The 63rd annual Grammy Awards have been postponed due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles.
According to multiple reports, the Recording Academy said Tuesday that the ceremony would be moved to Sunday, March 14, from its original date of Jan. 31. It will still take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The news comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions in the L.A. area, with the city’s residents being urged to stay home as much as possible.
“The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do,” organizers said in a statement. “Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.”
“Music’s biggest night” has already been scaled down due to the pandemic; there will be no red carpet and no audience.
Performers will be announced at a later date.
It’s a big year for jazz at the Grammys, with a number of the genre’s most well-known acts nominated in multiple categories.
Gerald Clayton, Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Robert Glasper, Maria Schneider, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Remy Le Boeuf, Arturo O’Farrill and John Beasley are all nominated for multiple Grammys.
In the main jazz categories, you’ll also find Ambrose Akinmusire, Terri Lyne Carrington, Regina Carter, Kurt Elling, Carmen Lundy, Kenny Washington and Poncho Sanchez among the nominees.