Graduate John Daversa bags top accolades in his categories at the 61st Grammy Awards
In the world of music, the 61st GRAMMY Awards held in April 2019 was a night to remember. Among the various categories and nominees, several standout performances and wins captured the hearts and minds of many.
One of the most significant victories of the night belonged to John Daversa, a UCLA Music Performance graduate and longtime Angeleno. His album, American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom, released in 2018, was a multi-GRAMMY-winning work that blended jazz music with the voices and stories of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. This powerful album, which featured 53 musicians enrolled in DACA, aimed to highlight social justice issues through an artistic lens, making a profound impact on both the music industry and the broader cultural landscape.
American Dreamers won in three prestigious categories: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Best Improvised Jazz Solo, and Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella. The album's success not only brought visibility to the experiences of DACA artists but also elevated the artistic voice of jazz as a medium for social commentary.
Another notable win of the night was Conductor JoAnn Falletta's victory in the Best Classical Compendium category. Falletta, who invited the UCLA Chamber Singers to record and perform with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2019, made history as the first woman to be named artistic director for a major American orchestral ensemble.
Another GRAMMY winner of the night was Wayne Shorter, a UCLA professor, who took home the award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for his Wayne Shorter Quartet's album Emanon. Emanon was the quartet's second GRAMMY-winning album, adding to their impressive collection of accolades.
The nomination for Great Scott, a contemporary classical composition by Jake Heggie, a UCLA alumnus, also garnered attention in the Contemporary Classical Composition category. The nomination was shared with librettist Terrence McNally.
In a night filled with memorable moments, these wins served as a testament to the power of music as a medium for social change and artistic innovation. American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom stands out as an important cultural artifact that bridges artistic innovation and advocacy, using jazz to amplify marginalized voices and inspire conversations about immigration and identity in modern America.
The victory of John Daversa's album, American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom, in three GRAMMY categories spotlighted both the social justice issues of DACA recipients and jazz music as a powerful medium for social commentary in the music industry. In a different category, Conductor JoAnn Falletta made history as the first woman to be named artistic director for a major American orchestral ensemble.
These wins at the 61st GRAMMY Awards demonstrated the potential of music to catalyze social change and artistic innovation, with American Dreamers standing as a significant cultural artifact that uses jazz to elevate marginalized voices and spark conversations about immigration and identity in America.
