On November 23, 2021, the 64th annual Grammy nominations recognizing the best recordings, albums, and musical artists of the last year were announced to the public. We are beyond excited to report that three ArtistWorks instructors have been nominated for Grammy Awards this year, and many others contributed to or collaborated on projects that were nominated as well.

World-renowned saxophone player and ArtistWorks jazz saxophone instructor, Eric Marienthal, has been nominated in the category of “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album” for the prolific work on his recent collaboration with trumpet master Randy Brecker entitled Double Dealin’. Released in late 2020, Double Dealin’ highlights the virtuosic playing of these two jazz giants and features a beautiful smattering of genres ranging from traditional jazz to blues, smooth jazz, funk, R&B, and beyond.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn how to play jazz saxophone from a master musician like Eric Marienthal? Try some free online saxophone lessons now!

Supported by drummer Dave Weckl and fellow ArtistWorks instructors John Patitucci on bass and George Whitty on keyboards, Marienthal and Brecker are able to stretch their limbs and showcase their talents as both songwriters and improvisers. In addition to performing on the record, Whitty also collaborated as a songwriter alongside Marienthal and Brecker on five of the album’s tracks. Dive in and take a listen to the album’s title track below:

“Double Dealin’” - Randy Brecker & Eric Marienthal:

Resophonic guitar master and ArtistWorks dobro and lap steel guitar instructor, Andy Hall, is also nominated for a Grammy Award this year alongside the fellow members of his critically acclaimed bluegrass outfit, The Infamous Stringdusters. The group is up for an award in the category of “Best Bluegrass Album” for their recent record release, A Tribute to Bill Monroe, which debuted this past May.

LEARN MORE: Want to learn dobro or lap steel guitar from a master musician like Andy Hall? Try some free online dobro lessons now!

As the name might suggest, A Tribute to Bill Monroe features a collection of some of the most prolific songs written by the mandolin icon and “father of bluegrass.” However, what one might not expect is that there is almost no mandolin on A Tribute to Bill Monroe. Instead, The Stringdusters bring their iconic combination of fiddle, banjo, dobro, and acoustic guitar to Monroe’s classic tunes, ushering in a fresh, unique perspective on this classic bluegrass repertoire. Listen to The Stringdusters’ take on “Sitting Alone in the Moonlight” below:

“Sitting Alone in the Moonlight” - The Infamous Stringdusters:

Last, but certainly not least, jazz bass legend and ArtistWorks bass instructor, John Patitucci, is nominated for his contributions as a member of Chick Corea’s Akoustic Band on the album Akoustic Band LIVE. The last recording project Corea worked on before his unfortunate passing in 2020, Akoustic Band LIVE is nominated in the category of “Best Jazz Instrumental Album.”

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Akoustic Band LIVE is a triple LP box-set featuring recordings captured from a live performance at SPC Music Hall in St. Petersburg, FL on January 13, 2018. This work marked the long-anticipated reunion of Corea’s beloved acoustic trio with Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl, and was the first time the group was captured on a formal recording in more than two decades.

Akoustic Band LIVE Album Trailer:

HONORABLE MENTION:

While they were not recognized personally, a handful of ArtistWorks instructors contributed to amazing projects that were also nominated for Grammy Awards this year.

Alongside A Tribute to Bill Monroe by The Infamous Stringdusters, Béla Fleck’s recent release My Bluegrass Heart is also nominated for “Best Bluegrass Album” and features guest performances from members of the ArtistWorks bluegrass faculty, including Bryan Sutton, Sierra Hull, Tony Trischka, and Noam Pikelny.

Additionally, Jon Batiste and Trent Reznor’s score for the Pixar animated film, Soul, is nominated for “Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media,” and features performances from ArtistWorks instructor Nathan East on both upright and electric bass.

Lastly, Yo-Yo Ma and Angelique Kidjo’s track “Blewu,” from Ma’s recent album release Notes for the Future, is nominated for “Best Global Music Performance,” and was arranged for the duo by none other than ArtistWorks master cello instructor Mike Block.

ABOUT ARTISTWORKS:

ArtistWorks online music lessons are recorded and taught by 42 world-renowned master musicians who not only have rich musical legacies but have a deep passion for teaching and sharing their knowledge.

Through the ArtistWorks platform, students have the unique opportunity to both learn at their own pace and also interact with and receive feedback from our faculty of master teachers in the form of Video Exchanges. ArtistWorks' patented Video Exchange Learning® platform allows students to submit questions to our master faculty in the form of a video, and our instructors then create personal video responses full of guidance, encouragement, and critical next steps to facilitate improvement.

Our teachers also provide notation, tablature, backing tracks, and other amazing supplemental materials to round out their holistic curricula in each course. Students can learn anything from acoustic and electric guitar to banjo, piano, mandolin, fiddle, saxophone, ukulele, how to sing—just about any instrument you can think of. And, our esteemed faculty can teach you how to play everything from bluegrass to jazz to rock to blues to classical and beyond.

Try out some free sample music lessons here and see what makes ArtistWorks courses some of the best online music lessons around!

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