Greetings readers….

I trust this post finds you well AND in good spirits. Here we are approaching the end of another year…December 2009. While we are close to that end, it’s conversely just the beginning (again) for the annual Grammy Awards…The 2010 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, to be exact. I was chosen to provide the official podcast for the nominees in the Jazz category last year and I am extremely honored to be picked by The GRAMMYs to be the official community blogger for this year’s award category of Jazz. Honored in that this genre represents the indigenous music of America…born and raised here. Even so much so, that the drumset, an instrument so foundational to the genre, was originated in the US.

Jazz, in itself, has taken an evolutionary journey. While the foundations of classical jazz, hard bop, bebop, ragtime, etc are very much alive, there have been many sub genres culminating from the formation of what I like to call jazz hybrids…neo-jazz, nu-jazz, hip-hop jazz, acid jazz, jazz fusion etc. While we do and will always have jazz purists, the evolution of this great musical art form remains to breath life into generation after generation of music lover.

Tomorrow, December 2 at 9pm ET/PT, The GRAMMYs Nominations Concert LIVE! will air on CBS. Hosted by LL Cool J, the show will have a host of phenomenal performances, along with the category nominee announcements. I can’t think of a better kickoff to the greatest and most respected music awards show ever.

This year, The GRAMMYs have fully embraced and leveraged social media to the greatest possible extent, Facebook and Twitter, being among the two major entities. This, I am sure, is just the beginning of what’s store.

The GRAMMYs theme this year is “We’re All Fans” , a mindset and mantra, if you will, that says EVERYONE, from the professional agency columnist to the everyday listener, is a fan of the universal language of music. The GRAMMYs blogger community Twitter link is where you’ll be able to catch not only my thoughts on the jazz nominees but other chosen community bloggers that were given the opportunity to share their thoughts on the nominees they are covering up until the award ceremony itself Sunday, January 31, 2010.

There are some exciting things in store between now and then, so let’s get ready for the ride. Again, I express my sincere thanks to The GRAMMYs for choosing me to represent the bloggers worldwide to represent and cover the nominees in the category of jazz, You know I’ll be keepin’ it jazzy from “hear” on out!

The GRAMMYs Official Twitter Link
The GRAMMYs Facebook Fan Page

Let’s go!

Best…
Doug