Northern California Grammy nominees celebrated

In San Francisco Tuesday night, The Recording Academy, the group behind the Grammy Awards, held a party to honor the nominees who belong to its San Francisco chapter.

The celebration was held at the Regency Center located at the corner of Van Ness Avenue and Sutter.

Oakland's own Fantastic Negrito, last year's Grammy winner for best contemporary blues album, performed at the celebration.

The artist says there is a responsibility that comes with being nominated or winning a Grammy: uniting people through music. 
 
"It's a great time to be an artist. It's a call to arms for all artists to get out there and let our voice be heard because it's very, very important," says Fantastic Negrito. 
 
A Native American group "Northern Cree" is nominated for best regional roots music album , This is their eighth nomination. Hopefully this year will bring their first win.

"Coming from where we're at as Native Americans, one of the original music of this land, if not the original land. It means a lot," says Marlon Deschamps, a member of the Grammy nominated Northern Cree. . 
 
For the 2018 Music Educator Award, there are ten finalists nationwide including Curtis Gaesser of Folsom High School. He's taught music for 34 years and he helped create an award winning jazz band at the school that has been invited to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival multiple times.

"The jazz language is not taught through a book. It's auditory. You teach it through their playing. It's an incredible thing to watch kids explore and figure it out," says Gaesser.

Alphabet Rockers of Oakland, whom KTVU profiled in December, is hoping for a Grammy win in the best children's album category. The group creates music about social justice and racial solidarity.

"It's empowering the communities we represent. They feel really excited because they feel represented," says Grammy nominated artist Juan Amador with the Alphabet Rockers. 

The Grammy is an award where peers recognize the work of fellow artists. Supporters say music is more important now than ever.
 
"With all these political things going on, it crosses all boundaries. It's all races. It's all cultures. It's just something that's really a lifeline," says Larry Batiste with the Recording Academy San Francisco Chapter.

The Grammy Awards will be held on January 28 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.