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Zaccai Curtis heads to LA for Grammys, as 'Cubop Lives!' competes for Best Latin Jazz Album

 Zaccai Curtis visits the NEPM studios to discuss "Cubop Lives!" — his Grammy Award-nominated album.
Kari Njiiri
/
NEPM
Zaccai Curtis visits the NEPM studios to discuss "Cubop Lives!" — his Grammy Award-nominated album.

The Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday, with a Connecticut-based pianist and first-time nominee planning to attend the ceremony.

Zaccai Curtis was nominated for his recording called "Cubop Lives!" It features his brother Luques on bass and three percussionists.

Curtis said the blend of jazz and Afro-Latin rhythms is an homage to a musical genre developed 80 years ago. He said he was surprised Grammy voters would even consider the project for an award.

"This is a period piece, specifically trying to capture that bebop essence in the '40s," Curtis said in a recent interview on Jazz Safari. "So, I am surprised because you don't really hear a lot of bebop or hear a lot of recognition for bop."

A version of Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag," which dates even further back to the late 1890s, was selected by NPR's Alt.Latino, which airs Sundays on NEPM, as one if its favorite songs of 2024.

In addition to performing and teaching, Curtis said several projects are in the works for 2025 on a label he established with his family.

"We have currently somewhere around 12 artists signed for just the first six months, starting in February," Curtis said. "So, yeah, we're busy producing music."

"Cubop Lives!" by Zaccai Curtis is up for a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz record.

Kari Njiiri is a senior reporter and longtime host and producer of "Jazz Safari," a musical journey through the jazz world and beyond, broadcast Saturday nights on NEPM Radio. He's also the local host of NPR’s "All Things Considered."
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