MANKATOFREEPRESS.COM — James Taylor charms his way through 2-plus hours of happy music making

By Robb Murray

In his trademark brown ascot hat, plaid shirt and brown pants, James Taylor walked onto the stage very much the man everyone expected to see. And after sitting down on a stool, strumming a few chords on his guitar and belting out a few notes with his familiar baritone, he struck a grandfatherly presence; a man who who stood in good company with the largely grayish crowd that clearly adored him.

But when Taylor walked off that stage — still wearing that ascot, although he’d ditched it momentarily at one point for an audience member’s Twins cap — he’d probably surprised a few folks.

At 68, Taylor is at an age where most would have forgive him for missing a guitar note or maybe singing around some of the more vocally challenging passages in his songs. But Taylor missed nothing (as far as I can tell). What’s more, his charmingly humble demeanor made you wonder if he hailed from southern Minnesota instead of North Carolina.

“I was excited to come here,” Taylor said. “One of my favorite characters in all of fiction lives here: Virgil Flowers.”

Audience applause suggested many were familiar with the works of John Sandford (I am not — I had to Google it. I mean, I’ve heard of John Sandford. I think I even started one of his books. Something about prey? But I didn’t know Virgil Flowers. Anyway …)

The front end of the show was loaded with Taylor’s newer material, a fact for which he apologized: “I think we’ll do some new tunes,” he said. “We’ll try to get them over with quickly. Like pulling off a Band-Aid. … The good news is the news ones sound just like the old ones.”

And he was right. If all you knew of Taylor was the hits, and then you heard a song such as “Montana,” you might say to yourself, “Mmmm … Do I know that song?” Its beautiful melody and soulful warmth feel right at home with the hits that would come later.

The first hint at the hits sprinkled through his career was “Country Road.” At the sound of something familiar, the bulk of the crowd grew visibly animated. (I mean, let’s face it — new stuff is great, it keeps artists creative, keeps them getting up in the morning, and even the legendary songs that massive crowds sing in unison at one time spent time being the new song no one wanted to hear. When fans come together, they want those touchpoints, those reasons they became fans in the first place. Which is why a beautiful new song like “Montana” plays to a largely placid crowd while “Country Road” concludes inaudibly because of the roar of the fans — many of whom have had their tickets for MONTHS — who are dying for a hit.)

“I Was a Fool to Care” followed, then “Down on Copperline.” “Carolina on my Mind” was followed by “Sun on the Moon.”

Mid-show — and pre-intermission — Taylor dropped what might be the most soulful version of “Fire and Rain” I’ve ever heard. This is his musical icon, the song he’s probably played more than any other, the song that will forever be the people associate with his career. Still, when he played it in little Mankato to a crowd that I guarantee you loved him more than the previous few crowds combined, he did so in a way that shined with sincerity. A lot of artists play songs over and over again for years, sometimes decades, and they do a good job of making it look like their heart is still in the game. Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” last night felt like he was genuinely and sincerely singing from his heart. Which, considering it’s a song about a friend’s suicide, maybe he was, and does so every time he plays it.

At intermission, while the band went backstage for 20 minutes, Taylor greeted folks in the front rows. He stayed there for the entire intermission signing shirts, shaking hands, posing for pictures. Only when the band returned and started beckoning him with background music did he relent, pick up his guitar and dive into the second set.

“Up on the Roof” and “You’ve got a Friend” were followed by Chuck Berry’s “Promised Land” and “Shower the People,” a song that prompted another standing ovation.

SIDENOTE ABOUT “SHOWER THE PEOPLE”: I witnessed an unfortunate bit of poor concert etiquette during this song that needs to be addressed. A woman arrived mid-song with a pair of drinks and tried to return to her seat in the row behind me, but she was thwarted by an irritated/obstinate woman. “Wait ’til the song is over please.” Befuddled, the drink-holding woman said, “What?” “Wait ’til the song is over.” So the woman sat on the aisle steps and waited three minutes or so for Taylor to finish, then was allowed to return to her seat. ISSUE 1: Your need to get a rum and Coke is less important than the right of someone who paid $120 to see the show. Now, having said that, ISSUE 2: The audacity of someone who refuses to allow a fellow paying customer access to a seat she paid for is, quite simply, ridiculous. No song at any show by any artist is so good that it justifies this type of juvenile behavior. In the time it took you to refuse this woman access to her seat, you could have just let her walk by. Aren’t we all at the same concert? All trying to appreciate artistry? Is this really the time to let your disdain for people who “bug” you show? Are you really that petty? OK, RANT OVER.

