Donna in Los Angeles for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards - Day 1

There is so much that I want to share with you! Okay - Here's Day 1:

 Hilton Checkers HotelI was one of the first Community Bloggers to arrive at our "home away from home" for the next four nights. The downtown boutique hotel that we were staying at is owned and operated by Hilton Hotels (@HiltonOnline). It's a historic hotel that dates back to the 1920s, fully restored to its original splendor.

The Hilton staff was professional, courteous, and amazing. They all made it seem effortless. Really. I can't say enough about how well the staff treated me. :)

The majority of the Community bloggers trickled in over the next couple of hours. I was in the lobby for most of that time since it was too early to officially check in.

While hanging out in the lobby, I met for the first time the classical music (@MissMusicNerd), gospel (@Dawsonink), country (@lameesa), Americana (@TwangNation) R&B (@ButtaBaby) and Rock (@hardrockchick) bloggers. The new media, social media and networking expert (@calinative) soon joined us.

We made our way out to the patio around 12:30pm for the GRAMMY.com Bloggers Welcome Luncheon that was graciously provided by Hilton Hotels. During the lucheon, we heard last minute details about the events that we were attending and also had a chance to ask any questions about the craziness that we were about to become a part of. Just before the lucheon was over, we received our tickets to the GRAMMYs and to the after party!

Chocolate FantasyMy two favorite things about the Welcome Lucheon? The first was finally meeting everyone from GRAMMY.com and Twitter who I have followed and talked via conference call over the past couple of months.

Number two fave? It was the Chocolate Fantasy that was served for dessert!

My first official event was later that evening. @MissMusicNerd and I headed to Ocean County to see the GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles perform at Spaghettini Grill and Lounge in Seal Beach, CA. This event was made even more exciting because of the special guest - GRAMMY-nominated (this was on Feb 10th, three days before she won her first GRAMMY) Esperanza Spalding!

GRAMMY Jazz Band The Lounge (where the stage is located) and the enclosed patio were filled to capacity when we arrived around 7:15pm. Beaming parents from all over the US were there to support their teenagers performing that evening. A big influx of Esperanza Spalding fans mixed in with the lively and animated crowd. We amazingly got a table pretty close to the stage.

All that I can say is - Wow! I know that the future of jazz is in good hands after listening to the 17 high school students that are members of this year's GRAMMY Jazz Band. Seriously! Under the direction of music director Justin DiCioccio, you could tell that they are amazing musicians already. I totally understand why they are considered the "cream of the crop" amongst high school students. They started the evening off with music of legendary big band leader Count Basie.

Esperanza Spalding performing with GRAMMY Jazz Combo

One of the stand-out performances of the GRAMMY Jazz Band was a solo on "Stella by Starlight" by alto saxophonist Patrick Bartley from the Dillard High School of the Arts in Coral Springs, FL.

After a twenty-five minute set, the GRAMMY Jazz Band exited the stage and made way for the GRAMMY Jazz Combo to perform.

Esperanza Spalding came out to perform during the GRAMMY Jazz Combo's set.

My apologies for a lousy photograph. It was during this event that I realized that I need a bonafide digital camera. The LG cellphone camera I used  has serious limitations. :(

You can see see an enlargement of this and other photos taken on the Elements of Jazz Facebook Photo Page.

Anyway, back to the events of that evening.

Upon our arrival at Spaghettini's, I saw Ms. Spalding rehearsing on a bass guitar. I mention this because when she was onstage with the GRAMMY Jazz Combo, she played an upright bass. When she left the stage after one song, I thought that she would come back to perform another tune but she didn't. That was disappointing to me and a lot of the audience members.

Not to be outdone by the musicians, the GRAMMY Jazz Choir ended the evening with strong voices and beautiful harmonies. The timing and phrasing of these talented high school students can't be stressed enough.

The GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles' performances whetted my appetite for more live music. I went back to the hotel with high anticipation of the big music event on Friday that I would attend - the "Musicares Person of the Year Event honoring Barbra Streisand".

That's it for Day One. Do you have questions? Please don't forget to visit the Elements of Jazz Photo Page to see more photos of my time in Los Angeles. :)

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