It’s that time of year again when the Australian music industry pats itself on the back for another year of hard work well done. The ARIA Awards are nearly upon us and the first round of nominations have just been announced.
The first ARIA Awards for 2015 will be presented during the official ARIA Awards Connected By Telstra Nominations Event in Sydney on Wednesday, 7th October, with the first round of noms highlighting our best and brightest in production, classical music, and more.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s nominees in the Fine Arts and Artisan Awards. The ARIA board is delighted to celebrate the diverse and talented Australian musicians and artisans in all seven categories,” said ARIA Chairman Denis Handlin.
“These accomplished artists and technicians continue to push the boundaries and we are proud to have them represent the Australian music industry both here and around the world,” added Dan Rosen, CEO of the Australian Recording Industry Association.
The ARIA Nominations Event honours the 2015 ARIA Nominees for the Fine Arts and Artisan Award categories, including Best Classical Album, Best Jazz Album, Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album, Producer Of The Year, and more.
So who are some of the names featured in the nominations? For starters, we have Tame Impala leader Kevin Parker, who’s been nominated in the category of Producer of the Year for his work on Tame Impala’s latest album, Currents.
Courtney Barnett has also managed to score a nomination in the category of Best Cover Art. The singer-songwriter’s acclaimed debut, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit, features a now-iconic line-drawing of a chair done by Barnett herself.
Oh, and Melbourne favourites King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and their album Quarters! have been nominated in the category of Best Jazz Album… hold on a second, that can’t be right, we’ll just go and recheck the list of nominees.
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Ahem, yes, apparently the Aussie psych rock outfit’s sixth album was one of the best jazz releases to come out of Australia this year, alongside albums by the Allan Browne Quintet, Barney McAll, Paul Grabowsky, and Sarah McKenzie.
Did Quarters! have moments that were jazzy, even jazz-esque? Certainly, but we’re not sure that would qualify it as a jazz album. Still, best of luck to the boys, we’re hoping they win just to see the looks on their faces when they pick up the Best Jazz Album award.
The first round of noms herald the beginning of the 2015 ARIA celebrations leading up to ARIA Week, which begins 20th November. The 2015 ARIA Awards will be held on Thursday, 26th November at The Star Event Centre, Sydney and will be broadcast around Australia on TEN.
