Anthony Jackson’s longtime manager, Danette Albetta, has voiced her disappointment over the Grammy Awards’ tribute to the late bass guitar legend, commenting that the telecast “missed an opportunity to educate the public on a true pioneer.”
Jackson was included in the Grammys’ Ozzy Osbourne tribute, with an all-star lineup that included Slash and Ozzy producer Andrew Watt, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith on drums, and Duff McKagan on bass guitar.
The segment also paid homage to Brian James of the Damned, Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople, Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley, and Blondie drummer Clem Burke (although not Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds).
“To place Anthony within a tribute centered on Rock/Metal was a grave miscalculation of his musical identity,” wrote Albetta in an open letter to Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Anthony’s soul and career belonged in the segments celebrating R&B, Jazz, and Sophisticated Pop.
“His work with Chaka Khan, Steely Dan, and The O’Jays defines the very ‘Recording Excellence’ the Academy claims to uphold.”
“By failing to contextualize his brilliance within the R&B and Jazz lineage where he spent decades as a cornerstone, the telecast missed an opportunity to educate the public on a true pioneer.”
Having made his mark with his pioneering use of a pick and flanger pedal on the O’Jays’ 1973 smash, For the Love Of Money, Jackson perfected his craft as a first-call session ace, resulting in landmark sessions with the likes of Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, Paul Simon, Mike Stern, Wayne Krantz, Hiromi, and many more.
With a vision of the electric bass as a member of the guitar family, with the tone of a piano’s bass strings – Jackson also invented the 6-string contrabass guitar, launching the wave of extended-range basses.
“Our community expected – and Anthony deserved – a tribute that reflected the elegance and technical mastery he brought to the Great American Songbook and the R&B pantheon,” Albetta continued.
“I request a formal acknowledgment of this oversight and ask how the Academy intends to better honor instrumental innovators who operate behind the scenes but define the sound of generations.
“Anthony Jackson’s legacy is not a footnote; it is the foundation.”
Victor Wooten echoed these sentiments, commenting, “I love this Danette. You are exactly right!!!”
Aside from the Anthony Jackson tribute, the Grammy Awards ceremony was a successful evening for bass-playing acts, with Frank Bello, Christian McBride and Pino Palladino all scooping awards.