“Fenway,” — which prompted a Red Sox fan to offer his cap, which was followed by a Twins fan donating his — was followed by “Jolly Springtime” and “Sweet Baby James,” “Steamroller,” “Mexico,” “Your Smiling Face,” and others.

Throughout, Taylor’s willingness to talk to the crowd was charming and delightful. And the crowd upon his exit, as they’d done five times prior, rose in thunderous applause to show their appreciation.

Taylor left the crowd of 6,000-7,000 pleased. But he wasn’t done pleasing people.

After everyone had gone, after he’d sent then on their way to hum “Fire and Rain” on their car rides home, Taylor remained at the Verizon Wireless Center.

Marketing Director Eric Jones said: “James was one of the last people to leave the building last night. He had asked one of our staff if he could use our washer and dryer to do a load of laundry. As in, James Taylor, doing his own laundry, in a back room in the Verizon Center, at 1 a.m., after performing a sold out show. A kinder, sweeter, more down to earth icon you will not meet.”

source: http://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/lifestyles/james-taylor-charms-his-way-through–plus-hours-of/article_78fa0136-2831-11e6-8ad4-175c87166b00.html

THETELEGRAM.COM — James Taylor hopes to make N.L. a regular stop

By Louis Power

James Taylor seems to have enjoyed his time in Newfoundland as much as his fans enjoyed his two shows.

After almost 50 years in the music business, James Taylor is excited to finally see more of Atlantic Canada on his current tour. He’ll be in St. John’s May 20 and 21 with shows at Mile One Centre.

“We’ve been looking forward to it,” he said. “We expected to like it, but the reality is just so much more than what we were thinking. The people have been just unbelievably, to a man, excellent.”

Taylor had previous tweeted about his “amazing day” Friday when he went iceberg hunting on the Bonaventure from Conception Bay South.

Immediately after his second show at Mile One Saturday night, Taylor was already looking forward to coming back. He said his all-star band — including well-known musicians Lou Marini of Blues Brothers, drummer Steve Gadd and guitarist Michael Landau — are also eager to return.

“It’s taken us a long long time to get here, but everybody in the band has had such an excellent time that they all want to come back. So we’ll find a way to come back, and make this a much more regular stop if we can. I’m not sure how soon we’d recover and be able to play it again, but we’ll be back. Certainly the next time we play Canada, probably the next time we play New England.”

He said the trip to Newfoundland is roughest on the truck drivers hauling equipment for the show, but it seems to be worth it.

“They’ve got to do a full 24 hours of travelling to get here from pretty much anywhere we would have played before, from Montreal to Nova Scotia, from New Brunswick, so for them it’s a real haul to get here, but they loved it, too. ‘Cause once we got here they got the two days off.”

Taylor’s St. John’s shows were at the end of this leg of the current tour. The band will be back on the road Thursday starting in Ohio.

source: http://www.thetelegram.com/Living/Entertainment/2016-05-22/article-4537086/James-Taylor-hopes-to-make-N.L.-a-regular-stop/1

RUEREZZONICO.COM — La Grande Classe et la classe du maître / A Class Act and a Master Class

By: Philippe Rezzonico

A French song: Just that …after two hours and twenty minutes, James Taylor ended his evening at the Centre Bell on Friday with a French song. As though he needed to prove anything in addition to his absolute class act.

The evening was much more than a magnificent performance by this American artist. The legendary songs, the refined instrumentation, the historical perspective and the sense of humor made it into a master class.
The evening unfolded in near perfect acoustical conditions. From the very opening, with the double opening of “Wandering/Secret O’Life”, we could hear the clarity of sound of the guitars, the quality of warmth of the brass, and the roaring percussion which colored the musical offerings.

Have we ever had such a quality of sound at the Center Bell when it was organized in a theatrical configuration? If so, I wasn’t there. I was thinking that I had not heard a performance with such acoustical perfection since Paul Simon in 2006 in the Wilfried-Pelletier hall. Yes, we did have some guy and his blond girlfriend who bothered everyone in the section where I was sitting with their incessant conversation but a handful of us (particular thanks to my friend Andree) made them understand that they should shut up or get out – which they did. Good riddance.

Emeritus group

We’ve seen Taylor several times in the past decade and it has always been a pleasure. But it seemed like something more this time. Perhaps it came from the obvious pleasure that this artist had playing with his band of renowned musicians. Once again, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an artist introduce his musicians during the course of a performance and making a point of shaking hands with each one. That’s class.

