GRAMMYs

Mariss Jansons

Photo: DIETER NAGL/AFP/Getty Images

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Mariss Jansons, GRAMMY-Winning Conductor, Dies At 76

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The "musician’s musician” led some of the world's top ensembles, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2019 - 12:00 pm

Widely acclaimed conductor Mariss Jansons died on Nov. 30 at his home in St. Petersburg, Russia, after years of living with a heart condition. He was 76.

Born in what is now independent Latvia to a conductor father and an opera singer mother, Janson grew up in the Soviet Union and studied at the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Conservatory. His conducting career began to take flight with his first major international appointment with the Oslo Philharmonic in 1979. Jansons went on to lead some of the world's top ensembles, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1997-2004. 

“He conducted every concert like it was his last,” Michael Rusinek, the PSO’s principal clarinetist, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “With Mariss, everything was incredibly passionate and incredibly energetic.”

After his impressive run with the PSO, he became principal conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, where he stayed until 2015 Twice during that span, Jansons conducted the Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert broadcast around the world. Jansons won the GRAMMY for Best Orchestral Performance for 2005 for Shostakovich: Sym. No. 13. He would earn six GRAMMY nominations in all during his remarkable career. 

Toward the end of his life, he was serving as chief conductor of Germany's Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.  Jansons was admired for his emotional intensity and will be remembered for the passion he poured into his work.

"Mariss was a musician’s musician," Christopher Wu, a first violinist in the PSO, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He was focused on bringing out the feeling in the music more than perfect beats and technique, always trying to find ways of expressing a phrase. In rehearsal he’d say, 'Oh, you must feel this person crying,' or 'You must feel this person loving.'"

Doug Lubahn, Studio Bassist For The Doors, Dies At 71

GRAMMYs

Eun Sun Kim

Photo: Marc Olivier Le Blanc/San Francisco Opera

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Eun Sun Kim Named Music Director Of San Francisco Opera

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Kim becomes the first Asian woman to lead a major North American opera company
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 9, 2019 - 10:21 am

Four only the fourth time in its nearly 100-year history, the San Francisco Opera will have a new music director: Eun Sun Kim. Effective August 2021, the 39-year-old South Korean conductor will begin her five-year contract leading the SF Opera.

With the appointment, Kim becomes the first Asian woman to lead a major North American opera company, and she has already expressed her excitement about her new role. 

“From my first moments with the San Francisco Opera, I felt like part of the family,” Kim said in an interview. “The whole organization is super professional, but I also saw a lot of love and passion for the music. For me, it felt very natural to be here."

Naturally, the SF Opera is equally as enthused to welcome Kim's remarkable talents, which they recognized almost immediately. 

“There were two things that we saw early on," SF Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock said. "One was her clear vision and sense of artistic purpose. But at the same time, there’s a welcoming generosity that happens with the orchestra and the singers, a message that says, ‘I want you to do your very best, and I’m here to facilitate that.’”

Kim made an impactful debut at the SF Opera back in June, leading Dvorák’s “Rusalka” to rave reviews. In her new position as music diretor, she'll be conducting up to four operatic production each season, as well as conducting concerts at the War Memorial Opera House and participating in executive leadership of the organization.

"Whatever repertoire I’m conducting at a particular time, that’s what I fall in love with," she said. "When I was conducting ‘Rusalka’ and also preparing Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony, then Dvorák was my favorite composer. Now I’m working on Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony, and he’s the one I love best."

For more about the San Francisco Opera, including ticket information, visit their website. 

Mariss Jansons, GRAMMY-Winning Conductor, Dies At 76

 

GRAMMYs

Scott Michael Smith

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:NEXT With Scott Michael Smith: The Innovative Producer/Mixer On Taking Risks, Steve Reich & More

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The L.A.-based producer/mixer talks about his journey from runner at the Village Studios to working on major albums, shows and films on :NEXT, the Recording Academy's new digital series on the future of the music industry
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Nov 4, 2019 - 11:57 am

You might not know his name, but he's behind some of your favorite records, TV shows and movies. Los Angeles-based producer/mixer Scott Michael Smith has turned his passion and talent for music into a booming studio career—but he hasn't done it alone. As part of GRAMMYNext, Smith's circle is full of both support and inspiration from the industry around him.

Producer/Mixer Scott Michael Smith Is :NEXT

Music grabbed Smith early in life. His parents raised him on a healthy dose of Beach Boys and the Beatles. Smith's career ascent began at the world-famous Village Studios in Los Angeles, where he started as a runner and worked his way through the ranks to become a staff engineer. 

Today, Smith's work can be heard all over. He is currently wrapping up work on Season 3 of "The Handmaid's Tale" and IT Chapter Two. His past credits include films such as The Revenant, Transformers: Age Of Extinction and music by John Mayer, Nelly, Carole King and many more. His versatility across medium and genre speaks to his appetite for innovation in the studio, an approach that has made him fearless and allowed him to turn mistakes into knowledge.

"I really like working with people that take risks and try to do something that's going to last, and something original," Smith said. "It's cliché, but this idea that you learn from your mistakes is absolutely true, especially in an industry as hard as ours. If you learn from it, you can bounce back from it, so I'm thankful for each [mistake] I've made."

Inspiration comes to Smith from so many sources, especially when bouncing from project to project, but he names Steve Reich's 1978 minimalist masterpiece Reich: Music For 18 Musicians, which won for Best Small Ensemble Performance (With or Without Conductor) at the 41st GRAMMY Awards, as a latest favorite over the past couple years.

