Four Australian Grammy nominees fly under the radar

Four acts have been left out of many news reports on the Australian artists given Grammy nods this year.

While global outlets were gushing over Lorde’s nominations whilst dubbing her Australian, some media outlets, including yours truly, reported Tame Impala, Keith Urban and Melbourne band Hiatus Kaiyote had represented Australia in the Grammy nominations. However composer/comedian/actor/musical director Tim Minchin, bluegrass band The Greencards, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby soundtrack can be added to the healthy list.

Minchin is nominated as composer and lyricist of Matilda in the best Musical Theatre Album category with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In June the Broadway production took out four Tony Awards.

Austin-based trio The Greencards – two members of which are Australian – received their third Grammy nomination last week; sixth studio LP Sweetheart of the Sun is up for Best Folk Album.

While mandolin player Kym Warner and bassist/lead singer Carol Young moved from Sydney to West Texas in 2001, both had previously toured with Kasey Chambers and Gina Jeffrey’s in their backing bands.

Elsewhere, the soundtrack for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby received three nods, for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, and Best Song Written for Visual Media (Lana Del Rey and Rick Nowels’ Young and Beautiful).

The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s recording of American composer Maria Schneider’s Winter Morning Walks is nominated in four categories – Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Best Classical Vocal Solo (soprano Dawn Upshaw), Best Engineered Album (Classical) and Classical Producer of the Year (David Frost).

The news may now be a week old, but as it was under-reported, TMN felt it necessary to shine a light of those we missed.

The 56th annual Grammy Awards will take place on January 26 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.