SA flautist Wouter Kellerman wins Grammy
JOBURG - Joburg premier flautist, Wouter Kellerman, bagged himself a Grammy award at the 57th Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles on 8 February.
Kellerman was nominated in October last year for a Grammy award in the category for best new age album of the year for his collaborative album, Winds of Samsara, with Indian composer and producer Ricky Kej.
He joined a list of other great Grammy award-winning South African artists including Mirriam Makeba and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Born and bred in Johannesburg, the classically trained musician has added a Grammy award to his long list of accolades which include a South African Music Award (Sama) in 2011 for best instrumental album, for his album Two Voices, and another Sama award for best jazz/instrumental/popular classical DVD for his show Kellerman Colour Live in 2010.
His work has been featured on the soundtrack of the 2006 National Geographic documentary film, Eye of the Leopard, which won an Emmy award in 2007.
In an interview with the Independent Music Awards, Kellerman described his sound as “world music with a strong South African influence”.
His debut album, Colour, was released in 2008 and since then, he has shared the stage with well-known artists such as Themba Mkhize, The Parlotones, Vusi Mahlasela and Kurt Darren.
He has also performed at the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival, the Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
According to Sheer Publishing, Kellerman is the first musician in South Africa to be ranked number one on the Billboard New Age Charts in the United States, with Winds of Samsara. It took Kellerman and Kej two years to complete Winds of Samsara, which features 120 musicians and was recorded on five continents.
Which other South African artist do you think should win a Grammy award?
