On Thursday, the Recording Academy announced the nominees for their “Best Surround Sound Album” Grammy Award. Nominees in what is formally known as “Field 28 – Surround Sound and Category 93” of the 2006 Grammy Awards Competition featured albums by artists including the Dire Straits, Diana Krall, Elton John, the Foo Fighters amd the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Record companies represented in the list included Warner Brothers, Verve, Rocket/Island, Roswell/RCA and Naxos.
Genius Loves Company Wins First Surround Sound Grammy
High Fidelity Review readers will recall that the Best Surround Sound Album Grammy was first awarded earlier this year to the Surround Sound Super Audio CD edition of Genius Loves Company by Ray Charles (Concord Records/Hear Music SACD-1033-6).
It featured Charles performing duets with a host of famous artists including Norah Jones, James Taylor, Diana Krall, Elton John, Natalie Cole, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mathis & Van Morrison on his final album release.
The album featured a 5.1 SACD Surround Sound mix that was produced by John Burk, Phil Ramone & Herbert Waltl, engineered by veteran Surround Sound engineer and producer Al Schmitt and mastered by Robert Hadley & Doug Sax at the Mastering Lab.
2006 Best Surround Sound Album Nominees
The five nominees for this year’s Surround Sound Grammy Awards (the Grammy Award will go to the Surround Sound Mix Engineer, Surround Sound Mastering Engineer and Surround Sound Producer of the winning album) are:
Brothers In Arms – 20th Anniversary Edition
Dire Straits
Surround Mix Engineer – Chuck Ainlay
Surround Mastering Engineer – Bob Ludwig
Surround Producers – Chuck Ainlay & Mark Knopfler
(Vertigo/Mercury 9871497) & (Vertigo/Mercury 9871498) [SACD] and (Warner Brothers 377-2) [DVD-A]
The Girl In The Other Room
Diana Krall
Surround Mix Engineer – Al Schmitt
Surround Mastering Engineer – Doug Sax
Surround Producer – Al Schmitt
(Verve B0002293-36) [SACD] & (Verve B0003758-82) [DVD-A/Dual Disc]
Honky Chвteau
Elton John
Surround Mix Engineer – Greg Penny
Surround Mastering Engineer – Greg Penny
Surround Producer – Greg Penny
(Rocket/Island Records B0003609-36) [SACD]
In Your Honor
Foo Fighters
Surround Mix Engineer – Elliot Scheiner
Surround Mastering Engineer – Bob Ludwig
Surround Producer – Nick Raskulinecz
(Roswell/RCA 68008) [DVD-A]
Mussorgsky/Stokowski: Pictures At An Exhibition & Godunov: Night on Bare Mountain
Josй Serebrier & Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Surround Mix Engineer – Phil Rowlands
Surround Mastering Engineer – Phil Rowlands
Surround Producers – Nick Parker & Phil Rowlands
(Naxos 6.110101) [SACD] & (Naxos 5.110101) [DVD-A]
The 2006 Grammy Awards Telecast
Surround Sound fans will want to be sure and tune into the Grammy Awards telecast on February 8th, 2006 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. That will be the venue where they will announce which of these five Surround Sound albums takes home the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album of the Year.