The nominees for the 64th Grammy Awards were announced earlier today (Nov. 23) by the Recording Academy with several CalArtians among the 86 categories, including John Luther Adams (Music BFA 73), Don Cheadle (Theater BFA 86), and M.B. Gordy (Music MFA 80) of the band Opium Moon. Past Herb Alpert Award recipient Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah also earned a nomination.
The categories span the gamut of the music spectrum, from rock to jazz to classical, with the nominated CalArtians’ work reflecting the diverse genres.
Adams, who previously won a Grammy in 2014 for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Become Ocean, is nominated for the 2022 Grammys in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance category. Adams composed and conducted Lines Made By Walking, as performed by the JACK Quartet.
In the Best Spoken Word Album category, actor-producer-filmmaker Cheadle is nominated for the audio book version of Carry On: Reflections For A New Generation From John Lewis. Others in Cheadle’s category include familiar (nonmusician) names including LeVar Burton, J. Ivy, Dave Chappelle and Amir Sulaiman, and Barack Obama.
Opium Moon, the music project by acclaimed artists Lili Haydn (violin/voice), Hamid Saeidi (Santoor), CalArts alum and percussionist Gordy, and Itai Disraeli (fretless bass), is nominated for Best New Age Album for Night + Day. Opium Moon previously won the Grammy in the same category in 2019 for their self-titled debut.
Trumpeter, composer, and producer Adjuah, a 2020 recipient of the Herb Alpert Award for music, is nominated in the Best Improvised Solo Category for his work on “Sackodougou,” a track from Weedie Braimah’s The Hands of Time. Adjuah was previously nominated for five Grammys for his contemporary instrumental albums, jazz solo, and jazz album.
The first episode of the AppleTV+ musical Schmigadoon—starring and produced by Cecily Strong (Theater BFA 06)—was also nominated in the Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media.
The Recording Academy will present the 2022 GRAMMY Awards show on Mon, Jan. 31, on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on demand on Paramount+ from 8–11:30 pm ET / 5–8:30 pm PT. Prior to the telecast, the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony will be held at the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 pm PT/3:30 pm ET and will be streamed live on GRAMMY.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel.
