Grammy Nominations Announced!

Nominations for the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards were announced January 3rd. Our friends Britney Spears and Eminem were of course nominated in multiple categories, but the Grammyfolk haven’t forgotten jazz. The contemporary jazz categories include nominations for Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett and Kurt Elling, while other categories include some of the year’s best reissues and box packages like Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings. Here’s a list of the jazz and jazz-related nominations:

Best Contemporary Jazz Album

For instrumental performances only, with or without vocal coloring.

1. Outbound – Bela Fleck & The Flecktones [Columbia Records]

2. Yes, Please! – Fourplay [Warner Bros. Records]

3. Re:Animation Live! – Hagans/Belden [Blue Note Records]

4. A Brighter Day – Ronny Jordan [Blue Note Records]

5. Here’s The Deal – Liquid Soul [Shanachie Records]

Best Jazz Vocal Album

For solo vocals and duos or groups with vocals.

1. Live At Yoshi’s – Dee Dee Bridgewater [Verve Records]

2. Merry Go Round – Freddy Cole [Telarc Jazz]

3. Live in Chicago – Kurt Elling [Blue Note Records]

4. Soulcall – Nnenna Freelon [Concord Jazz]

5. In The Moment – Live In Concert Dianne Reeves [Blue Note Records]

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo

For an instrumental solo performance with or without a group or band. Singles or Tracks only.

1. Passion Dance – Kenny Barron – Track from: Spirit Song [Verve Records]

2. I Thought About You – Terence Blanchard -Track from: Wandering Moon [Sony Classical]

3. Outrance – Michael Brecker – Track from: Time Is Of The Essence [Verve Records]

4. I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good – Keith Jarrett – Track from: The Melody At Night, With You [ECM]

5. (Go) Get It – Pat Metheny – Track from: Trio 99>00 [Warner Bros. Records]

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

For solo artists, duos or groups, instrumental only.

1. Spirit Song – Kenny Barron [Verve Records]

2. Time Is Of The Essence – Michael Brecker [Verve Records]

3 .Prime Directive – Dave Holland Quintet [ECM]

4. Contemporary Jazz – Branford Marsalis [Columbia Records]

5. In & Out – Martial Solal & Johnny Griffin [Dreyfus Jazz]

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

For large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds.

1. The Buddy Collette Big Band In Concert – Buddy Collette Big Band [Bridge Records]

2. Nice Work – The Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra & Jim McNeely [Dacapo]

3. 52nd Street Themes – Joe Lovano [Blue Note Records]

4. Culmination – Sam Rivers’ Rivbea All-Star Orchestra [RCA Victor/BMG Classics]

5. Alligresse – Maria Schneider Orchestra [Enja]

Best Latin Jazz Album

For solo artists, duos or groups, vocal or instrumental.

1. Libertango – Gary Burton [Concord Jazz]

2. Motherland – Danmlo Perez [Verve Records]

3. Afro-Cuban Dream…Live & In Clave!!! – Bobby Sanabria Big Band [Arabesque Recordings]

4. Melaza – David Sanchez [Columbia Records]

5. Live At The Village Vanguard – Chucho Valdis [Blue Note Records]

Best Boxed Recording Package

1. The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961 – Frank Harkins & Arnold Levine, art directors (Miles Davis & John Coltrane) [Columbia/Legacy Recordings]

2. The Complete Hot Five And Hot Seven Recordings – Ian Cuttler, art director (Louis Armstrong) [Columbia/Legacy Recordings]

3. The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions On Verve – Hollis King, art director (Lester Young) [Verve Records]

4. Hampton Comes Alive – Jared Eberhardt, Michael Jager & Todd Wender, art directors (Phish) [Elektra Entertainment Group]

5. Respect: A Century Of Women In Music – Rachel Gutek, art director (Various Artists) [Rhino Records]

Also, nominated for Best Album Notes were The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961 – Bob Blumenthal, album notes writer (Miles Davis & John Coltrane) [Columbia/Legacy Recordings] and The Complete Lester Young Studio Sessions On Verve – John Chilton, album notes writer (Lester Young) [Verve Records].

Louis Armstrong’s Complete Hot Five And Hot Seven Recordings was nominated for Best Historical Album.

Originally Published January 5, 2001