We’ve known for a few months now that the Recording Academy was probably planning a return to New York for next year’s Grammy Awards. Now we know for sure.
“We welcome the Grammy Awards back to New York City with open arms,” said New York mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement, “and we look forward to continuing to partner with a music industry that supports access and empowerment in the arts.”
The show — the Grammys first New York ceremony since 2003 — is scheduled for January 28, 2018 and will be held at Madison Square Garden. To mark the occasion, the Academy hired Spike Lee to direct a whirling tribute to the city’s indelible musical legacy featuring Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Maxwell, Nile Rogers, Cyndi Lauper and Joan Jett. (What, no Philip Glass?)
Shot in high-contrast black-and-white, the promo highlights New York’s black musical history … which is nice, but we all know that the Grammys have struggled to properly acknowledge non-white music in their present moment, whatever it may be. The problem, addressed eloquently by Ann Powers after this year’s show, will likely not be fully salved eight months from now — but here’s to hoping.
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