The Grammys: questions, answers and comments

In case you missed the 49th annual Grammy Awards, adopted Cincinnatian Peter Frampton has won his first-ever Grammy for his album, "Fingerprints." Today's paper notes that he wore a necktie for just about the first time ever at the LA award ceremony in honor of his dad, who died before Peter could finish his first instrumental recording project.

In the almost-won category, Cincinnati native Fred Hersch was beaten by Oscar and Grammy favorite John Williams in the instrumental composition category (Williams won for "A Prayer For Peace" from the "Munich" soundtrack, and picked up another Grammy for his soundtrack to "Memoirs of a Geisha."

And here's what really matters besides the Dixie Chicks -- the Classical Music Grammys!

Cleveland-based Telarc, which records the CSO and Pops, picked up two Grammys that were connected to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's Elgar-Britten album. The album won for Best Engineered Album (Michael Bishop, engineer).

And Elaine Martone won for Producer of the Year. Enquiring minds want to know: Is Elaine THE FIRST WOMAN to win this award??

I want to point out the winner of Best Opera Recording and Best Classical Contemporary Composition: Osvaldo Golijov's "Ainadamar." This composer is one of the most gifted working today and Cincinnati Opera has announced it will be mounting his widely-praised opera in 2009. The recording has the cast that is to appear in Cincy (sans conductor Robert Spano, I think): Dawn Upshaw, Kelley O'Connor and Jessica Rivera. You might want to pick up a copy.

Also, bravo to Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony (sorry, it's my hometown) for bringing home Best Classical Album and Best Orchestral Performance for their Mahler 7 disc (beating out local favorite Ivan Fischer's Mahler 6).

The Emerson String Quartet, which has many Cincinnati fans, won Best Chamber Music Performance for "Intimate Voices."

For all you Kentuckians out there: Best bluegrass album went to Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.

And here's a question: An anonymous e-mailer told me that Michael Ivins of Flaming Lips fame lives in Greater Cincinnati. TRUE OR FALSE?