Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
In Memoriam: Cassandra Wilson, 1955–2026
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
Cécile McLorin Salvant won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal album for For One To Love (Mack Avenue)
(Photo: Courtesy of the artist)Though the Grammy Awards telecast doesn’t start until tonight at 8 p.m. EST, the awards ceremony is well underway, and a handful of prominent jazz artists have already been declared winners.
Below is a list of the winners in the jazz category that have been announced so far. DownBeat will update this list as more results are announced, and we will have a full Grammy Awards ceremony recap posted later this week.
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Cécile McLorin Salvant, For One To Love (Mack Avenue)
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
John Scofield, Past Present (Impulse!)
Best Latin Jazz Album
Elian Elias, Made In Brazil (Concord)
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Maria Schneider, The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
Maria Schneider, “Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)” from The Thompson Fields (ArtistShare)
Best Album Notes
Joni Mitchell, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced (Elektra Catalog Group)
Best Instrumental Composition
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, “The Afro Latin Jazz Suite” from Cuba: The Conversation Continues (Motéma)
Best Improvised Jazz Solo
Christian McBride, “Cherokee” from Live At The Village Vanguard (Mack Avenue)
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest, Sylva (Impulse!)
Best Blues Album
Buddy Guy, Born To Play Guitar (RCA)
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Antonio Sanchez, Birdman (Milan)
For a complete list of winners, visit the Grammy website.
Wilson’s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.
Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM
Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of…
“The love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,” Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility.
Aug 18, 2026 2:15 PM
Indian jazz guitarist and composer Pritesh Walia has been released after being unexpectedly detained by ICE and taken…
Bertoncini was a specialist and advocate for the nylon-string acoustic guitar, turning down high-profile opportunities that were unsuited to the sound and techniques that he used with that instrument.
Sep 1, 2026 11:06 AM
Gene Bertoncini, an esteemed jazz guitarist, composer, arranger and educator, died Aug. 29 at the Lillian Booth Actors…
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
