It’s Grammy weekend, and the familiar names nominated for the annual award show’s biggest prizes are getting most of the headlines. But with 94 categories, there are plenty of other worthy musicians to discover, and NPR Music’s team has the scoop on the best of the rest.
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Hello mon cher music people,
Last weekend I was in New Orleans (thus the Acadian tinge to my greeting!) and was lucky enough to stumble from a parade into a Louis Michot show at BJ’s Lounge, a most excellent dive bar in the Bywater. If you don’t know about Michot (that's him in the photo), he’s a hot shot Cajun fiddler and wailer who is also one of the most fascinating experimental musicians out there. His main band, the Lost Bayou Ramblers, have been reinvigorating traditional Louisiana sounds for nearly 25 years, while Michot’s side projects incorporate punk, funk, drones and drum pads. On this particular Saturday night he set up with his trio, which includes Ramblers Bryan Webre and Kirkland Middleton. As I shoved my way into the packed, dancing crowd, I thought wow, I’ve never heard Cajun music that brought to mind Faith No More before.
Michot’s name was in my head as I made my way home and began preparing for this weekend’s Grammy Awards telecast. Scanning down the long, long list of nominees, I noticed that the Lost Bayou Ramblers were nominated — their third time, which includes a win in 2018 for their album Kalenda. I hadn’t spent any time with this year’s contender, a collaboration with the Louisiana Philharmonic recorded at NOLA’s Orpheum Theater. I let this gorgeous combination of lush orchestral arrangements and red-clay salle de dance music envelop me, I suddenly had someone to root for at the Grammys – in the regional roots category. Usually regional roots features Hawai’ian and Carolina coast contenders, but this year, the nominees are 100 percent Louisianan, from the Mardi Gras Indian funk of The Rumble and the brass band bravado of the New Orleans Nightcrawlers to the swamp soul of Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers. I’ll be checking for the winner and hoping it’s Live: Orpheum Theater NOLA. (I’m also hoping Michot’s weird and wonderful solo album Rêve du Troubadour, released just after this year’s eligibility period ended, gets a nod next year.)
Most viewers pay attention to the Grammys to see pop’s pantheon sparkle up Crypto.com Arena (it’ll always be the Staples Center to me), perform their hits in strange configurations, and battle each other for those golden gramophones. But as my jazz pal Nate Chinen has often said, the real Grammy action takes place beyond the top categories, mostly during the long prologue to the televised awards, when artists from all over the stylistic and regional map celebrate great music aimed at much smaller and more invested audiences. Hawai’ian music! New Age! Reggae! Blues! The magnificent diversity of music shines in these lesser-hailed categories, and winning or simply being nominated makes a huge difference to the players who, after a victory, can book bigger shows, land better placement on social media platforms, increase the buzz that was already lifting them up locally. Sometimes, a “lesser” category might even break through: Millions will want to know who wins best musicá Mexicana album this year. (If it’s not Peso Pluma, there’s gonna be a fuss.)
With 94 total categories, the list of nominated music can get overwhelming, so I asked some of my colleagues to share what artists lower down on the roster earned their enthusiasm this year. I encourage you to explore the many categories where artists shine without any support from Kellyoke, Hollywoodtie-ins or NFL-endorsed kisses. Investment in these categories lends the Grammys a kind of power that the shiny spectacle side of the awards lacks. It’s the power of community, locality, day-to-day connectedness. And there’s so much great music to hear once you start exploring.
Alive At The Village Vanguard by Fred Hersch & esperanza spalding nominated for best jazz vocal album A genuine meeting of the minds — Fred Hersch on piano, esperanza spalding on vocals — this gem is a frontrunner for best jazz vocal album. For a taste of its improvisatory magic, look no further than the opening track, “But Not For Me,” which also snagged a nod for best jazz performance. —Nate Chinen, WRTI
Walking in the Dark by Julia Bullock nominated for best classical solo vocal album A singer not to be missed. Bullock’s debut solo recording spotlights not only the soprano’s creamy, focused tone, but also her keen sense of programming, telling her stories with music from sources as diverse as Connie Converse, John Adams, Sandy Denny and traditional spirituals. —Tom Huizenga
“Amapiano" by Asake & Olamide nominated for best African music performance The subgenre of South African house known as amapiano is among the most rapidly expanding sounds of recent years, and no artist has had greater influence on its infiltration of Nigerian pop than its Lagosian champion Asake. It’s fitting, then, that the song recognized by the Grammys from his splendid and self-congratulatory 2023 album, Work of Art, is his bustling single with the street-pop luminary Olamide, a triumphant celebration of the form, its stars and all it’s capable of — with the elastic log drum at its center. —Sheldon Pearce
Love in Exile by Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily nominated for best alternative jazz album Love in Exile doesn't sound like alternative music or jazz, so much as it functions as a long, slow, healing exhalation. Iyer's keys, Ismaily's bass and Aftab's voice are subtly deployed throughout, yet unfailingly radiant. —Stephen Thompson
“Strong” by Romy feat. Fred again.. nominated for best dance/electronic recording I spent much of late last year falling in love with Romy’s beautiful debut album Mid Air, so I was thrilled to see her earn her first Grammy nomination, alongside the song's co-producer Fred again.. (who is also nominated for best new artist), for a track that perfectly captures how much Mid Air expanded the quiet, minimalist artist's sound into something that could blow out speakers on a dance floor, with a strong message of resilience at its core. In a category that's too often dominated by a handful of predictable names in dance music (*cough* Skrillex *cough*), I'm hoping for her to win. —Hazel Cills
Julius Eastman, Vol. 3: If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Rich? by Christopher Rountree, conductor; Lewis Pesacov, producer nominated for best classical compendium For decades, the music of Black minimalist composer Julius Eastman went underperformed and unheard. Rountree's group Wild Up not only course corrects but breathes new life into these works. The ensemble's full-throttle take on Evil N*****, in particular, brilliantly captures Eastman as classical punk and provocateur. —Lars Gotrich
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