Honolulu Symphony, Clooney lose out
| • | Grammys good to Vandross, Beyoncé |
Advertiser Staff
Matt Catingub, Honolulu Symphony pops conductor, said being nominated for a Grammy — the orchestra's first — enabled the late Rosemary Clooney, who sang with the local musicians, one last stab at the award that eluded her for years.
The nomination was "a total honor in itself."
Clooney's "The Last Concert" CD, recorded live at a 2001 performance at Blaisdell Concert Hall, was vying for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Tony Bennett and k.d. lang's "A Wonderful World" won.
"But we made it possible for Rosemary to be nominated," said Catingub, who attended the awards with a symphony contingent. "She used to tell me, many times, 'If Tony's in there (nominated), there it goes ... you may as well mail it to him.' "
In accepting the award, Bennett recognized the big band diva, who was represented in the same category in a tribute CD recorded by a former Hawai'i resident, "Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook."
Stephen Bloom, the symphony's executive director who was also at the Grammys, said "to have gone this far is a great testament to the great work we do. We have done groundbreaking work." Then the symphony party headed to Wolfgang Puck's Spago for dinner.
