Jennifer Cutting's Edge: 'Ocean' Composer Scores Five Top Awards at the Wammies

Local go-go greats EU, above, close out the 19th annual WAMA awards, whose recipients included Shelle Brown, below, as executive of the year. Previous winner Ruthie Logsdon, above right, was an appreciative audience member. (Robert A. Reeder -- The Washington Post)

Someday, a D.C. politico will have the good sense to introduce legislation declaring "Da Butt," that delicious piece of 1988 go-go from local heroes Sugar Bear and EU, to be the official song of the nation's capital.

Until that happens, it's up to the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA), that chest-thumping bastion of local pride, to recognize the booty-shaking greatness in our midst. Not only was EU, along with late legends "Mama Cass" Elliot (yep, she was from here) and Root Boy Slim (him, too), inducted into the WAMA Hall of Fame on Monday night, but the go-go greats also closed out the 19th annual Washington Area Music Awards -- aka the Wammies -- at the brand-new Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda.

Oh, the $100 million, 190,000-square-foot Strathmore, which grand-opened on Saturday with a performance by classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma, is spectacular, to be sure. "It feels like being inside a brand-new guitar," said Diana Quinn, the beehive-haired lead singer of Honky Tonk Confidential. Her group won three Wammies, including the statue (essentially a plastic-encased CD) for best country duo/group, which was just one of 90-plus awards given out over the three-hour-plus evening.

But for all its wood-and-steel beauty -- it smells great, too -- Strathmore is perhaps the worst place to host the well-meaning Wammies. The last several ceremonies were held at the State Theatre in Falls Church, a small, cozy venue with numerous bars and inadequate performance space. You couldn't hear the acceptance speeches over the schmoozing and cocktailing but, to be honest, no one cared and, hey bartender, could I get another beer? Good times, good times.

This year, the acoustics were so superb in the 1,976-seat concert hall, you could hear all of the speeches. And let's just say that as public speakers, Wammie winners make great musicians. The celebratory momentum generated by the myriad live performances was pretty much squashed whenever it was time to run through another batch of categories. More music, less chitchat, please.

Of course, some winners had no idea they had won because they were mingling in a separate reception area with two busy bars (and $8 beers!). Other winners had no idea they had won because they were never notified that they had been nominated in the first place.

"We don't have the resources to do that," WAMA President Mike Schreibman said when asked why all nominees weren't told the good news. "We let members know, and the word kind of leaks out."

Oh, well. At least the chummy, all-together-now vibe at the Wammies remains strong. And the live performances continue to offer proof that the Washington area music scene is one of the most under-appreciated in the country. Eight acts took the massive Strathmore stage over the course of the evening, including the Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band, the bluesy Tom Principato Band, Hillbilly Jazz, pop-rock faves the Pat McGee Band, urban-folk singer Ellis Paul, and a good-natured tribute band saluting Root Boy Slim, a puckish, portly cult hero who lived as hard as he boogied.

The most dazzling performance, however, was given by the evening's most heartwarming story. Jennifer Cutting, whose Ocean Orchestra was nominated for 13 Wammies, was making her return to the local-music rah-rah-athon after an 11-year hiatus. A decade ago she was the leader of the popular British-folk-rocking New St. George. But for various reasons, including stage fright, "I went underground for a while," the Takoma Park resident said backstage. "I didn't get onstage for seven years. I needed to turn inward to get this vision for the new album."

Cutting describes her debut album with the Ocean Orchestra, "Ocean: Songs for the Night Sea Journey," as "Celtic music for ancient moderns." The composer-arranger traveled to five countries and recorded 36 musicians to get just the sound she wanted. Live, her music was nothing short of spellbinding, especially when Slaveya, a 12-voice Balkan women's chorus, joined the 10-piece Ocean Orchestra for the performance's rousing climax.

Cutting and her Ocean Orchestra went on to win five awards, including best new artist, album of the year, songwriter of the year and musician of the year. In accepting the last, Cutting acknowledged Ocean Orchestra vocalist Grace Griffith, who has Parkinson's disease. "If she could get out there with Parkinson's," Cutting said, her voice wobbling with emotion, "then I could get over a little bit of stage fright."

Other big winners included: Deanna Bogart for best blues vocalist, best blues duo group and best blues instrumentalist; the Rhodes Tavern Troubadours for artists of the year and best rock duo/group; OKTBRWRLD for best urban contemporary duo/group and best urban contemporary recording; and Sweet Honey in the Rock for best a cappella group, best a cappella recording and best gospel/inspirational vocalist (Bernice Johnson Reagon).

In addition to snagging the Wammie for best children's music duo/group, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer were presented with the WAMA Spotlight Award, given to gone-national acts that have brought positive attention to the D.C. music scene. Of course, this pair is no stranger to being feted. On Sunday, Fink and Marxer will return to the Grammy Awards, where they won last year for best musical album for children ("Bon Appetit! Musical Food Fun") and are nominated in the same category this year for "cELLAbration," a tribute to children's artist Ella Jenkins. This is their 10th Grammy nomination.