AAPI artists score at Grammy Awards

Bruno Mars brought down the house with his tribute to the late Prince at the Grammy Awards.

NO DOUBT, one of these years Joey Alexander, the 13-year old jazz prodigy from Indonesia will win a Grammy; just not this year.

For the second year in a row, he was nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Album of the Year and the young pianist once again last night lost out to an older musician. Of course, all the Grammy nominees were older than Joey.

Yo Yo Ma won a Grammy for Sing Me Home with his Silk Road Ensemble. Among the ensemble members were several Asian Americans including Indian American tabla player Sandeep Das.

Producer Jhett Tolentino won in the category of Best Musical Theater Album with his Color Purple team which features Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson.

UPDATED: Earlier versions of this post did not include the wins of Yo Yo Ma and Jhett Tolentino.

Comedian Margaret Cho also lost out in her bid to win Comedy Album of the Year but she kept herself busy by being on the one of the hosts of the Grammys pre-show, which hands out awards in 75 categories before the main show aired on CBS later Sunday. 

She told winners they should keep their acceptance speeches to 45 seconds and to kiss their loved ones in the audience later because time was so tight. She instructed winners on how to hold their Grammys after their names are called.

She also told nominees to stay in their seats if they don't win and referenced rapper Kanye West, who famously interrupted Taylor Swift's speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Cho says, "Kanye's not here, so that will be fine."

During the awards show that was aired live on the east and west coasts, Bruno Mars was given two spots to perform. He did one of the songs from his new album "24K Magic," which will be eligible for a Grammy next year, and brought down the house with his tribute to Prince with an Prince-like guitar solo.

Throughout the show there were a few spots where performers made references to the current political environment and the need for the musicians and singers to use their art to counter the growing tide of hate, fear and xenophobia that is dividing the country. 

The surviving members of A Tribe Called Quest -- Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammadand Jarobi White -- linked up with Best New Artist nominee Anderson .Paak for a three-song medley that included the classic track "Award Tour" from Tribe's 1993 LP Midnight Marauders as well as new tracks "Movin Backwards"

They were joined by Busta Rhymes -- who thanked "President Agent Orange" -- and Consequence then joined the crew for "We the People," the single from the Tribe's We Got It From Here that got the crowd out of their seats..

While performing "We the People," as Tip hit the chorus ("All you black folks, you must go" and refer to "Chinese and Filipinos"), people of several different ethnicities began walking down the aisles, making the group's position on Donald Trump's proposed travel ban even more explicitly clear than it had been already. If that wasn't enough to clarify their position, they added the ending shouting, "Resist! ... Resist! ... Resist!"

Margaret Cho's 'American Myth' up for a Grammy

REPRINTED FROM ASAM NEWS

COULD THIS BE THE YEAR Grammy voters honor comedian Margaret Cho with her first Grammy?

On Monday (Dec. 6) she received her fourth Grammy nomination for her album American Myth in the category of Best Comedy Album.

The album features her song "I Wanna to Kill My Rapist."

Cho had previously revealed she had been sexually abused by someone she considered her best friend.

In an interview with AsAmNews she said “It’s more about murdering the rapist in your mind, so you stop killing yourself. Sexual abuse leads to self abuse, so it’s not about revenge. It’s more about stopping the cycle of abuse. The video is lots of kids in this action fantasy world and they’re beautiful – aged 4-18 -- all incredible martial artists, archers, knife throwers! It’s a masterpiece,” she said.

RELATED: Joey Alexander gets another shot at a Grammy

“This is an album of anthems and showcases my first efforts as a composer,” she said. “It is my glamorous and glittering tribute to family, comedy, anger, fame, gayness, grief, fat pride, love and hate.”

Cho also announced she will once again provide her commentary as the co-host of Fashion Police on January 9 on E! at the Golden Globe awards.

“It’s going to be a blast to be on the red carpet reporting on all the fashions first hand as an undercover (sort of) officer for Fashion Police!”

Joey Alexander gets another shot at a Grammy

Joey Alexander in the studio recording "Countdown."

LAST YEAR, jazz pianist Joey Alexander became the youngest-ever Grammy nominee in a jazz category with nominations for best improvised jazz solo and best jazz instrumental album. 

He didn't take home the Grammy in either category but maybe he'll have better luck this year. The Indonesian wunderkind has  been nominated again - at the ripe, old age of 13 - in the improvised jazz solo category for his performance of "Countdown."

It is not a question of "if" he wins a Grammy, but "when." At his young age, he is still developing and improving and he's got a lot of albums in his future.

The self-taught Indonesian teen has been making wowing jazz aficionados from around the world since he was discovered by Herbie Hancock in a Jakarta jazz club three years ago.

RELATED: Who is Joey Alexander and why is he up for a Grammy?

Joey moved with his parents to New York in 2014, with the help of jazz luminaries like the trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who calls Joey “my hero” on Facebook and with whom he now shares a manager.
When Joey performed last year at the Grammy Award show, it was the first time many in the audience heard him play. For his performance, he received a standing ovation.

The Grammy Awards will be handed out Feb. 12 next year at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Enjoy his performance below:

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Was Bruno Mars snubbed by the Grammy Awards?

Filipino/American R&B singer Bruno Mars debuted his newest album in November.

SO WHY wasn't Bruno Mars' new album and hit single 24K Magic not nominated for a Grammy this year? 

Not only Bruno Mars, but some heavyweight performers didn't make the cut. These included The Weeknd's Starboy,  Lady Gaga's Joanne, Miranda Lambert's The Weight of These Wings, Alicia Keys' Here, Michael Buble's Nobody But Me, Kenny Chesney's Cosmic Hallelujah, and Bon Jovi's This House Is Not for Sale.

RELATED: Bruno Mars night on '60 Minutes' and AMA Awards

Before you Hooligans (what Bruno's fans call themselves) begin marching in the streets or creating hashtags; it wasn't a snub or an oversight. The explanation is simple: In order to be considered for the 2017 Grammy Awards, the new music -- including singles and albums -- must have been released between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2016. 

Mars' album, which took three years to make, was released after this qualifying time frame. The hit single by the Filipino/American performer was released a week after the deadline on Oct. 7; the album followed on Nov. 18. The single and the album will be eligible for the 2018 awards show.

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