Grammy

SEATTLE — "It's really exciting, intense, nerve-racking and wonderful — like it's supposed to be," says the infectiously enthusiastic bassist and singer Esperanza Spalding of her life since winning a Grammy last year. Spalding, who will appear at Philadelphia's Electric Factory on May 13 and whose thrilling new album Radio Music Society (Heads Up) came out Tuesday, is having a good time with success. But it's not the trappings she likes — such as the fashion shoot she did last year for the New York Times style magazine cover — but the opportunities it affords, such as the luxury of traveling with 12 musicians.

In a small, soundproof room in Point Breeze, Knatosh Walker sings a lament about love gone wrong. " I say the right things but she take it the wrong way ," he croons over an R&B track. " I know I'm wrong, but ain't nothing scarier than to come home and see her lipstick on my mirror. " As Walker half-sings, half-talks over the prerecorded music, Tyler Pratt watches as engineer Ron Meersand fiddles with knobs on a digital-recording console to get Walker's sound just right.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Whitney Houston was underwater and apparently unconscious when she was pulled from a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub, and she had prescription drugs in her room, authorities said Monday. Two days after the singer's death, her body was taken to a Los Angeles-area airport to be flown to New Jersey, where her family was making arrangements for a funeral to be held at the end of the week. An autopsy was performed Sunday, and authorities said there were no indications of foul play and no obvious signs of trauma on Houston's body.

GENO VENTO , son of Joey Vento, the late founder of Geno's Steaks, says he's not selling the South Philadelphia landmark after which he was named. Yesterday we mentioned rumors that he wanted out. After unsuccessful attempts at reaching Geno, he left us a voice-mail saying "the restaurant is not up for sale. " Speaking of steaks . . . Pat's King of Steaks, across the street from Geno's, ranks 26th on Gogobot.com's list of top-50 Foodie Faves nationwide. The travel site also picked Philadelphia as No. 2 on its Destination Hot List above such international cities as Montreal, Buenos Aires and Dublin.

Album of the year "21," Adele Record of the Year "Rolling in the Deep," Adele Rock Song "Walk," Foo Fighters Rap Album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West Complete list, A8.  

PHILADELPHIA'S MUSIC community had a few reasons to cheer "home team" victories at last night's Grammys. CAPA- (High School for the Creative and Performing Arts) educated jazz bassist Christian McBride hit Grammy pay dirt with his first-ever attempt as a "large jazz ensemble" arranger/leader, as the Christian McBride Big Band scored with the Mack Avenue label release "The Good Feeling. " The even more legendary Philly jazz bassist Stanley Clarke shared two Grammy jazz honors with Chick Corea and Lenny White for their "Return to Forever" reunion project "Forever.

Given that Kanye West is up twice for best rap album (alone and with his bud, Jay Z), he probably won't be throwing one of his famous temper tantrums this Sunday night on national TV (CBS, 8 to 11:30 p.m.) But don't be surprised if somebody else jumps out of the audience at the 54th annual Grammy Awards to loudly protest "we've been robbed. " For certain, protest activities are planned for outside L.A.'s Staples Center on Sunday. There'll also be an anti-Grammy concert (Latin Jazz)

PRINCETON - Though his rock-star charisma and Grammy nominations suggest that composer Steve Mackey should be packing his bags for the West Coast, this Princeton University professor is keeping it local. He didn't even agonize about whether to attend Sunday's Grammy Award ceremony in Los Angeles, where his disc Lonely Motel is contending for best new classical composition, rather than the premiere of his orchestral work Tonic , for which he has waited six years. The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia will perform it Sunday and Monday at the Kimmel Center and Tuesday at Temple Performing Arts Center.

On the November night that nominations were announced on television for the 2011 Grammy Awards, Linda Chorney had a party at her house. Not that the 51-year-old songwriter from Sea Bright, N.J., seriously believed she would hear her name called. Sure, she had actively campaigned for her album, Emotional Jukebox , in the best Americana album category. And she had even taken the time to use Grammy365, a Facebook-like social-networking tool set up by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, to write to 1,500 members.

HE'S BETTER KNOWN now as a star of "NCIS: Los Angeles" than as a rapper, but LL Cool J 's affiliation with music and CBS pays off big time Feb. 12. He's going to host the Grammy Awards. "I'm thrilled to be a part of music's biggest night," the two-time Grammy winner said. "I will always have fond memories of my first Grammy Awards and to now be hosting the Grammy show, in the company of so many other incredible artists, is a dream come true. " Really? With all the things you can dream about as a music, TV and film celebrity, you dream about hosting an awards show?