Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album
Awarded forQuality contemporary jazz performances
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded1992
Last awarded2011
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,[1] to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality contemporary jazz performances. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by The Recording Academy to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[2]

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance, the award was first presented to the Manhattan Transfer in 1992. From 1993 to 1994 the category was known as Best Contemporary Jazz Performance (Instrumental), from 1995 to 2000 the name changed to Best Contemporary Jazz Performance, and since 2001 the name of the category has been Best Contemporary Jazz Album. Until 2001, both albums and singles were eligible for this award. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented for albums containing "at least 51% playing time of newly recorded contemporary jazz instrumental tracks".[3] Beginning in 2001, award recipients included the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists.

As of 2011, Pat Metheny holds the record for the most wins in this category, with a total of six (five times with the Pat Metheny Group). Randy Brecker has received the award four times total, once along with his brother Michael as the duo known as Brecker Brothers. The group Béla Fleck and the Flecktones has received the award twice. American artists have been presented with the award more than any other nationality, though it has been presented once to Joe Zawinul, born in Austria. The group Yellowjackets holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with a total of seven. In 2012, the award was discontinued in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. From 2012, contemporary jazz recordings were shifted to the newly formed Best Jazz Instrumental Album category.

Recipients

A man with his eyes closed playing a guitar.
Six-time award winner Pat Metheny
A man on a stage wearing all black and a cap on his head, playing a trumpet into a microphone. Behind him is a man holding a saxophone and another man sitting in a chair. Music stands and additional microphone stands are on the stage in front of them.
Four-time award winner and member of Brecker Brothers, Randy Brecker
A man wearing a dress shirt and glasses, playing a banjo. A light is shining down on him from above, casting a blue shade over him.
Béla Fleck of the two-time award-winning group, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones
A man wearing glasses, playing a guitar and standing behind a cymbal.
2005 award winner, Bill Frisell
A man wearing glasses, with his eyes closed, playing a white keytar with black and white keys.
2008 award winner, Herbie Hancock
A man behind a microphone, with one of his hands on a black and white keyboard, wearing a dress shirt and a multi-colored cap.
2010 award winner, Joe Zawinul
Year[I] Performing artist(s) Work Nominees Ref.
1992 The Manhattan Transfer "Sassy" [4]
1993 Pat Metheny Secret Story [5]
1994 Pat Metheny Group The Road to You [6]
1995 Brecker Brothers Out of the Loop [7]
1996 Pat Metheny Group We Live Here [8]
1997 Wayne Shorter High Life
1998 Randy Brecker Into the Sun [9]
1999 Pat Metheny Group Imaginary Day
[10]
2000 David Sanborn Inside
2001 Béla Fleck and the Flecktones Outbound
[11]
2002 Marcus Miller M²
[12]
2003 Pat Metheny Group Speaking of Now [13]
2004 Randy Brecker 34th N Lex
[14]
2005 Bill Frisell Unspeakable
[15]
2006 Pat Metheny Group The Way Up [16]
2007 Béla Fleck and the Flecktones The Hidden Land
[17]
2008 Herbie Hancock River: The Joni Letters
[18]
2009 Randy Brecker Randy in Brasil
[19]
2010 Joe Zawinul and The Zawinul Syndicate 75 [20]
[21]
2011 The Stanley Clarke Band The Stanley Clarke Band [22]

^[I] Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

References

  1. ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  3. ^ "52nd OEP Category Description Guide" (PDF). National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2009. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  4. ^ Campbell, Mary (January 9, 1992). "R.E.M., Raitt tops in Grammy nominations". The Tuscaloosa News. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The New York Times Company. p. 6B. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  5. ^ Macdonald, Patrick (January 8, 1993). "Grammys Show Influence Of Seattle Music". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  6. ^ "Hundreds Nominated For Grammys". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Publishing Company. January 10, 1994. p. 3. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  7. ^ "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1995. p. 5. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  8. ^ "List of Grammy nominees". CNN. January 4, 1996. Archived from the original on December 7, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  9. ^ Campbell, Mary (January 7, 1998). "Rock veterans Dylan, McCartney face off for album of year". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  10. ^ "Academy's Complete List of Nominees". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1999. p. 6. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  11. ^ "43rd Grammy Awards". CNN. February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on November 6, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  12. ^ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS News. January 4, 2002. Archived from the original on October 10, 2003. Retrieved July 1, 2010. Note: This source lists CAB band members Dennis Chambers, Tony MacAlpine, Brian Auger and Bunny Brunel individually.
  13. ^ "Complete list of Grammy nominees; ceremony set for Feb. 23". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. January 8, 2003. p. 3. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  14. ^ "Nominee list for the 46th Annual Grammy Awards". LiveDaily. December 4, 2003. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  15. ^ "Nominee list for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards". LiveDaily. December 7, 2004. Archived from the original on January 7, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  16. ^ "The Complete List of Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. December 8, 2005. p. 3. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  17. ^ "49th Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 20, 2006. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  18. ^ "50th annual Grammy Awards nominations". Variety. Reed Business Information. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  19. ^ "The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Winners List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  20. ^ "The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  21. ^ Relative, Saul (January 31, 2010). "2010 Grammy Awards: Michael Jackson Tribute, Lady Gaga and Elton John Duet Highlight". Yahoo! Voices. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  22. ^ "53rd Annual Grammy Awards nominees list". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2010.

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