Astor Piazzolla (center) and his exceptional Quintet, with which he recorded two of the albums of his great “American” trilogy. From left to right, Horacio Malvicino, electric guitar; Hector Console, double bass; Fernando Suárez Paz, violin; and Pablo Ziegler, piano.
When an old friend at the Recording Academy surprised me yesterday morning with a message congratulating me on the GRAMMY nomination in the Album Notes category, my natural response was to thank her — and immediately think she was likely mistaken. We all have high hopes for our friends. But I didn’t want to say anything until I saw the list — and I did, and there it was.
It’s a nomination for the notes for Nonesuch’s Astor Piazzolla The American Clavé Recordings, a trilogy that includes Tango Zero Hour (1986), The Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night (Tango Apasionado) (1987), and La Camorra (1988)
It’s a privilege to have your work considered by your peers, in my case, writers I’ve read and learned from for many years. But it is also special for me that these notes are about Astor Piazzolla (my musical hero growing up in Buenos Aires) and his work with Kip Hanrahan, one of the most creative and generous people I know, and a dear friend.
The 2023 GRAMMYs take place Sunday, Feb. 5.
- Best Album Notes
- The American Clavé Recordings
Fernando González, album notes writer (Astor Piazzolla) - Andy Irvine & Paul Brady
Gareth Murphy, album notes writer (Andy Irvine & Paul Brady) - Harry Partch, 1942
John Schneider, album notes writer (Harry Partch) - Life’s Work: A Retrospective
Ted Olson, album notes writer (Doc Watson) - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)
Jazz With an Accent 