Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
Pianist Sullivan Fortner is one of this year’s nominees for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
(Photo: Sabrina Santiago)The official 2025 Grammy nominations have been announced with a slate of 94 categories. Here, we’ll focus on jazz and blues categories, including other select categories honoring jazz and blues musicians. For a complete list, go to grammy.com and the winners will be announced Feb. 2.
Album Of The Year
New Blue Sun, André 3000
Djesse Vol. 4, Jacob Collier
Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé
Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter
Brat, Charli xcx
Hit Me Hard And Soft, Billie Eilish
The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan
The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift
Best New Artist
Khruangbin
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Doechii
Raye
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims
Best Jazz Performance
“Walk With Me, Lord (SOUND | SPIRIT),” The Baylor Project
“Phoenix Reimagined (Live),” Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Randy Brecker, Jeff “Tain” Watts & John Scofield
“Juno,” Chick Corea & Béla Fleck
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Me,” Samara Joy Featuring Sullivan Fortner
“Little Fears,” Dan Pugach Big Band Featuring Nicole Zuraitis & Troy Roberts
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Journey In Black, Christie Dashiell
Wildflowers Vol. 1, Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner
A Joyful Holiday, Samara Joy
Milton + esperanza, Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding
My Ideal, Catherine Russell & Sean Mason
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Owl Song, Ambrose Akinmusire featuring Bill Frisell & Herlin Riley
Beyond This Place, Kenny Barron Featuring Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake, Immanuel Wilkins & Steve Nelson
Phoenix Reimagined (Live), Lakecia Benjamin
Remembrance, Chick Corea & Béla Fleck
Solo Game, Sullivan Fortner
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Returning To Forever, John Beasley & Frankfurt Radio Big Band
And So It Goes, The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Walk A Mile In My Shoe, Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band
Bianca Reimagined: Music for Paws and Persistence, Dan Pugach Big Band
Golden City, Miguel Zenón
Best Latin Jazz Album
Spain Forever Again, Michel Camilo & Tomatito
Cubop Lives! Zaccai Curtis
Collab, Hamilton de Holanda & Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Time And Again, Eliane Elias
El Trio: Live in Italy, Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández, John Beasley & José Gola
Cuba And Beyond, Chucho Valdés & Royal Quartet
As I Travel, Donald Vega Featuring Lewis Nash, John Patitucci & Luisito Quintero
Best Alternative Jazz Album
Night Reign, Arooj Aftab
New Blue Sun, André 3000
Code Derivation, Robert Glasper
Foreverland, Keyon Harrold
No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin, Meshell Ndegeocello
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
À Fleur De Peau, Cyrille Aimée
Visions, Norah Jones
Good Together, Lake Street Dive
Impossible Dream, Aaron Lazar
Christmas Wish, Gregory Porter
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Plot Armor, Taylor Eigsti
Rhapsody In Blue, Béla Fleck
Orchestras (Live), Bill Frisell Featuring Alexander Hanson, Brussels Philharmonic, Rudy Royston & Thomas Morgan
Mark, Mark Guiliana
Speak To Me, Julian Lage
Best American Roots Performance
“Blame It On Eve,” Shemekia Copeland
“Nothing In Rambling,” The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’,” Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood
“Lighthouse,” Sierra Ferrell
“The Ballad Of Sally Anne,” Rhiannon Giddens
Best Traditional Blues Album
Hill Country Love, Cedric Burnside
Struck Down, The Fabulous Thunderbirds
One Guitar Woman, Sue Foley
Sam’s Place, Little Feat
Swingin’ Live at The Church in Tulsa, The Taj Mahal Sextet
Best Contemporary Blues Album
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2, Joe Bonamassa
Blame It On Eve, Shemekia Copeland
Friendlytown, Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
Mileage, Ruthie Foster
The Fury, Antonio Vergara
Best Regional Roots Music Album
25 Back To My Roots, Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul
Live At The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles Featuring J’Wan Boudreaux
Live At The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Breed Brass Band Featuring Trombone Shorty
Kuini, Kalani Pe’a
Stories From The Battlefield, The Rumble Featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.
Best Music Film
“American Symphony,” Jon Batiste
“June,” (June Carter Cash)
“Kings From Queens,” Run DMC
“Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple” Steven Van Zandt
“The Greatest Night in Pop” — (Various Artists)
Bao Nguyen, video director; Bruce Eskowitz, George Hencken, Larry Klein, Julia Nottingham, Lionel Richie & Harriet Sternberg, video producers
Best Instrumental Composition
“At Last,” Shelton G. Berg, composer (Shelly Berg)
“Communion,” Christopher Zuar, composer (Christopher Zuar Orchestra)
“I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time,” André 3000, Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau & Carlos Niño, composers (André 3000)
“Remembrance,” Chick Corea, composer (Chick Corea & Béla Fleck)
“Strands,” Pascal Le Boeuf, composer (Akropolis Reed Quintet, Pascal Le Boeuf & Christian Euman)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
“Baby Elephant Walk — Encore,” Michael League, arranger (Snarky Puppy)
“Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly & John Legend, arrangers (Jacob Collier Featuring John Legend & Tori Kelly)
“Rhapsody In Blue(Grass),” Béla Fleck & Ferde Grofé, arrangers (Béla Fleck Featuring Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton)
“Rose Without The Thorns,” Erin Bentlage, Alexander Lloyd Blake, Scott Hoying, A.J. Sealy & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Scott Hoying Featuring säje & Tonality)
“Silent Night,” Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
“Alma,” Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje Featuring Regina Carter)
“Always Come Back,” Matt Jones, arranger (John Legend)
“b i g f e e l i n g s,” Willow, arranger (WILLOW)
“Last Surprise (From “Persona 5”),” Charlie Rosen & Jake Silverman, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band Featuring Jonah Nilsson & Button Masher)
“The Sound Of Silence,” Cody Fry, arranger (Cody Fry Featuring Sleeping At Last) DB
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
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In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.
Mar 2, 2026 9:48 PM
The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the 2026 DC JazzFest have been announced. This year’s headliners…
Blindfold Test proctor Ted Panken, left, with the Grammy-winning Nicole Zuraitis.
Feb 24, 2026 12:00 PM
After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
“These days, with curated news, where people only get half the story, people can’t even speak to family members anymore,” Schneider laments.
Mar 10, 2026 1:43 PM
Maria Schneider is doing her part to try to fix what ails America. Which got her thinking about crows, specifically,…
