Malina Saval, provided by Published 2:30 pm PST, Sunday, February 10, 2019 Photo: Courtesy John Daversa Photo: Courtesy John Daversa Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Photo: Courtesy John Daversa Dreamers Get Some Love at Grammys, Thanks to a Big Band Album 1 / 1 Back to Gallery The children of immigrants known as Dreamers have been mentioned as an aside in acceptance speeches at some awards shows in recent years, but the Grammy winner for instrumental arrangement had a better reason for broaching the subject than most. John Daversa created the 2018 big band album “American Dreamers (Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom)” as a chance to spotlight 53 DACA recipients from 17 states and 17 countries. He brought one of the participating dreamers on-stage with him at the Grammys’ pre-telecast ceremony at the Nokia Theatre. “As the grandson of Italian immigrants, this project was very personal to me,” Daversa told the crowd and the home viewing audience watching on Grammy.com. Although immigration issues obviously continue to be divisive, the album has not been perceived as a partisan political statement: Since its September release, “American Dreamers” has garnered fans on both sides of the political aisle, from Democratic Senator Kamala D. Harris to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. The album was produced by entertainment attorney-cum-philanthropist Doug Davis and Grammy-winning composer Kabir Sehgal. It scored three Grammy nominations in all, with its win for best arrangement, instrumental or a capella for “Stars and Stripes Forever” supplemented by nods for best… [Read full story]
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