Industry Rule Number Four Thousand and Eighty

Pat has a rundown of the 49th annual Grammy Jazz nominees. I too am glad to see Ornette, Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely nominated (and, like last year, the Large Ensemble field is a tight one), but I'm not really sure that this award, such as it is nowadays, matters much to many of those nominated. The Latin Jazz category is solid as well; and I was actually very surprised to see Sex Mob nominated in the Contemporary Jazz category, which is usually where all the smooth cats go. Ideally, it's a battle of the trumpets: Bernstein vs. Christian Scott. The Flecktones will probably walk away with it.

When I was a young lad, I used to follow the Grammys, AMAs, and even World Music Awards fairly religiously, to keep my stock of useless music trivia up to date. As I grew up, my tastes changed, my involvement in music and awareness of the music industry expanded, and my interest faded to indifference, and finally, by senior year of high school, apathy. I came to realize that the awards I really cared about were handed out the night before in the untelevised ceremonies, and that I didn't have to suffer through three hours of televised pomp, circumstance and saccharine - I could just check the Internet. My bewilderment at the criteria for choosing the nominees still exists, though I realize it's an exercise in futility. The only really "new" artists in Best New Artist are Chris Brown and Corinne Bailey Rae; haven't Carrie Underwood and James Blunt been out for years now? My hopes for the category: Rae or Imogen Heap. Neither of them will win, I don't think.

The NARAS committee has officially jumped the shark with this category, though:

Category 7

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
(For established duos or groups, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

• My Humps
  The Black Eyed Peas
  Track from: Monkey Business [A&M Records] (ow, my brain... this does not belong here, on so many grounds)
  
  
• I Will Follow You Into The Dark
  Death Cab For Cutie
  Track from: Plans [Atlantic Records] (these guys are pop now? Alright...)
  
  
• Over My Head (Cable Car)
  The Fray
  Track from: How To Save A Life [Epic] (Is this the Gray's Anatomy theme? If not, then I have no clue who they are.)
  
  
• Is It Any Wonder?
  Keane
  Track from: Under The Iron Sea [Interscope Records] (Keane put out a new record?)
  
  
• Stickwitu
  The Pussycat Dolls
  Track from: PCD [A&M Records] (Well, at least there's a discernibly, sung melody on this)

I look forward to the Gummys and the Idolator Jackin' Pop results.