Porter, Carrington Among Jazz Grammy Winners

Vocalist Greg Porter winning his first Best Jazz Vocal Album and Terri Lyne Carrington becoming the first woman to win for Best Jazz Instrumental Album were among the highlights of the 56th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremonies held in Los Angeles. For Porter, this was the third straight nomination for the award for successive albums, and his first time receiving the statue, while it was the second award for Carrington in two years. Saxophone great Wayne Shorter was also among those recognized this year as well as Herb Alpert for his production this year. Jazz writer and reviewer Neil Tesser was honored with an award for his liner on a Coltrane reissue, while composer and musician Maria Schneider who has spent a good part of her career working on music more closely identified with the jazz genre won for Best Contemporary Classical Album.

Below is the full list of the award recipients who are connected with jazz:

Best Pop Instrumental Album: Herb Alpert Steppin’ Out

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Michael Bublé To Be Loved

Best Instrumental Composition: Clare Fischer “Pensamientos For Solo Alto Saxophone And Chamber Orchestra”

Best Instrumental Arrangement: Gordon Goodwin “On Green Dolphin Street” (Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band)

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): Gil Goldstein “Swing Low” (Bobby McFerrin & Esperanza Spalding)

Best Album Notes: Neil Tesser Afro Blue Impressions (Remastered & Expanded) (John Coltrane)

Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Terri Lyne Carrington Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Randy Brecker, Wlodek Pawlik Trio & Kalisz Philharmonic Night In Calisia

Best Improvised Jazz Solo: Wayne Shorter, soloist “Orbits”

Best Jazz Vocal Album: Gregory Porter Liquid Spirit

Best Latin Jazz Album: Paquito D’Rivera and Trio Corrente Song For Maura

Best R&B Performance: Snarky Puppy with Lalah Hathaway “Something” (Track from: Family Dinner Volume One)

Best Classical Vocal Solo: Dawn Upshaw (Maria Schneider; Jay Anderson, Frank Kimbrough & Scott Robinson; Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) Winter Morning Walks