The 2018 Grammy nominations came out today, and while we're pissed about Ed Sheeran being completely snubbed for the, Tampa Bay jazz fans have a big reason celebrate since Chuck Owen — a University of South Florida professor of jazz studies and director of the school's Center for Jazz Composition — has been nominated four times.
Chuck Owen and the Jazz Surge's Whispers on the Wind — a seven-track effort released in September via Summit/MAMA Records — features a 19-piece big band sound and was nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Recording, Best Instrumental Composition ("Warped Cowboy"), Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella ("All Hat, No Saddle") and Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.
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The acknowledgement comes just three years after the Surge's 2014 LP (River Runs) earned two Grammy nominations, and is another achievement for revered Bay area record man Tom Morris, who recorded, mixed and mastered the release. It's also a big one for violinist Sara Caswell who also received a nomination for her solo on "Warped Cowboy."
"There was something from the beginning about Whispers that just felt 'right,'" Owen told CL via email, adding that the members of the Jazz Surge are what made the project come to life. "Randy [Brecker, trumpeters] has been a soloist with the Surge before – both on Comet's Tail as well as in several performances [and] this is the first time working with Grégoire [Maret, harmonica]."
Owen adds that he's "very much hoping to" attend the ceremony on January 28 at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
Recordings released from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017, were eligible for nominations, and the recording academy said that it received more than 22,000 submissions.
Call your local record store to see if it is carrying the release.
This article appears in Nov 23-30, 2017.