Grammy Awards Announced in Jazz Categories

Jazz winners at the 59th annual Grammy Awards were given out in a pre-telecast ceremony held earlier today in Los Angeles (and viewable at Grammy.com). Highlights of the ceremony included speeches by Gregory Porter, who paid brief tribute to the late Al Jarreau, and writer Kabir Sehgal, executive producer of the Ted Nash Big Band’s Presidential Suite. Following Nash’s speech accepting the award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album, Sehgal gracefully pushed back against the current administration. “While one president says, ‘Build a wall,'” Sehgal said, “another said, ‘Tear this wall down.'”

John Scofield, one of this year’s big winners, was unable to attend due to his current tour schedule.

Bolding indicates the category’s winner.

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Human Nature
Herb Alpert
(Herb Alpert Presents)

When You Wish Upon a Star
Bill Frisell
(OKeh Records)

Way Back Home: Live From Rochester, NY
Steve Gadd Band
(BFM Jazz)

Unspoken
Chuck Loeb
(Shanachie Entertainment)

Culcha Vulcha
Snarky Puppy
(GroundUP Music)

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

“Countdown”
Joey Alexander, soloist
Track from: Countdown (Motema Music)

“In Movement”
Ravi Coltrane, soloist
Track from: In Movement (Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane & Matthew Garrison) (ECM)

“We See”
Fred Hersch, soloist
Track from: Sunday Night at the Vanguard (The Fred Hersch Trio) (Palmetto Records)

“I Concentrate on You”
Brad Mehldau, soloist
Track from: Blues and Ballads (Brad Mehldau Trio) (Nonesuch)

“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
John Scofield, soloist
Track from: Country for Old Men (Impulse!)

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Sound of Red
René Marie
(Motema Music)

Upward Spiral
Branford Marsalis Quartet With Special Guest Kurt Elling
(OKeh)

Take Me to the Alley
Gregory Porter
(Blue Note)

Harlem on My Mind
Catherine Russell
(Jazz Village)

The Sting Variations
The Tierney Sutton Band
(BFM Jazz)

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Book of Intuition
Kenny Barron Trio
(Impulse!)

Dr. Um
Peter Erskine
(Fuzzy Music)

Sunday Night at the Vanguard
The Fred Hersch Trio
(Palmetto Records)

Nearness
Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau
(Nonesuch)

Country for Old Men
John Scofield
(Impulse!)

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Real Enemies
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society
(New Amsterdam Records)

Presents Monk’estra, Vol. 1
John Beasley
(Mack Avenue Records)

Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles
John Daversa
(BFM Jazz)

All L.A. Band
Bob Mintzer
(Fuzzy Music)

Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom
Ted Nash Big Band
(Motema Music)

Best Latin Jazz Album

Entre Colegas
Andy González
(Truth Revolution Records)

Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Perspective on the Music of Woody Shaw
Brian Lynch & Various Artists
(Hollistic Musicworks)

Canto América
Michael Spiro/Wayne Wallace La Orquesta Sinfonietta
(Patois Records)

30
Trio Da Paz
(Zoho)

Tribute to Irakere: Live in Marciac
Chucho Valdés
(Jazz Village)

Best Instrumental Composition

“Bridge of Spies (End Title)”
Thomas Newman, composer (Thomas Newman)
Track from: Bridge of Spies (Hollywood Records)

“The Expensive Train Set (An Epic Sarahnade for Double Big Band)”
Tim Davies, composer (Tim Davies Big Band)
Track from: The Expensive Trainset (Origin Records)

“Flow”
Alan Ferber, composer (Alan Ferber Nonet)
Track from: Roots & Transitions (Sunnyside Communications, Inc.)

“L’Ultima Diligenza Di Red Rock – Versione Integrale”
Ennio Morricone, composer (Ennio Morricone)
Track from: Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (Decca Records)

“Spoken at Midnight”
Ted Nash, composer (Ted Nash Big Band)
Track from: Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom (Motema Music)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

“Ask Me Now”
John Beasley, arranger (John Beasley)
Track from: Presents Monk’estra, Vol. 1 (Mack Avenue Records)

“Good ‘Swing’ Wenceslas”
Sammy Nestico, arranger (The Count Basie Orchestra)
Track from: A Very Swingin’ Basie Christmas! (Concord Jazz)

“Linus & Lucy”
Christian Jacob, arranger (The Phil Norman Tentet)
Track from: Then & Now: Classic Sounds & Variations of 12 Jazz Legends (Mama Records)

“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”
John Daversa, arranger (John Daversa)
Track from: Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles (BFM Jazz)

“We Three Kings”
Ted Nash, arranger (Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis)
Track from: Big Band Holidays (Blue Engine Records)

“You and I”
Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)
Track from: In My Room (Membran)

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

“Do You Hear What I Hear?”
Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band Featuring Take 6)
Track from: A Big Phat Christmas – Wrap This! (Music Of Content)

“Do You Want to Know a Secret”
John Daversa, arranger (John Daversa Featuring Renee Olstead)
Track from: Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles (BFM Jazz)

“Flintstones”
Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)
Track from: In My Room (Membran)

“I’m a Fool to Want You”
Alan Broadbent, arranger (Kristin Chenoweth)
Track from: The Art of Elegance (Concord Records)

“Somewhere (Dirty Blvd)” (Extended Version)
Billy Childs & Larry Klein, arrangers (Lang Lang Featuring Lisa Fischer & Jeffrey Wright)
Track from: New York Rhapsody (Sony Classical)

In addition, Miles Ahead (Miles Davis & Various Artists) on Columbia/Legacy won the award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Visual Media. David Bowie’s Blackstar, featuring the Donny McCaslin Quartet, won awards for Best Recording Package and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

from https://jazztimes.com