The fourth annual National Smooth Jazz Awards will be held June 18 at the Wiltern Theater, but under the auspices of ShoCorp Intl., which has taken over the kudocast with plans to take the show international via television and radio.
Show will feature about 16 performers and awards will be given out in 16 categories. The five nominees in each category are determined by radio airplay and album and concert sales in 2002; listeners then vote on performers at the awards' Web site for a four-week period beginning April 22. Nominations are tabulated by Radio & Records, based on the trade publication's statistics.
"We saw this as a niche market that doesn't get much recognition but has an enormous fan base the world over," said Tim Goodwin, president and executive producer of ShoCorp, which staged last year's awards show in San Diego.
Goodwin has a five-year plan for the kudocast with an eye toward a post-awards show tour in 2004 and a live TV broadcast of the kudofest by 2008. He is negotiating with several domestic TV outlets, though it most likely will go a syndicated route this year, as do the Soul Train Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. A host will be named later.
"Our biggest problem is instability over the possible war situation. Funding is an issue, corporate sponsorships are tougher and the networks, cable and broadcast, are not wanting to commit to anything (untested) right now," Goodwin said.
Inked to perform are Al Jarreau, Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Euge Groove, Freddie Ravel, David Benoit, Jeff Lorber, Peter White, Richard Elliot, Jeff Golub, Rick Braun, Steve Cole and Norman Brown, the guitarist who won the pop instrumental Grammy last month.
"In our community," Brown said, "we have had a hard time getting recognition from the broader musical community. It's important for the (smooth jazz) community to promote itself and pat itself on the back."
Goodwin said he wants the awards show to demonstrate the broadness of the genre, which stretches from instrumentalists traditionally associated with smooth jazz -- Boney James, Koz, etc. -- to artists whose music is a key part of the format -- Norah Jones, Sting, Sade, etc.
In addition to honoring individuals on their instruments, categories include album of the year, song, producer, new artist, female artist, male artist and Latin jazz album.
Event's Web site is
www.nationalsmoothjazzawards.com
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