Easily the most surreal, but to my mind the most tragic, moment of the 2007 Grammys: Ornette Coleman, one of my favorite artists and one of jazz’s all-time greats, is given given a 5-second clip and a mention of The Shape of Jazz to Come by way of presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award. OK–other Lifetimers were given just as little time. This clip begins just after that mini-segment. You will hear a Coleman fan shout congratulations.
Then, in one of the most awkward segues I’ve ever seen, Coleman announces the nominees for Best New Artist Award. Couldn’t it have been Best Polka Album? Previous winners for the Best New Artist Grammy include Hootie and the Blowfish, Milli Vanilli, Christopher Cross, Starland Vocal Band (“Afternoon Delight”), and Debby Boone.
Funny thing is, I suspect the odds would have been greater with even the artists I just mentioned that they would have realized the utter gravitas of being handed a Grammy by Ornette Coleman, one of the great pioneers of free jazz. In the case of Carrie Underwood, however, we have a lot of blond hair tossing about and not much brain matter. Watch her exclaim “I love country music!” at the top of her speech.
