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…
Nominations for the 45th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today, making Blue Note a very happy label. Norah Jones and her debut album, Come Away With Me, garnered eight nominations, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year (“Don’t Know Why” by Jesse Harris), Record of the Year and New Artist of the Year. It was the most nominations for any album in this year’s Grammys, which will be awarded Feb. 23 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Among the nominations in the jazz catergories are:
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: Michel Camilo, Triangulo (Telarc); Dave Douglas, The Infinite (Bluebird); Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker & Roy Hargrove, Directions In Music (Verve); Wayne Shorter, Footprints Live! (Verve); McCoy Tyner, Plays John Coltrane - Live At The Village Vanguard (Impulse!)
Best Contemporary Jazz Album: Larry Carlton, Deep Into It (Warner Bros.); Pat Metheny Group, Speaking Of Now (Warner Bros.); John Scofield Band, Überjam (Verve); Yellowjackets, Mint Jam (Buzz Promotions); Joe Zawinul, Faces & Places (ESC Records).
Best Jazz Vocal Album: Patti Austin, For Ella (Playboy Jazz); Natalie Cole, Ask A Woman Who Knows (Verve); Etta Jones, Etta Jones Sings Lady Day (HighNote); Diana Krall, Live In Paris (Verve); Luciana Souza, Brazilian Duos (Sunnyside)
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo: “Naima,” Michael Brecker, soloist from Directions In Music; “Chelsea Bridge,” Pete Christlieb, soloist from: This Is The Moment; “Sunset & The Mockingbird,” Tommy Flanagan, soloist from A Great Night In Harlem; “My Ship,” Herbie Hancock, soloist from Directions In Music; “Proof,” Pat Metheny, soloist from Speaking Of Now.
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Slide Hampton And SWR Big Band, Jazz Matinee (Hänssler Classic); Dave Holland Big Band, What Goes Around (ECM); Mingus Big Band, Tonight At Noon…Three Or Four Shades Of Love (Dreyfus); Sammy Nestico, This Is The Moment (Fenwood Music); The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Can I Persuade You? (Planet Arts Recordings).
For a complete listing of all nominees, go to www.grammy.com.
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…
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