One can understand if you playing with the drummers Steve Gadd (Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton), the percussionist Luis Conte (Al Di Meola, Pat Metheney), and the saxophonist Lou Marini, one of the original members of the Blues Brothers.
Marini even had the honor of a rendering of a guitar version of “Happy Birthday”
from Taylor for his 71s birthday. And of course you have the accompanying singers Andrea Zonn (and her violin), Kate Makowitz and Arnold McCuller, who steals the show with the “Shower the People” final.

During the first half, the conditions were ideal to savor the string of successes that marked the artistic journey of Taylor (Country Road, Copperline, Carolina in my Mind, Fire and Rain), songs that were arranged and performed with absolute mastery in spite of the fact that Taylor had a cold. We never would have known.

An added gift: Taylor talks during the performance. He speaks in French and, I’ll add, possesses a mastery of the French language to put certain “pure bred” to shame.

He spoke of the past in order to put several songs in their context. Of course we know the story of the Beatles and the fact that he was signed by the new Apple label in 1968. But it was fantastic to hear him tell the story of his meeting with Peter Asher (of Peter and Gordon), his “audition” for Paul McCartney and George Harrison and the fact that he worked in the same studio where the “White Album”
was recorded. He also spoke about Montreal where he was inspired to write the song “Snow Time” while at the Jazz Festival in 2008.

The screen, which was hardly used during the first half, was brought into action in the second part with “Angels of Fenway” where Taylor spoke of his beloved Red Sox team and the end of the curse of Babe Ruth after 86 years when Boston triumphed in the 2004 World Series. There were wonderful pictures of baseball from another era.

Universal smiles

On the other hand, the innumerable images of radiant smiling faces were contemporary ones during “Your Smiling Face” and the treasured “You’ve Got a Friend”.

The guy who called out for “Steamroller Baby” at the beginning of the show got his wish: a sharp and cutting version that contrasted with the rest of the performance. “Knock on Wood” gave the audience a chance to dance and “How Sweet it is (To Be Loved By You) brought the house down.

A perfect show? Not quite. Taylor occasionally performs songs of other artists and this can sometimes be a problem. His reading of “Promised Land” was strongly felt but how can we appreciate a Chuck Berry song and a Louisiana story without the frenetic rhythms which echo the journey across America? OK. But this wasn’t serious. But when you have trouble – real trouble – finding the melody in “Everyday (Buddy Holly) and “Up On the Roof (Drifters), perhaps the sumptuous arrangements are more than what’s needed.

That is only proof that perfection does not exist…but this remarkable show full of class and worthy of a master class came very close to it.

This article has been translated from the original french. Source: http://www.ruerezzonico.com/james-taylor-la-grande-classe-et-la-classe-de-maitre/

BANDMARK.COM — James Taylor for life

By Ceilidh Michelle

“With a holy host of others standing ‘round me, still I’m on the dark side of the moon,” sang James Taylor last night at the Bell Centre. Those lyrics suddenly had meaning for audience members, because before performing his indelible song, Carolina in my Mind, Taylor told us that in ’68, after false musical starts in America, he’d gone over to London to try his luck, and wound up being the first artist signed to the Beatles’ record label, Apple.

That “holy host” referred to in Carolina in my Mind, is the Beatles themselves, hovering, inspiring, and unable to tear James Taylor from the longing he had to be back home. When relaying these tales to us, his voice was as surprised as we were to hear this rare archive, in a tone of “I still can’t believe that happened to me.” Taylor is as grandiose as he is humble, magnanimous as he is meek.

He may have had a career that began in the 60’s, but unlike many of his musical peers, James Taylor is not on the tour circuit to peddle past pop songs. Releasing his latest album, Before This World, just last year, he is far from an outdated sixties crooner coming to Montreal to revive old glories. Though his performance was peppered with many of his classics, he was bringing his entire career with him, a career still unfolding, songs that are still being written and reworked.

Touring with what was accurately billed as his “all-star band,” James took time out of performing his two sets to introduce all of his players by name (violin, horn section, backup singers and two percussionists, along with sizzling lead guitar, and cool bass), going over and shaking their hands in gratitude and appreciation.

