming
Lips
Best Rock Song
“The Rising,” Bruce Springsteen
Best Rock Album
The Rising, Bruce Springsteen
Best Alternative Music Album
A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
“He Think I Don’t Know,” Mary J. Blige
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
“U Don’t Have to Call,” Usher
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With
Vocal
“Love’s in Need of Love Today,” Stevie Wonder with Take Six
Best R&B Song
“Love of My Life,” Erykah Badu with Common
Best R&B Album
Voyage to India, India.Arie
Best Contemporary R&B Album
Ashanti, Ashanti
Best Traditional R&B Vocal
Performance
“What’s Going On,” Chaka Khan and the Funk Brothers
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
“Little Things,” India.Arie
Best Female Rap Solo Performance
“Scream a.k.a. Itchin’,” Missy Elliott
Best Male Rap Solo Performance
“Hot in Herre,” Nelly
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
“The Whole World,” OutKast featuring Killer Mike
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
“Dilemma,” Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland
Best Rap Album
The Eminem Show, Eminem
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
“Give My Love to Rose,” Johnny Cash
Best Female Country Vocal Performance
“Cry,” Faith Hill
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With
Vocal
“Long Time Gone,” Dixie Chicks
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
“Mendocino County Line,” Willie Nelson with Lee Ann Womack
Best Country Instrumental Performance
“Lil’ Jack Slade,” Dixie Chicks
Best Country Song
“Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning,” Alan Jackson
Best Country Album
Home, Dixie Chicks
Best New Age Album
Acoustic Garden, Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel
Best Contemporary Jazz Album
Speaking of Now, Pat Metheny Group
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Live in Paris, Diana Krall
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
“My Ship,” Herbie Hancock
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or
Group
Directions in Music, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and
Roy Hargrove
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
What Goes Around, Dave Holland Big Band
Best Latin Jazz Album
The Gathering, Caribbean Jazz Project
Best Rock Gospel Album
Come Together, Third Day
Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
The Eleventh Hour, Jars of Clay
Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel
Album
We Called Him Mr. Gospel Music: The James Blackwood Tribute
Album, The Jordanaires, Larry Ford and the Light Crust
Doughboys
Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album
Higher Ground, The Blind Boys of Alabama
Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album
Sidebars, Eartha
Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album
Be Glad, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Carol Cymbala
director
Best Latin Pop Album
Carakyba, Bacilos
Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album
Revolucion de Amor, Mana
Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album
El Arte del Sabor, Bebo Valdes Trio with Isreal Lopez and
Carlos Valdes
Best Salsa Album
La Negra Tiene Tumbao, Celia Cruz
Best Merengue Album
Latino, Grupo Mania
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
Lo Dijo el Corazon, Joan Sebastian
Best Tejano Album
Acuerdate, Emilion Navaira
Best Traditional Blues Album
A Christmas Celebration of Hope, B.B. King
Best Contemporary Blues Album
Don’t Give Up on Me, Solomon Burke
Best Traditional Folk Album
Legacy, Doc Watson and David Holt
Best Contemporary Folk Album
This Side, Nickel Creek
Best Native American Music Album
Beneath the Raven Moon, Mary Youngblood
Best Reggae Album
Jamaican E.T., Lee “Scratch” Perry
Best World Music Album
Mundo, Ruben Blades
Best Polka Album
Top of the World, Jimmy Sturr
Best Musical Album for Children
Monsters, Inc.: Scream Factory Favorites, Riders in the
Sky
Best Spoken Word Album for Children
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Tom Chapin
Best Spoken Word Album
A Song Flew Up to Heaven, Maya Angelou
Best Spoken Comedy Album
Robin Williams: Live 2002, Robin Williams
Best Musical Show Album
Hairspray, Original cast recording
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For a Motion Picture,
Television or Other Visual Media
Standing in the Shadows of Motown, the Funk Brothers and
Various Artists
Best Score Soundtrack Album For a Motion Picture,
Television or Other Visual Media
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Howard Shore
Shore, composer
Best Song Written For a Motion Picture, Television or
Other Visual Media
“If I Didn’t Have You,” from Monsters, Inc., Randy
Newman
Best Instrumental Composition
“Six Feet Under Title Theme, Thomas Newman, composer
Best Instrumental Arrangement
“Six Feet Under Title Theme, Thomas Newman, composer
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying
Vocalists
“Mean Old Man,” Dave Grusin, arranger (James Taylor)
Best Recording Packaging
Home, Kevin Reagan, art director (Dixie Chicks)
Best Boxed Recording Packaging
Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues: The Worlds of Charley
Patton, Susan Archie, art director
Best Album Notes
Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues: The Worlds of Charley
Patton, David Evans, album notes writer
Best Historical Album
Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues: The Worlds of Charley
Patton, Dean Blackwood, compilation producer
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Come Away With Me, S. Husky Hoskulds and Jay Newland,
engineers (Norah Jones, Come Away With Me)
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Arif Mardin (Come Away With Me, Norah Jones)
Best Short Form Music Video
“Without Me,” Eminem, Joseph Kahn director
Best Long Form Music Video
“Westway to the World,” the Clash, Don Letts, director
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
“Hella Good,” Roger Sanchez, remixer (No Doubt)
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1), Michael
Bishop, engineer
Producer of Year, Classical
Robert Woods
Best Classical Album
Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1), Thomas
C. Moore, producer
Best Orchestral Performance
Mahler: Symphony No. 6, Michael Tilson Thomas,
conductor
Best Opera Recording
Wagner: Tannhauser, Christopher Classen, producer
Best Choral Performance
Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1), Robert
Spano, conductor
Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (With
Orchestra)
Brahms/Stravinsky: Violin Concertos, Sir Neville Marriner,
conductor
Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without
Orchestra)
Chopin: Etudes, Op. 10 and Op. 25, Murray Perahia,
piano
Best Chamber Music Performance
Beethoven: String Quartets (“Razumovsky” Op. 59, 1-3; “Harp”
Op. 74), Takacs Quartet
Best Small Ensemble Performance (With or Without
Conductor)
Tavener: Lamentations and Praises, Joseph Jennings,
conductor
Best Classical Vocal Performance
Bel Canto, Renee Fleming, soprano
Best Classical Contemporary Composision
Tavener: Lamentations and Praises, Sir John Tavener
Best Classical Crossover Album
Previn Conducts Korngold (Sea Hawk; Captain Blood, Etc.,
Andre Previn, conductor
ANDREW DANSBY
(February 24, 2003)