Herbie Hancock Trumps at Grammys

The Grammy Awards are, for the most part, a bubbling cauldron of shit. They are rarely entertaining to watch, and, much like the Academy Awards, serve only to further stroke the egos of people whose egos have already grown obese (see: Kanye West, et al). So, with that said, I did not watch last night's Grammy Awards. I have not watched a Grammy Awards broadcast for a long time. However, while scouring the day's news, I was surprised to see that Herbie Hancock won for album of the year with River: The Joni Letters -- Hancock's tribute to Joni Mitchell.

"Aaaahhh! Unbelievable. That's unbelievable, man," Quincy Jones said as he read Hancock's name at the awards ceremony. It's sad, but "unbelievable" perfectly encapsulates the feeling you get when learning that an accomplished musician like Herbie Hancock wins an award like this. Especially when you consider that he was up against considerable competition in Kanye West and Amy Winehouse. "Considerable" being a relative term. More aptly, it's a fucking surprise Hancock won an award in what's become a popularity contest. Sure, it's not his first win (he's brought home 11 previous trophys). But it feels good to hear that quality craftsmanship is not entirely unappreciated.

Disclaimer: I have not heard Hancock's Joni Mitchell tribute album, and probably never will. I just don't care about Joni Mitchell. It could possibly sound like a stewing vat of pig excrement, I'll never know. Honestly? I don't care.