What started as a plan to simplify the Grammys is now getting really, really complicated. On Tuesday, a group of Latin Jazz artists decided to sue NARAS in New York Supreme Court, a move that follows months of frustration. The suit, filed by artists Bobby Sanabria, Benjamin Lapidus, Mark Levine and Eugene Marlow, alleges that the Recording Academy violated contractual agreements and caused “irreparable harm" by forcing Latin Jazz nominations in related categories.
NARAS has basically been telling these artists to take a hike, while flatly refusing to adjust its narrowed list of awards. But it also underwent a lengthy process to shave its exhaustive category list, and many genres were receiving low submissions. The result was a Grammy list that moved from 109 awards to 78, though a number of artists—including those from important ethnic categories—obviously felt slighted by the move. Meanwhile, allegations of racism have also been floating since the April pare-down.
NARAS has brushed off the latest lawsuit as “frivolous." The artist consortium is merely seeking the reinstatement of its Latin Jazz category, though musicians from other chopped categories may also be stirred to action.
NARAS has basically been telling these artists to take a hike, while flatly refusing to adjust its narrowed list of awards. But it also underwent a lengthy process to shave its exhaustive category list, and many genres were receiving low submissions. The result was a Grammy list that moved from 109 awards to 78, though a number of artists—including those from important ethnic categories—obviously felt slighted by the move. Meanwhile, allegations of racism have also been floating since the April pare-down.
NARAS has brushed off the latest lawsuit as “frivolous." The artist consortium is merely seeking the reinstatement of its Latin Jazz category, though musicians from other chopped categories may also be stirred to action.
