Detroit's Mack Avenue Records continues impressive Grammy run with 6 more nominations

Brian McCollum | Detroit Free Press

Hot stars such as Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X may have grabbed the big headlines Wednesday as nominees for the 62nd Grammy Awards were revealed.

But the Grammy announcement also brought yet another quiet achievement for a Detroit-area record label that has increasingly made its mark on music’s biggest awards showcase.

Mack Avenue Records landed six nominations in five categories — the latest strong showing in what’s become a yearly custom for the independent jazz label launched 20 years ago in Grosse Pointe Farms.

It was part of a fruitful Wednesday for Detroit-related music artists and entities, including Motor City native Lizzo, who led the pack with eight nominations. Southfield rock band I Prevail earned a pair, while the Detroit Symphony Orchestra received one.

More: Detroit native Lizzo leads the way with 8 Grammy nominations

With Wednesday’s nods, Mack Avenue’s lifetime Grammy tally now stands at 50 nominations and 11 wins, including a victory at last week’s Latin Grammy Awards for best jazz album (Chucho Valdes’ “Jazz Batá 2”).

The latest Mack Avenue Records haul is led by Christian McBride, the Philadelphia jazz bassist who has worked with the label for a decade. His three nominations include best jazz instrumental album (“Christian McBride’s New Jawn”), along with improvised jazz solo and instrumental composition. Organist Joey DeFrancesco’s “In the Key of the Universe” is also up for jazz instrumental album, while guitarist Julian Lage's "Tomorrow is the Question" earned him a spot in the improvised jazz solo category. Cyrille Aimee and Diego Figueiredo are nominated for their arranging work on Aimee’s “Marry Me a Little.”

Mack Avenue Records was founded in 1999 by Gretchen Valade, the Carhartt heiress and music lover who has become among the most prolific individual patrons of arts in Detroit. Her funding of the Detroit Jazz Festival helped save that event in the mid-2000s, and her $9.5 million gift is spearheading an ongoing expansion of jazz facilities at Wayne State University.

More: Gretchen Valade's jazz gift grows to $9.5 million at Wayne State

Valade also owns the Dirty Dog Jazz Café in Grosse Pointe Farms.

The record label, which maintains offices in metro Detroit and Los Angeles, has succeeded because of an emphasis on “quality first,” said L.A.-based company president Denny Stilwell. It’s a mission that’s been embedded since Valade launched the company.

“We try to work with what we think are some of the best artists, to create an environment where the best art, the best music, can come forward,” Stilwell said Wednesday. “It’s very much in line with her vision.”

Mack Avenue's first Grammy actually came in the gospel field: a 2010 award for Kirk Whalum and Lalah Hathaway's "It's What I Do." Other notable wins have included three jazz vocal album trophies for Cécile McLorin Salvant.

Grammy viewers on Jan. 26 may not get much jazz during the event’s global broadcast: While the show once reserved performance spots for traditional forms such as classical and jazz, producers have transformed the prime-time program into a hits-oriented event in recent years. Jazz winners are typically named during a pre-telecast ceremony.

Still, the Grammy Awards retain their prestige — “a grand achievement in jazz,” as Stilwell put it, with nominees and winners selected by fellow musicians, producers and other voting members of the Recording Academy.

And he’s proud of the track record that Mack Avenue continues to build.

“It all starts with the music and the artists we’re fortunate to be aligned with. They’re artists that we believe represent the best of the best,” Stilwell said. “We see ourselves as being a vehicle of support and advocacy for them, and we’re happy to be where we are.”

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.