The 43rd Grammy Award nominations were announced Jan. 3, and the competing recordings in the Musical Show category in 2001 are Aida, Kiss Me, Kate, The Music Man, Swing! and Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party.
Producer Hugh Fordin gets two nominations as producer of both Kiss Me, Kate (preserved on the DRG label, with Paul Gemignani and Don Sebesky as co-producers) and The Music Man (on the Q Records label). Both shows are still running on Broadway.
Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida is packing them in at the Palace as well, while the dance revue, Swing!, has announced it will close Jan. 14. LaChiusa's The Wild Party had a brief Broadway run in spring 2000. That disc was produced by rock producer Phil Ramone.
Swing! borrows existing musical material and includes several new tunes. Kiss Me, Kate and Music Man are both revivals and had original cast recordings prior to the new revival recordings.
The Wild Party is the first original Broadway cast album on the Decca Broadway label, and this is that label's first Grammy nom. The Recording Academy, which sponsors the recording industry's highest honors, will present the Grammy Awards Feb. 21 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
