Moroccan American composer wins the "Peoples Grammy Award" for Best World Music Song of 2009

By The Wafin Team

The 2009 Peoples Grammy Awards are officially over. Tarik Banzi, Moroccan American Oud player, composer and founder of the Al-Andalus Ensemble (www.Andalus.com) with his wife, guitar player Julia Banzi, took home the award for the Best World Music Song of 2009. The winning song, title track from their album "Alchemy" features oud and guitar and was selected from over 560,000 songs entered from 163 countries around the world in what is the world's largest Independent Music Awards.

Founder Brian Austin Whitney felt the music made by the "other 98%" of the music world often ignored by the mainstream televised music awards shows deserved its own recognition so he created the Just Plain Folks (www.jpfolks.com) award, also known as the "Peoples Grammy" or "Grass Root Grammy." The Just Plain Folks Music Awards were started in 1999 as a simple way to recognize the worlds best music. Just Plain Folks (www.JPFolks.com) is a community of over 51,500 Songwriters, Recording Artists and Music Industry Professionals — and host to the world's largest independent music awards. The organization was created to provide a network of cooporation and inclusion for musicians.

The judging criteria is based around the basic concept: Does the music move you? This one encompassing criteria has since been adopted across much of the mainstream music industry to measure the very best quality of the best music being made today and to recognize it with admiration, fairness and dignity. The awards ceremony was held in Nashville, Tennensee. The Banzis reportedly very moved by the news of this award stating "we will cherish this Award and distinction, remembering today with gratitude. We are more committed than ever to you!-- the community that has brought us so much joy, and meaning to our lives! Thank you!"

Learn more about the music of Tarik and Julia Banzi and their ensemble at www.Andalus.com or listen to the song at www.cdbaby.com/cd/alandalus4
The newest album "21 Strings" with Grammy winning violinist Charlie Bisharat (www.cdbaby.com/cd/alandalus5)

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