A Train Entertainment

53rd Grammy Final Nominations List

Category 8 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals

“Imagine” Herbie Hancock w/ Konono (Crammed disc artist)

Category 10 Best Pop Instrumental Album

Pushing The Envelope- Gerald Albright (Peak/Heads Up/Concord)

Category 26 Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

“Hang On In There”- John Legend & The Roots (co songwriter- Mike James Kirkland

Category 43 Best New Age Album

Dancing Into Silence- R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton & Will Clipman (Canyon Records)

Category 65 Best Bluegrass Album

Legacy- The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band (Compass Records)

Category 71 Best Native American Music Album

XI- Bear Creek (Canyon Records)

Temptations: Cree Round Dance Songs- Northern Cree (Canyon Records)

Category 86 Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists

“Imagine”- Herbie Hancock w/ Konono

A Train would like to formally congratulate Clyde Wright and the Golden Gate Quartet on their induction into the Gospel Hall Of Fame. It was announced on November 16th that the quartet would receive this honor along with Johnny Cash, Degamo & Key, and Bill “Hoss” Allen. Wright, who is 82, has been making Gospel music for more than 50 years and could not be more proud of this achievement. The Gospel Music Hall of Fame was founded in 1971 and more than 150 members have been inducted so far.

A Train is pleased to present the following list of artists, releases and compositions nominated in the first round of the Grammy Awards. We look forward to NARAS’s members second and final round voting in December and hope that you’ll see a number of these recordings in that second round ballot.

World Village / Harmonia Mundi (European licensor of Lila Downs’ Y La Mysteriosa: En Paris n Live a FIP) has been honored with the Top Label award at this years World Music Expo. Created as a joint project with the World Music Charts (WMCE), the selection for the WOMEX Top Label award is made using the charts of forty seven radio broadcasters from twenty four countries over the last twelve months. Other A Train affiliates included in the top labels are Cumbancha (number two), Asphalt Tango (number nine), and Six Degrees (number ten). The Award will be given to World Village / Harmonia Mundi at the WOMEX Award Ceremony on Sunday October 31rst. For the full top twenty list with chart topping CDs check out the WOMEX website.

John Legend & The Roots have covered the classic title track from Mike James Kirkland’s Essential LP, “Hang In There”. The cover will be featured on the upcoming album Wake Up! which also features some re-touched versions of tracks by Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, Bill Withers as well as new original material. Listen to John Legend and The Roots’ version here via NPR. Ubiquity’s sister label, Luv N’ Haight re-released “Hang On In There” in 1996.

Icon Records, home of the legendary Hugh Masakela, has just signed an exclusive digital distribution contract with A Train for the Americas. Icon is co-owned by Lazarus Serobe, Managing Director of Gallo Records and CEO of Warner Music Gallo Africa,  and along with recordings by Hugh Maskakela (Including dvds) the catalog contains releases from The Bala Family, Khaya Mahlangu, Tsepo Tshola and more.

Hugh Masakela comes to the US for tour dates starting Oct 8 in Philadelphia and including a Carnegie Hall appearance.