Respecting his Quebecois audience enough to address them endearingly in French, Taylor went back and forth from sitting on a bar stool with his intimate acoustic, strumming old ballads, to plugging in his electric and ripping through a hilariously exaggerated version of his crunchy, bluesy, face-melting Steamroller. Taylor also shared a story about Babe Ruth being traded from the Boston Red Sox and cursing the town, before breaking into a troubadour-style song about the game itself.

Rocking out to Buddy Holly’s Roller coaster, giving us a Pink Floyd cover when the audience was screaming for an encore, chatting and cracking jokes on the stage, he had the audience dancing, crying, swaying, roaring, and falling more in love with him than we thought possible.

The Bell Centre knows how to put on a performance, and the light show was comparable to American holiday fireworks. Taylor had the magical ability of shrinking that vast stadium into the size of his own backyard, and there we were under the stars, letting him sing us his lullabies and tell us his most loved stories.

A night with James Taylor was something you don’t forget so soon.

source: http://www.bandmark.com/james-taylor-for-life/

NYTIMES.COM — Review: Carnegie Hall Turns 125, With Brass and Other Fanfare

By ANTHONY TOMMASINI

Addressing a packed Carnegie Hall on Thursday night, Richard Gere, the evening’s host, welcomed everyone to the venerated hall’s “125th-birthday party.” The night was indeed the exact anniversary of Carnegie’s festive opening, May 5, 1891, at which Tchaikovsky, in his only visit to America, conducted his “Marche Solennelle,” and Walter Damrosch led the first New York performance of Berlioz’s “Te Deum.” Thursday’s concert, as Mr. Gere suggested, was more a celebratory musical affair than a substantive musical program. And why not?

Sure, Carnegie Hall might have commissioned a work for the occasion, or performed something as ambitious as that Berlioz piece: a 50-minute score for a tenor soloist, two choruses, children’s choir and orchestra. But Carnegie has been a commissioning colossus for decades and has presented hundreds of challenging programs. This was party time. The celebrants were a cavalcade of popular artists, including Renée Fleming, Isabel Leonard, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Lang Lang, Emanuel Ax, Michael Feinstein and James Taylor.

In a gesture both fitting and poignant, the Oratorio Society of New York opened the program, with the dynamic conductor Pablo Heras-Casado leading the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. The society was founded in 1873 by Leopold Damrosch (Walter’s father). Andrew Carnegie became its president in 1888, and his determination to secure a fine home for the choir, as well as the city’s Symphony Society Orchestra, led to the building of Carnegie Hall.

On Thursday, after a stirring performance of the national anthem, fortified by brass players in the aisles and balconies, Mr. Heras-Casado led the chorus and orchestra in a rousing account of Handel’s “Zadok the Priest,” a coronation anthem. Turning to chamber music, Mr. Perlman, Mr. Ma and Mr. Ax played the Andante from Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor. That these artists chose the tranquil, beguiling slow movement from this Mendelssohn work, which they played beautifully, brought a reflective moment to a gala evening. Then Mr. Ax and Mr. Lang, making an unlikely piano duo, gave a sprightly account of Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance in G minor for piano four-hands. Mr. Ma joined them for “The Swan” from Saint-Saëns’s “The Carnival of the Animals.”

Mr. Lang had the piano to himself for a milky Manuel Ponce intermezzo and one of Ernesto Lecuona’s feisty “Danzas Afro-Cubanas.” Ms. Fleming sang Strauss’s song “Morgen,” accompanied by Mr. Heras-Casado and the orchestra, with Mr. Perlman no less, playing the wafting violin solo. She was joined by Ms. Leonard for a beloved duet, the “Barcarolle” from Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann.” Later, microphone in hand, Ms. Fleming slipped nicely into her pop mode for Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” with the orchestra.

After a sultry account of Bizet’s “Habanera,” Ms. Leonard also proved herself a stylish singer of American popular music, collaborating with Mr. Feinstein in a Berlin and Kern medley of works made famous onscreen by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It had to be a little intimidating for Ms. Leonard and Mr. Feinstein to sing those songs while photographs of Fred and Ginger in their glory were projected onto the backstage wall.

There were touching spoken tributes from two great singers, the mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne and the soprano Martina Arroyo, who both have many decades of association with Carnegie Hall. Then Mr. Taylor took the stage to play the guitar and sing George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun,” joined by Mr. Ma, followed by two of his own songs: “You and I Again” and “Shower the People,” in lush arrangements that involved the chorus and orchestra.

