A glimmer of hope for the Grammys

A jazzy album of reinterpretations of obscure Joni Mitchell songs wins Album of the Year? There is hope for the Grammy yet! I LOVE that last line! The reporter who asked it has probably never heard Bitches Brew!

The melding of eras was the theme of the 50th anniversary Grammy Awards on Sunday, but it will be remembered as the night Amy Winehouse was crowned as the new queen of pop present.And the night a 67-year-old jazzman walked off with album of the year.

Herbie Hancock pulled off one of the biggest Grammy upsets in memory when "River: The Joni Letters," his reimagining of Joni Mitchell songs from 20-40 years ago, took the night's biggest prize. The album spent two weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 118.

It was only the second jazz set to win album of the year, following the Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto collaboration "Getz/Gilberto" in 1965.

"What a beautiful day this is in Los Angeles," Hancock said in accepting the award at Staples Center. He acknowledged the rarity of a jazz record winning, citing such legends as Miles Davis and John Coltrane having been overlooked. "I'd like to thank the academy for breaking the mold today," he said.

Later backstage, Hancock was asked about whether he thought his album was the conservative choice for the award. He looked genuinely stunned. "I think I play music that's further out than any of these musicians ever heard," he said.

Grammys say go, go, go

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