(CelebrityAccess News Service) — The Recording Academy will host a full week of exciting events leading up to the 46th Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast on February 8. These events will take place all over Los Angeles, in celebration of music and the recorded arts.
"This year we decided to take a more direct role in designing and hosting programs surrounding the GRAMMY Awards," said Neil Portnow. "Accordingly, we've added a number of new events to the slate of those already produced by the Academy, which we believe are directly relevant and will resonate with our members and our industry."
Following is a calendar listing of the upcoming slate of events (and a calendar may be found online at www.grammy.com/awards/calendar.aspx):
February 3:
Salute To The Art Of The Grammy's:
The Academy will host a Grammy week art reception spotlighting 3-D pop art master Charles Fazzino's official artwork for the 46th Grammy Awards. The event will take place at The Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. Supermodel Petra Nemcova– Sports Illustrated's 2003 swimsuit edition cover model–and "Ellen" show DJ Tony Okungbowa will join the event.
February 4:
Grammy Salute To Jazz:
The Academy will pay tribute to one of the great American musical forms. Clark Terry and current Grammy nominee Gerald Wilson will be honored at the Knitting Factory Club Hollywood with a special presentation and live performances, including the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy High School Jazz Ensembles.
Grammy Salute To Comedy:
This event will take place at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood and features a night of stand up comedy headlined by Bob Saget, Jon Lovitz, Dom Irrera, and two-time Grammy winner and current Grammy nominee "Weird Al" Yankovic, among others.
February 5:
Grammy Salute To Classical Music:
Irish flautist Sir James Galway will be honored at an event that celebrates the lasting cultural contribution and ongoing vibrancy of classical music. It will take place at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
Soul To Soul: A Grammy Salute To Musical Masters:
This event, presented by The Grammy Foundation, features an inaugural screening of the restored original 1971 music documentary Soul To Soul, which has been heralded as one of the finest concert films of all time. Unseen for 15 years, the film features Carlos Santana, Wilson Pickett, and Ike and Tina
Turner and will be accompanied by live celebrity performances and surprise guests. It takes place at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Actor Blair Underwood will MC while Kirk Whalum and current Grammy nominee Anthony Hamilton are confirmed to perform.
February 6:
Grammy In The Schools:
Top music industry professionals will discuss the realities of the music business and available careers in music with more than 1,500 L.A. area high school students in this Grammy Foundation program. It will be held at USC's Bovard Auditorium and features panel discussions followed by a variety of workshops addressing various fields in the music industry. Artists/Professionals scheduled to appear include Grammy winner and current Grammy nominee Tom Morello (Audioslave), six-time Grammy winners Earth, Wind &Fire, current Grammy nominee MC Lyte, current Grammy nominee Brian McKnight, current Grammy nominee Pharrell Williams, 14-time Grammy winner David Foster, and actor/recording artist Nick Cannon, among many others.
Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI) Luncheon:
This annual event was conceived as a means to recognize and further develop the connection between the legal profession and the recording community with the goal of resolving issues confronting the music industry. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Music Entertainment, Andrew Lack will deliver the keynote address at this luncheon at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles.
MusiCares 2004 Person Of The Year:
The signature fundraiser for the MusiCares Foundation will take place at Sony Studios and features a host of notable musical guests, entertainers and VIPs who will honor Grammy-winning recording artist Sting for his artistic and social contributions. Artists scheduled to perform include: Charles Aznavour, Tony Bennett, The Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Elvis Costello, Dido, Elton John, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Rufus Wainwright. Sir Bob Geldof will present the award to Sting. MusiCares is the health and human service charity founded by the Recording Academy to help music people in need.
Some of these exciting events are open to the public, including the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy High School Jazz Ensembles performances during Grammy week. Top high school singers and instrumentalists were selected from across the United States and Canada to perform with special guests as part of these ensembles. Performances will take place on February 3 (with special guest, Grammy nominee Kurt Elling at Catalina Bar &Grill); on February 6 (with special guest GRAMMY-winner Chick Corea at Knitting Factory Club Hollywood); and on February 7 (with special guests Eric Marienthal & Mindi Abair; Endless Dreams Yacht, Rainbow Harbor, Long Beach).
On February 7 the Academy will host the 46th Annual Grammy nominee reception. At this private party, all the Grammy nominees will be celebrated in a night devoted to the commemoration of their recognition as the year's most noteworthy music artists. In addition, special awards will be presented. to Van Cliburn, The Funk Brothers, Ella Jenkins, Sonny Rollins, Artie Shaw and Doc Watson , who will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. Songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King, jazz producer Orrin Keepnews and pianist/radio host Marian McPartland will be honored with Trustees Awards. Inventor, technologist and mastering engineer Douglas Sax and audio console manufacturer Solid State Logic, Inc. will be honored as recipients of the 2004 Technical Grammy Award.
On February 8, The 46th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (EST/PST). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at Grammy.com. Artists slated to perform include Christina Aguilera, The Black Eyed Peas, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Earth, Wind &Fire, Martina McBride, OutKast, Sean Paul, Robert Randolph &The Family Band, Justin Timberlake, Sting, and The White Stripes. Presenters include Norah Jones, John Mayer and Pharrell Williams, and actors Sean Astin and Amber Tamblyn. –Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
