Herbie Hancock wins top Grammy!

[diachun]

Herbie Hancock won the Grammy last night for "Album of the Year" for his cd "River: The Joni Letters"! It was the first time in 43 years that a jazz artist has taken this category. His fellow nominees were The Foo Fighters, Vince Gill, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse.

YAY HERBIE!!!

Gotta go–I just saw a pig fly by my window.

[Bill Metcalfe]

I love hearing Herbie, Joni, Wayne Shorter, and Leonard Cohen on the same album and playing in various combinations. It's a convergence of so many different parts of my life. When I was young in the 60's I was into all the new rock and folk music like lots of others, but I was also into the new jazz, which not so many people were into, and which Hancock was part of. At UBC in the 60's I saw Leonard Cohen live, performing in quite a small room, singing for almost the first time-- no one had seen or heard him do that although I already admired him as a poet then. It was exciting because no one had ever tried that, an author singing his own poetry even though he couldn't sing (he has learned since). At roughly the same time I saw Joni Mitchell live, as a very young woman, only known to a few people in Canada. I have always loved Wayne Shorter's early work, especially the Miles period, and I love his work later with Joni. So, now we have this convergence of jazz and "folk", involving a couple of Canadians. It's a Canada thing, sort of. The concept of a duet between Cohen and Hancock doing a Mitchell song together is so brilliant I have no words for it. Normally I don't care who wins the grammys because it's just a superficial money and fame game, but this time I paid attention and was happy to see this.

[Brian Nation]

Originally Posted by Bill Metcalfe

At UBC in the 60's I saw Leonard Cohen live, performing in quite a small room, singing for almost the first time-- no one had seen or heard him do that although I already admired him as a poet then.

I vaguely recall that Cohen played guitar and sang cowboy songs as a kid and also had a group for a while in his teens . . . before he met Suzanne.