The Jazz winners at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards have been announced.
Much like in past years, most of the jazz honors at this year’s Grammys were handed out during the pre-telecast ceremony. More than 65 awards were announced during the pre-telecast, which is held at a nearby venue to make room for more performances and tributes during the main event – Which has always been geared towards more mainstream musical preferences.
Blue Note Records’ Grammy powerhouse Gregory Porter was represented in the winners list once again this year, and it was endearing to see him stand as one of the few people to pay tribute to the late Al Jarreau, who passed away this morning, for the inspiration he provided Porter during his formative years. British phenom Jacob Collier will also be flying back across the pond with two well-deserved gramophones in hand.
While the exact classification of David Bowie’s Blackstar album is up for debate (is it jazz? is it not? does it really matter?), nobody can deny it is a tremendous piece of work – Particularly the recording academy, who posthumously honored Bowie with Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for the album’s title track. The album itself also won Best Alternative Music Album, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, and Best Recording Package under art director Jonathan Barnbrook.
Pianist Ahmad Jamal and vocalist Nina Simone also stand as two of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award honorees
Check out the full list of jazz nominees and winners below:
Best Improvised Jazz Solo:
“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” — John Scofield – Winner!
“Countdown” — Joey Alexander
“In Movement” — Ravi Coltrane
“We See” — Fred Hersch
“I Concentrate On You” — Brad Mehldau
Best Jazz Vocal Album:
Take Me To The Alley — Gregory Porter – Winner!
Sound Of Red — René Marie
Upward Spiral — Branford Marsalis Quartet With Special Guest Kurt Elling
Harlem On My Mind — Catherine Russell
The Sting Variations — The Tierney Sutton Band
Best Jazz Instrumental Album:
Country for Old Men — John Scofield – Winner!
Book of Intuition — Kenny Barron Trio
Dr. Um — Peter Erskine
Sunday Night At The Vanguard — The Fred Hersch Trio
Nearness — Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album:
Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom — Ted Nash Big Band – Winner!
Real Enemies — Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society
Presents Monk’estra, Vol. 1 — John Beasley
Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles — John Daversa
All L.A. Band — Bob Mintzer
Best Latin Jazz Album:
Tribute To Irakere: Live In Marciac — Chucho Valdés – Winner!
Entre Colegas — Andy González
Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Perspective On The Music Of Woody Shaw — Brian Lynch & Various Artists
Canto América — Michael Spiro/Wayne Wallace La Orquesta Sinfonietta
30 – Trio Da Paz
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album:
Culcha Vulcha — Snarky Puppy – Winner!
Human Nature — Herb Alpert
When You Wish Upon a Star — Bill Frisell
Way Back Home: Live From Rochester, NY — Steve Gadd Band
Unpsoken — Chuck Loeb
Best Traditional R&B Performance:
“Angel” — Lalah Hathaway – Winner!
“The Three Of Me” — William Bell
“Woman’s World” — BJ The Chicago Kid
“Sleeping With The One I Love” — Fantasia
“Can’t Wait” — Jill Scott
Best R&B Album:
Lalah Hathaway Live — Lalah Hathaway – Winner!
In My Mind — BJ The Chicago Kid
Velvet Portraits — Terrace Martin
Healing Season — Mint Condition
Smoove Jones — Mya
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:
Miles Ahead — (Miles Davis & Various Artists) – Winner!
Amy — (Various Artists)
Straight Outta Compton — (Various Artists)
Suicide Squad (Collector’s Edition) — (Various Artists)
Vinyl: The Essentials Season 1 — (Various Artists)
Best Instrumental Composition:
“Spoken At Midnight” — Ted Nash, composer (Ted Nash Big Band) – Winner!
“Bridge of Spies (End Title)” — Thomas Newman, composer (Thomas Newman)
“The Expensive Train Set (An Epic Sarahnade For Big Band)” — Tim Davies, composer (Tim Davies Big Band)
“Flow” — Alan Ferber, composer (Alan Ferber Nonet)
“L’Ultima Diligenza Di Red Rock – Verisione Integrale” — Ennio Morricone, composer (Ennio Morricone)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella:
“You and I” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier) – Winner!
“Ask Me Now” — John Beasley, arranger (John Beasley)
“Good ‘Swing’ Wenceslas” — Sammy Nestico, arranger (The Count Basie Orchestra)
“Linus & Lucy” — Christian Jacob, arranger (The Phil Norman Tentet)
“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” — John Daversa, arranger (John Daversa)
“We Three Kings” — Ted Nash, arranger (Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals:
“Flintstones” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier) – Winner!
“Do You Hear What I Hear?” — Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band Featuring Take 6)
“Do You Want To Know A Secret” — John Daversa, arranger (John Daversa Featuring Renee Olstead)
“I’m A Fool To Want You” — Alan Broadbent, arranger (Kristin Chenoweth)
“Somewhere (Dirty Blvd) (Extended Version)” — Billy Childs & Larry Klein, arrangers (Lang Lang Featuring Lisa Fischer & Jeffrey Wright)
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