The evening ended with everyone onstage for a jam-session rendition of “The Joint Is Really Jumpin’ in Carnegie Hall.” Mr. Lang and Mr. Ax even took turns at the piano, playing boogie-woogie riffs.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/07/arts/music/review-carnegie-hall-turns-125-with-brass-and-other-fanfare.html

CBC.CA — James Taylor feels compelled to help Alberta wildfire relief efforts

By David Friend, The Canadian Press

James Taylor is leaning on his music to help Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees.

The Carolina in My Mind singer has made two Alberta concerts next month into benefits that will raise money for the wildfire rescue efforts.

He says proceeds from tickets to his shows in Edmonton on June 7 and Calgary on June 8 will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross.

“To turn those couple of shows into benefits is just too good an opportunity to pass up,” Taylor said in a phone interview from his tour bus.

“It’s a major national catastrophe and it’s just impossible to ignore it.”

Taylor says the idea came from conversations with his Canadian manager Sam Feldman on Friday, as he rolled into Ottawa for the first of a 15-concert tour of Canadian cities over the next month.

“You just don’t want to think of profiting at a time like this,” Taylor says.

“It’s a time when something better can be done with the money.”

More than 80,000 residents of Fort McMurray have been displaced by the fires, which began last week.

Forest fire officials say it could be months before they’ve fully extinguished the massive blaze, which has already spread across 2,000 square kilometres of northern Alberta.

Taylor has frequently participated in fundraising events for social and political causes.

“It’s a feeling … of community that happens at a concert that is so compelling,” he says.

“It’s kind of a spiritual thing. It’s the closest I get to church.”

source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/james-taylor-fort-mcmurray-fries-1.3572931

TASTEOFCOUNTRY.COM — Garth Brooks Sends Birthday Wishes to James Taylor

By Laura Hostelley.

Garth Brooks has never been shy about his admiration for the legendary James Taylor and his influence on Brooks’ career; in fact, he even noted that Taylor’s New Moonshine tops his list of favorite albums.

So to pay homage to the country star’s hero, Brooks got the entire crowd at PNC Arena in North Carolina, the state where Taylor grew up, to sing a tribute in honor of Taylor’s birthday on March 12.

“Today is James Taylor’s birthday,” Brooks announced. “We already sang ‘Happy Birthday’ tonight, so we’re gonna sing James a different song. Everybody pull out your phones, we’re going to blow up his Twitter page with happy birthdays.”

From there, Brooks led the way into a cover of the classic 1968 Taylor song, “Carolina In My Mind.”

The gesture definitely didn’t go unnoticed. Taylor responded via Twitter to express his gratitude toward Brooks.

Thanks for the birthday wishes & a special thanks to @GarthBrooks for this wonderful tribute. It was a great day! https://t.co/8CBRxRxBdR

— James Taylor (@JamesTaylor_com) March 13, 2016

Brooks has been on the road since 2014 alongside his wife Trisha Yearwood as part of his three-year-long world tour, which coincided with the release of his comeback album, Man Against Machine.

He recently announced on Facebook that new music is on the way; he just needs to strengthen his writing muscle.

“I ask for your patience as I explore the writing again. I have been at it for over four months now, enjoying the challenge and enjoying the studio more because of it,” Brooks posted. “This new album will be the most Garth thing I have ever done… whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, you will decide.”

source: http://tasteofcountry.com/garth-brooks-happy-birthday-james-taylor/

BOSTONGLOBE.COM – Taylor Swift professes love for James Taylor in Grammys speech

Taylor Swift professed her love for James Taylor in a Grammy Awards acceptance speech before the start of the 58th telecast.

Swift, who won the first Grammy of the night for her bestselling ‘‘1989’’ album wasn’t in the audience when the pre-telecast trophy was handed out. Guitarist Jack Antonoff, who worked as a producer on the album, called her on the phone as he picked up her trophy.

‘‘What?! We won! We won pop vocal album,’’ she shouted.

The she asked if fellow nominee James Taylor was in the audience.

Swift said, ‘‘Can you tell James Taylor I love him?’’

