Legendary drummer Stewart Copeland has his first individual Grammy nomination apart from The Police at the age of 70. The five time Grammy Award winning musician and composer was founder and drummer of the celebrated British rock group and holds numerous honors including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Modern Drummer’s Hall of Fame, Classic Drummer’s Hall of Fame, and ranking in the top ten of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time”.
Stewart, who has been scoring television and film since the early 80’s, was approached by Grammy Award winning Indian composer and environmentalist Ricky Kej during the pandemic to collaborate on what is now their nominated New Age album “Divine Tides”. The album is focused on the interconnectedness of all individuals and features artists from all over the world as it seeks to elevate the soul to freedom and oneness with itself, time, and our planet.
Joining Stewart and Kej in the New Age Album category is Grammy Award winning South African flute virtuoso and composer Wouter Kellerman along with four time nominated multi-instrumentalist David Arkenstone who have together been nominated for their album “Pangaea”. The album, named for the supercontinent that once incorporated all existing land masses, calls for unity in these divided times and the nurturing of Earth and nature. Kellerman shares his previous Grammy win with competitor Ricky Kej for their album “Winds of Samsara” that won the award in 2015.
Composer, pianist, and producer Laura Sullivan is also nominated for her album “Pieces of Forever” which is inspired by the life of her late parents and was described as “a beautiful, gentle, and vulnerable album” by New Age Notes Radio. Sullivan had a previous Grammy win in the same category for her album Love’s River which featured fellow nominee, guitarist, and record producer Will Ackerman on several tracks. Ackerman, who won the New Age Grammy in 2005 for his album “Returning”, is currently nominated for his album “Brothers” which features himself on acoustic guitar, Jeff Oster on flugelhorn and trumpet, and Tom Eaton on piano, keyboard, electric guitars, and percussion. The album is named for the bond the three musicians share as collaborators in music.
Rounding out the New Age Album Category is Opium Moon nominated for their album “Night + Day”. Group members Hamid Saeidi, Lili Haydn, MB Gordi, and Itai Disraeli won this category previously in 2019 for their self-titled debut album. Their currently nominated sophomore release is a 2 disc album that captures the quartet’s sexy and seductive side with one song sequence and the upbeat danceability of their live concerts with another.
This year’s New Age Album category is chock full of award winning talent with many of the competing nominees having previously won for work done with one another. One can look to this category as a testimony to the beauty that can be expressed through collaborative effort and can take note of the unifying power of music even in a competitive world.
