It’s that time of year again! A time filled with anticipation and excitement for the recording arts industry. As the 58th Annual Grammy® Awards get closer, so does the annual children’s Grammy nominees benefit concert. This event is always exciting as it brings a rare opportunity to see award-winning artists from around the U.S. perform under one roof. And it’s open to the public! For families looking for a special Valentine’s Day gift this is a sweet treat to indulge in for the little music lovers in your life (and for yourself, really).
This year’s list of Grammy® nominees for Best Children’s Album is unique because all five are independent artists representing a nice variety of styles including jazz, indie-pop, folk, and even bilingual Latin American. See below for more info on the artists, as well as a special Grammy playlist!
Event info*:
Location: Lucky Strike Live, 6801 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA (in the Hollywood & Highland complex)
Date and Time: Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 11 am to 12 noon.
TIckets: Tickets to the public concert can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets. Net proceeds will benefit The Symphonic Jazz Orchestra’s “Music in the Schools” residencies, which serve more than 3,400 students each week throughout Los Angeles county. With a unique curriculum for elementary age students, including its flagship “Bach to Bebop” residency, students in Compton, Long Beach, Watts, and the San Fernando Valley learn to become music creators, appreciators and performers.
*While this event celebrates recording arts and this year’s nominees for best children’s album, it is not an official event of the Recording Academy. The children’s album award winner will be announced at the 58th annual Grammy® Awards pre-telecast ceremony in the Microsoft Theater at LA Live on Monday, February 15th. Visit www.grammy.com for more information.
Remember the people I mentioned in this industry that work hard to move the genre forward? Well, here is another fine example of a stellar team supporting arts for children and their families. The annual Grammy children’s benefit concert* is produced by the Chidlren’s Arts Alliance and is made up of a volunteer team: KC Mancebo of Clamorhouse Kids, Regina Kelland of To Market Kids and Beth Blenz-Clucas of Sugar Mountain PR. The parenting media sponsor of the concert is L.A. Parent magazine with the National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA).
Sirius XM Kids Place Live!
Another exciting aspect of this event is the fact that the outstanding DJs Absolutely Mindy and Kenny Curtis from SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s “Kids Place Live” channel (ch. 78) will record the concert and artist interviews, for a special to air over Grammy weekend.
Industry mixer
For those working in the industry, there will be a children’s recording arts industry mixer following the concert at a local restaurant. Location TBA.
Onto the music! As promised, to acquaint yourselves further, below is some additional artist info, as well as a special Grammy playlist curated by Sugar Mountain PR.
And now, the 2016 Nominees for Best Children’s Album are:
¡Come Bien! Eat Right! – José-Luis Orozco – ¡Come Bien! Eat Right! is an engaging and fun-filled approach to making music and promoting healthy habits, from a legendary figure in Latin American music and bilingual education. Orozco’s highly interactive songs are alive with delightful melodies, tips for smart nutrition, and good humor. All tracks on this recording – Orozco’s first album with Smithsonian Folkways and produced by Grammy-winning Los Angeles based artist Quetzal Flores—appear in Spanish and in English, building basic skills in both languages at the same time showing that it can be fun to eat right. Quetzal will be among special guests for the show.
Dark Pie Concerns – Gustafer Yellowgold ~ Songwriter/cartoonist/Gustafer creator Morgan Taylor’s absurdly funny and touching multi-media concert of songs, stories and animation has been described as, “…a cross between ‘Yellow Submarine’ and Dr. Seuss” by the The New York Times. The character of Gustafer is a friendly creature who comes to Earth from the Sun and lives out an explorer’s life in a slightly psychedelic version of the Minnesota woods. Who knew that life on Earth would earn him his very own GRAMMY Nomination?
Home – Tim Kubart ~ Sprout Channel’s “Sunny Side Up Show” host and Postmodern Jukebox’s noted ‘Tambourine Guy,’ Brooklyn-based Tim brings a special energy to his concerts. Home celebrates adventures: the kind you can find in your home and in your heart, with your friends and with your family. The new album, created in association with Matthew Puckett and long-time producer Dominic Fallacaro, blends modern pop sounds with child-friendly lyrics. As Tim says, “We aim to meet kids where they are right now, both thematically and sonically. The lyrics reflect what I’ve learned performing live with thousands of children, and working with Sprout’s creative team. Look for “Jumpsuit Alex” at the show!
How Great Can This Day Be” – Lori Henriques ~ Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, rave reviews, and hours of airplay on SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live showcase Lori Henriques’ jazzed-up music for children. How Great Can This Day Be realizes Henriques’ dream of arranging for jazz ensemble. Her songs “Everlovin’ Water,” “Another Good Year” and “How Great Can This Day Be” have been #1 hits on SiriusXM. Parents’ Choice acclaims, “How great can a family CD be? This fantastic release…is the answer. Henriques really knows her stuff.” NPR chimes in, “Lori Henriques’ songs stand out for their intelligence and empathy.” The Washington Post cheers, “[Henriques will] have you smiling, at times laughing, and in general feeling really good about who you are.”
Trees – Molly Ledford & Billy Kelly ~ Molly and Billy celebrate their acoustic musical celebration of trees. From free-range anthems to straight-up love songs to tunes that are somehow both hip-shaking and scientific, Trees offers a fresh perspective on everybody’s favorite ubiquitous woody plants. Produced by Dean Jones, Trees is by turns informative, wistful, and absurd. As NPR’s “All Things Considered” notes, “You’re unlikely to hear a more joyful celebration of the natural world, and our relation to it.”
Kids Can Groove 