Category Archives: Jazz Times

I’m excited that so many of my favorite artists and interview subjects are nominated for 2021 Grammys! The list includes John Beasley; Kurt Elling, featuring Danilo Perez; Kenny Washington; Becca Stevens; Chico Pinheiro; Maria Schneider; Alan Broadbent; Chick Corea; Christian McBride; Brian Blade; Terri Lyne Carrington, and Jacob Collier (album of the year, no less!). Big congratulations to all. And stay tuned for my upcoming portrait of John “Killer Beas” Beasley in JazzTimes.

General Field

2. Album Of The Year
Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s) credited with at least 33% playing time of the album, if other than Artist.

• CHILOMBO
  Jhené Aiko
  Fisticuffs & Julian-Quán Việt Lê, producers; Fisticuffs, Julian-Quán Việt Lê, Zeke Mishanec, Christian Plata & Gregg Rominiecki, engineers/mixers; Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo, Julian-Quán Việt Lê, Maclean Robinson & Brian Keith Warfield, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer
   
• BLACK PUMAS (DELUXE EDITION)
  Black Pumas
  Jon Kaplan & Adrian Quesada, producers; Adrian Quesada, Jacob Sciba, Stuart Sikes & Erik Wofford, engineers/mixers; Eric Burton & Adrian Quesada, songwriters; JJ Golden, mastering engineer
   
• EVERYDAY LIFE
  Coldplay
  Daniel Green, Bill Rahko & Rik Simpson, producers; Mark “Spike” Stent, engineer/mixer; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters; Emily Lazar, mastering engineer
   
• DJESSE VOL.3
  Jacob Collier
  Jacob Collier, producer; Ben Bloomberg & Jacob Collier, engineers/mixers; Jacob Collier, songwriter; Chris Allgood & Emily Lazar, mastering engineers
   
• WOMEN IN MUSIC PT. III
  HAIM
  Rostam Batmanglij, Danielle Haim & Ariel Rechtshaid, producers; Rostam Batmanglij, Jasmine Chen, John DeBold, Matt DiMona, Tom Elmhirst, Joey Messina-Doerning & Ariel Rechtshaid, engineers/mixers; Rostam Batmanglij, Alana Haim, Danielle Haim, Este Haim & Ariel Rechtshaid, songwriters; Emily Lazar, mastering engineer
   
• FUTURE NOSTALGIA
  Dua Lipa
  Koz, producer; Josh Gudwin & Cameron Gower Poole, engineers/mixers; Clarence Coffee Jr. & Dua Lipa, songwriters; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer
   
• HOLLYWOOD’S BLEEDING
  Post Malone
  Louis Bell & Frank Dukes, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Austin Post & Billy Walsh, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
   
• FOLKLORE
  Taylor Swift
  Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, producers; Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Jonathan Low & Laura Sisk, engineers/mixers; Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

JAZZ

31. Best Improvised Jazz Solo
For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter’s name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.

• GUINEVERE
  Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, soloist
  Track from: Axiom
   
• PACHAMAMA
  Regina Carter, soloist
  Track from: Ona (Thana Alexa)
   
• CELIA
  Gerald Clayton, soloist
   
• ALL BLUES
  Chick Corea, soloist
  Track from: Trilogy 2 (Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade)
   
• MOE HONK
  Joshua Redman, soloist
  Track from: RoundAgain (Redman Mehldau McBride Blade)

32. Best Jazz Vocal Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal jazz recordings.

• ONA
  Thana Alexa
   
• SECRETS ARE THE BEST STORIES
  Kurt Elling Featuring Danilo Pérez
   
• MODERN ANCESTORS
  Carmen Lundy
   
• HOLY ROOM: LIVE AT ALTE OPER
  Somi With Frankfurt Radio Big Band
   
• WHAT’S THE HURRY
  Kenny Washington

33. Best Jazz Instrumental Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new instrumental jazz recordings.

• ON THE TENDER SPOT OF EVERY CALLOUSED MOMENT
  Ambrose Akinmusire
   
• WAITING GAME
  Terri Lyne Carrington And Social Science
   
• HAPPENING: LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD
  Gerald Clayton
   
• TRILOGY 2
  Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade
   
• ROUNDAGAIN
  Redman Mehldau McBride Blade

34. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new ensemble jazz recordings.

• DIALOGUES ON RACE
  Gregg August
   
• MONK’ESTRA PLAYS JOHN BEASLEY
  John Beasley
   
• THE INTANGIBLE BETWEEN
  Orrin Evans And The Captain Black Big Band
   
• SONGS YOU LIKE A LOT
  John Hollenbeck With Theo Bleckmann, Kate McGarry, Gary Versace And The Frankfurt Radio Big Band
   
• DATA LORDS
  Maria Schneider Orchestra

35. Best Latin Jazz Album
For vocal or instrumental albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded material. The intent of this category is to recognize recordings that represent the blending of jazz with Latin, Iberian-American, Brazilian, and Argentinian tango music.

• TRADICIONES
  Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra
   
• FOUR QUESTIONS
  Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
   
• CITY OF DREAMS
  Chico Pinheiro
   
• VIENTO Y TIEMPO – LIVE AT BLUE NOTE TOKYO
  Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola
   
• TRANE’S DELIGHT
  Poncho Sanchez

COMPOSING/ARRANGING

62. Best Instrumental Composition
A Composer’s Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.

• BABY JACK
  Arturo O’Farrill, composer (Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra)
   
• BE WATER II
  Christian Sands, composer (Christian Sands)
   
• PLUMFIELD
  Alexandre Desplat, composer (Alexandre Desplat)
   
• SPUTNIK
  Maria Schneider, composer (Maria Schneider)
   
• STRATA
  Remy Le Boeuf, composer (Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows Featuring Anna Webber & Eric Miller)

63. Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• BATHROOM DANCE
  Hildur Guðnadóttir, arranger (Hildur Guðnadóttir)
   
• DONNA LEE
  John Beasley, arranger (John Beasley)
   
• HONEYMOONERS
  Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows)
   
• LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING
  Alvin Chea & Jarrett Johnson, arrangers (Jarrett Johnson Featuring Alvin Chea)
   
• URANUS: THE MAGICIAN
  Jeremy Levy, arranger (Jeremy Levy Jazz Orchestra)

64. Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• ASAS FECHADAS
  John Beasley & Maria Mendes, arrangers (Maria Mendes Featuring John Beasley & Orkest Metropole)
   
• DESERT SONG
  Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Säje)
   
• FROM THIS PLACE
  Alan Broadbent & Pat Metheny, arrangers (Pat Metheny Featuring Meshell Ndegeocello)
   
• HE WON’T HOLD YOU
  Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier Featuring Rapsody)
   
• SLOW BURN
  Talia Billig, Nic Hard & Becca Stevens, arrangers (Becca Stevens Featuring Jacob Collier, Mark Lettieri, Justin Stanton, Jordan Perlson, Nic Hard, Keita Ogawa, Marcelo Woloski & Nate Werth)
  

11. Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
For albums containing approximately 51% or more playing time of instrumental material. For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new recordings.

• AXIOM
  Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah
   
• CHRONOLOGY OF A DREAM: LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD
  Jon Batiste
   
• TAKE THE STAIRS
  Black Violin
   
• AMERICANA
  Grégoire Maret, Romain Collin & Bill Frisell
   
• LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL
  Snarky Puppy