Indian voices at the Grammies

Three Indian musicians will vie for a gramophone when the Grammy awards are announced on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Leading jazz musician Louis Banks has earned two Grammy nominations in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album category for his work in the albums Miles From India and Floating Point. This category is for albums containing 51 percent or more playing time of instrumental tracks.

Miles from India is a tribute to the founder of modern jazz Miles Davies. According to Banks, it is 'an Indian tribute to the maestro who was simply in love with Indian music.' In Floating Point, Banks plays with guitarist John McLaughlin.

In the Best Traditional World Music Album (Vocal or Instrumental) category, two Indians -- Kolkata-based Debashish Bhattacharya and Hindustani classical vocalist Lakshmi Shankar -- stand nominees. While Bhattacharya has been nominated for his album Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey, Shankar has been shortlisted for her album Dancing In The Light.

Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey is a musical journey through the centuries of guitar playing in India where each raga explores influences ranging from gypsy to Sufi.