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John Beasley and Christian Sands Celebrate GRAMMY Nominations

Pianists/Composers John Beasley and Christian Sands
Earn GRAMMY® Nominations for New Albums!

Christian Sands Receives Nomination with “Be Water II” for Best Instrumental Composition

John Beasley is Among the most Nominated Artists in this Year’s GRAMMY® Awards:

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella (for “Donna Lee”)

Also nominated for Best Arrangement Instruments and Vocals (for Maria Mendes’ Close to Me) & Best Jazz Vocal Album (for Somi’s Holy Room)

John Beasley and Christian Sands have earned an astounding five nominations for the 63rd annual GRAMMY® Awards.

Both artists released critically acclaimed albums and overcame great challenges to reach fans in 2020 to thrive amongst one of the most difficult years for the music community.

John Beasley is one of the most nominated artists in this year’s GRAMMY Awards, and the only jazz artist considered one of its top nominees. His August release, MONK’estra Plays John Beasley, brings the MONK’estra cycle full circle with the big band’s third release.

With MONK’estra, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 garnering a pair of GRAMMY Award nominations apiece, alongside widespread critical acclaim, Beasley keeps in line with its namesake’s unpredictable nature on the new release as MONK’estra veers off in new directions on its stunning third album.

Additionally, besides casting the lens of his brilliant ensemble on his own music for the first time, the album also reunites Beasley with several now-formidable artists–including John Patitucci, Vinnie Colaiuta, Joey DeFrancesco, and Hubert Laws–with whom he performed with in his formative years nearly three decades ago.

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Pianist Christian Sands also celebrates a milestone year with his first GRAMMY Award nomination as a leader. His composition “Be Water II,” from his July album Be Water, received a nomination in the Best Instrumental Composition category.

Beyond the GRAMMY Award nomination, the album received critical acclaim with attention from Associated Press, NPR “All Things Considered,” Stereogum, The Absolute Sound, Glide Magazine, Soul Tracks, as well as heavy playlisting with Spotify’s “State of Jazz” and “Jazz X-Press,” NPR’s “New Music Friday,” Apple Music’s “Jazz Currents,” Tidal’s “Modern Contemporary,” and Amazon’s “Fresh Jazz.”

On his stunning latest album, Sands takes inspiration from water’s tranquility and power and muses on the possibilities offered by echoing its fluidity and malleability. Through ten gorgeous and thrilling pieces, he alternately conjures the serenity of a sun-dappled lake and the drama of a relentless thunderstorm. Just barely into his 30s, Sands has already enjoyed a remarkable career trajectory, touring and recording with Christian McBride’s Inside Straight and Trio, as well as collaborating with the likes of Gregory Porter and Ulysses Owens.

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