RFT announces nominees for 2006 music awards

Today's Riverfront Times has the list of nominees for the paper's 2006 music awards. This year's contenders for best jazz artist are Willie Akins, Erin Bode, Hamiet Bluiett, Dave Stone and Darin Gray.

As happens every year, the nominations are bound to provoke some discussion, even controversy. For example, some might argue that while Gray's music is certainly creative and improvisational, it isn't really jazz, a label that I believe Gray himself has explicitly rejected. For more evidence, consider that one of Gray's primary musical vehicles, Grand Ulena, is actually nominated in the Noise/Experimental category (along with Ring, Cicada; Conformists; Dancing Feet March to War and SkareKrau Radio).

Seems like a bit of a duplication to me, as Gray's solo works that I've heard are no more "jazz" than Grand Ulena's music is. And in what seems another peculiar decision, brass man Lamar Harris, who does acknowledge the jazz influences on his music and performed at the recent US Bank St. Louis Jazz and Heritage Festival, is nominated in the R&B category. Go figure.

Still, it's nice just to be included, I suppose, so congratulations to all the nominees. The RFT's annual music awards showcase will be held on Sunday, September 10, and the award winners will be announced in the annual "Best of St. Louis" issue on September 28.