"It's just kind of blowing my mind a little bit and shown me how you can make an album with super-high production value, but just do it with orchestral musicians, no tricks, nothing, just the way it's written and arranged," Smith said of the album. 

At this exciting time in his career, Smith credits the Recording Academy for building up his network and Village CEO Jeff Greenberg from initially recommending GRAMMY :NEXT to him.

"The best part about being a GRAMMYNexter has been the camaraderie and meeting the other people in the program," Smith said. "We all do different things. We're all in the same industry, but we come at it from different angles and that melting pot is really a nice thing to be a part of."

Smith's mentor is Mike Todd, AVP of Film/TV Music, who he credits with encouraging him to be social and build connections. "Mike's been amazing as far as giving me a perspective on our industry from a different angle, from a more writing-oriented side, from a business side, whereas, for me, I'd just be stuck in a studio," he said. "So he's been really great and introduced me to a lot of people, and we're still very close friends."

For more GRAMMY :NEXT, check out the premier episode with Alex Ritchie and stay tuned for more right here on GRAMMY.com. 

:NEXT With Alex Ritchie: The Musical Triple Threat On Her New EP, Drawing Inspiration From Imagine Dragons & More

GRAMMYs

Paul Barrere

Photo: Frans Schellekens/Redferns/Getty Images

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Paul Barrere, Little Feat Guitarist & Songwriter, Dies At 71

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Starting with 1973's seminal album 'Dixie Chicken,' Barrere's funky guitar playing helped shape the band's unmistakable groove
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 28, 2019 - 4:48 pm

Little Feat guitarist Paul Barrere died on Oct. 26 due to complications of medical issues. The band announced the sad news on their website, sending well wishes to his surviving family and to his many fans, who were "his extending family." He was 71 years old.

Barrere attending high school with Little Feat founder Lowell George, and even auditioned for the band on bass in 1969. Three years later, he'd join on guitar, and his first recording with the band was their seminal 1973 album, Dixie Chicken. In all, he played in Little Feat for 47 years and influenced countless artists and guitarists in the worlds of rock and jam music over the last five decades.

As a songwriter, Barrere also made significant contributions to the band, writing or co-writing a number of songs including “All That You Dream,” “Old Folks Boogie,” “Time Loves A Hero” and “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now.”

Barrere and Little Feat were nominated for the GRAMMY for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for "Let It Roll" at the 31st GRAMMY Awards in 1988. Outside of Little Feat, Barrere also recorded with artists such as Taj Mahal, Jack Bruce and Carly Simon. 

In 1994, Barrere was diagnosed with Hepetits C, and in 2015 he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was forced to miss Little Feat's 50th Anniversary tour this summer, which landed in Huntington, N.Y., on the evening of his death, where the band payed tribute to their longtime bandmate.

"As the song he sang so many times put it, he was always “Willin’,' but it was not meant to be," his bandmates wrote. "Paul, sail on to the next place in your journey with our abiding love for a life always dedicated to the muse and the music.  We are grateful for the time we have shared."

Fellow guitar greats such as Warren Haynes and Bonnie Raitt reacted to the sad news and paid tribute to Barrere on social media. Barrere leaves a lasting legacy in the music world in the music he made, the musicians he influenced and the lives he touched.

GRAMMY-Winning Producer & Engineer Ed Cherney Dies At 69

 

 

 

GRAMMYs

Kim Shattuck

Photo: Jim Dyson/Redferns/Getty Image

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Kim Shattuck, Singer/Songwriter & Co-Founder Of The Muffs, Dies At 56

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As a member of the Muffs, The Pandoras, The Coolies and Pixies, Shattuck was an influential figure in punk-rock and alternative music
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 3, 2019 - 10:58 am

Singer/songeriter and guitarist Kim Shattuck passed away Wednesday after a two-year battle with ALS disease (Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). Over the past three decades, Shattuck made waves in the punk and indie rock scenes as co-founder of the Muffs and a member of the Pandoras, The Coolies and Pixies. Shattuck was 56.

"Besides being a brilliant songwriter, rocking guitarist and singer/screamer extrordinaire, Kim was a true force of nature," Roy McDonald & Ronnie Barnett of The Muffs said in a statement. "While battling ALS, Kim produced our last album, overseeing every part of the record from tracking to artwork. She was our best friend and playing her songs was an honor. Goodbye Kimba. We love you more than we could ever say." 

Heavily influenced by the Beatles, the Kinks and the Bangles' Sussanah Huff, Shattuck arrived on the L.A. punk scene as part of the Pandoras in the late '80s. She went on to fully realized her dreams and influences when she co-founded the Muffs, who released their self-titled debut in 1993, crafting powerful and catchy songs and delivering them with edge and earnesty that made her an underground indie icon. 

A prolific and unstoppable musical force, Shattuck also briefly joined Pixies, formed the supergroup The Beards, collaborated with White Flag, Bowling For Soup and NoFX, and even started a new group recenlty, The Coolies, who released a brand-new EP earlier this year called Uh Oh! It's... The Coolies.

The Muffs final album, No Holiday, is due out Oct. 18 on Omnivore Records. The label also issued a statement on Shattuck's remarkable life and tragic death. 

"All of us at Omnivore Recordings are devastated by the loss of our friend Kim Shattuck of The Muffs," the statement reads. "We’re thinking about all her friends and fans, especially her family and bandmates. Her creative fire will endure and inspire artists of tomorrow. We’re so grateful to have been in the audience and to have played a small part in getting more of her music out into the world." 

Legendary Opera Singer Jessye Norman Dies At 74