NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble Makes Grammy Awards Ballot

Durham, NC – North Carolina Central University’s (NCCU) Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Department of Music assistant professor Lenora Helm Hammonds are on the preliminary ballot for the 60th Grammy Awards.  The ballot is the first stage in a two-part voting process.  Recordings selected to be nominated for a Grammy Award are determined by the votes cast in this first round of voting, which ended on October 29. 

Jazz Ensemble
(Pictured left to right) Maurice Myers, Sean Armbrister, Terrance Morrow, Laurence Joseph Horne, (not identified), Jay Attys, Manuel Antonio Martínez, Sydney Marie, Najma Pettiford, Tyra Scott, Anna Rose Beck, Natalie Wallace, Kadiatou Fofana and Lenora Helm Hammonds. (submitted photo)

The NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble, which is comprised of a group of NCCU students, is included in the first-round ballot for Best Jazz Vocal Album for its 2017 release “Take Note.” Ira Wiggins, Ph.D., director of NCCU’s Jazz Studies Program and Helm Hammonds produced songs on the album which features covers by famed jazz artists including Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis and original songs from the Vocal Jazz Ensemble and vocalist Eve Cornelious.

“Rio Dawn,” a jazz album featuring performances by the Vocal Jazz Ensemble directed by Helm Hammonds, is on the preliminary ballot for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals. It includes musical selections with Department of Music instructor Ed Paolantonio and NCCU students playing the guitar, drums, string and electric bass.

NCCU is the only historically black college and university listed in Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals categories. Final Grammy nominations will be announced on Nov. 28, and final-round voting begins on Dec. 7.

NCCU was the first university in the state to offer the Bachelor of Music degree in jazz studies. The program now includes a comprehensive vocal jazz component and offers a Master of Music in both jazz composition and jazz performance. Alumni from the Jazz Studies Program include professors at the college and university levels, teachers of primary and secondary music education, as well as production and performance artists.

The recordings are available for purchase through https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/northcarolinacentraluniv2.

North Carolina Central University prepares students to succeed in the global marketplace. Consistently ranked as a top Historically Black College or University, NCCU offers flagship programs in the sciences, education, law, business, nursing and the arts. Founded in 1910, NCCU remains committed to diversity in and access to higher education. Our alumni excel in a wide variety of academic and professional fields. Visit www.nccu.edu.