Dozens of Grammy Awards are handed out during a pre-telecast before the main show begins.

source: https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2016/02/15/taylor-swift-professes-love-for-james-taylor-grammys-speech/UEZFEcSfJ0ulrmeBTKZOyK/story.html

EXAMINER.COM — James Taylor and The Foo Fighters among winners at NAMM TEC Awards

The NAMM TEC Awards celebrated the pro audio community by recognizing the individuals, companies and technical innovations behind today’s sound recordings, live performances, films, television, video games and other media. The 31st annual event took place on Saturday, January 23 at the Hilton hotel in Anaheim The award show was hosted by comedian Sinbad. In addition to acknowledging the companies pushing the boundaries of sound, they also honored the creators behind these game-changing products, and celebrate the musical powerhouses who bring them to life.
Don Was beinf honored at the TEC Awards
Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NAMM

The show awarded winners in 31 categories, as well as the induction of Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and the founders of Record Plant into the TEC Hall of Fame. The awards also presented the Les Paul Award to Don Was. The show has an all-star lineup of presenters, including BT, Elliot Scheiner and Jimmy Douglass.

Wnners in the technical field included Shure, Avid and Senheiser.

Winners in the creative field included James Taylor winning Record Production for his “Before This World” and the Foo Fighters won Tour/Sound Production for their Sonic Highways Tour. The television show “Game of Thrones won the award for Television Sound Production to name a few

Hete ia a complete list of winners:

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

AMPLIFICATION HARDWARE – STUDIO & SOUND REINFORCEMENT | ANTELOPE AUDIO SATORI MONITORING CONTROLLER
ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT | RUPERT NEVE DESIGNS RNDI: ACTIVE TRANSFORMER DIRECT INTERFACE
AUDIO APPS FOR SMARTPHONES & TABLETS | PRESONUS NOTION 2 FOR IOS
COMPUTER AUDIO HARDWARE | UNIVERSAL AUDIO APOLLO 8P THUNDERBOLT 2 AUDIO INTERFACE
HARDWARE / PERIPHERALS FOR SMARTPHONES & TABLETS | SHURE MOTIV MV88 IOS DIGITAL STEREO CONDENSER MIC
HEADPHONE / EARPIECE TECHNOLOGY | AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-R70X PRO REFERENCE HEADPHONES
LARGE FORMAT CONSOLE TECHNOLOGY | SOLID STATE LOGIC XL DESK
MICROPHONE PREAMPLIFIERS | MANELY LABS MANLEY FORCE
MICROPHONES – RECORDING | NEUMANN U47 FET
MICROPHONES – SOUND REINFORCEMENT | SHURE 5575LE UNIDYNE 75TH ANNIVERSARY VOCAL MICROPHONE
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AMPLIFICATION & EFFECTS | EVENTIDE H9 MAX
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT HARDWARE | MOOG MUSIC MODULAR RECREATION
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SOFTWARE | IZOTOPE IRIS 2
RECORDING DEVICES | ZOOM F8 MULTITRACK FIELD RECORDER
SIGNAL PROCESSING HARDWARE | TUBE-TECH HLT 2A EQUALIZER
SIGNAL PROCESSING HARDWARE (500 SERIES MODULES) | SOLID STATE LOGIC 500-FORMAT LMC+
SIGNAL PROCESSING SOFTWARE (DYNAMIC/EQ/UTILITIES) | IZOTOPE RX 4 COMPLETE AUDIO REPAIR & ENHANCEMENT
SIGNAL PROCESSING SOFWARE (EFFECTS) | AMS NEVE AMS RMX16 DIGITAL REVERB PLUG-IN FOR UAD-2 PLATFORM
SMALL FORMAT CONSOLE TECHNOLOGY | AVID PRO TOOLS | S3
SOUND REINFORCEMENT LOUDSPEAKERS | MEYER SOUND LEOPARD
STUDIO MONITORS | GENELEC 8351A SAM
WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY | SENHEISER EVOLUTION WIRELESS D1
WORKSTATION TECHNOLOGY | AVID PRO TOOLS 12

CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT

FILM SOUND PRODUCTION | BIRDMAN
INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT SOUND PRODUCTION | BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT
RECORD PRODUCTION / SINGLE OR TRACK | “DREAMS” BY BECK
RECORD PRODUCTION / ALBUM | BEFORE THIS WORLD BY JAMES TAYLOR
TOUR / EVENT SOUND PRODUCTION | SONIC HIGHWAYS WORLD TOUR, FOO FIGHTERS
REMOTE PRODUCTION / RECORDING OR BROADCAST | FOO FIGHTERS SONIC HIGHWAYS
TELEVISION SOUND PRODUCTION | GAME OF THRONES
STUDIO DESIGN PROJECT | PAUL EPWORTH’S THE CHURCH STUDIOS

source: http://www.examiner.com/article/james-taylor-and-the-foo-fighters-among-winners-at-namm-tec-awards