Apr 2, 2024 12:59 PM
Saxophonist, Sonic Explorer Casey Benjamin Dies at 45
Casey Benjamin, the alto saxophonist, vocalist, keyboardist and producer who stamped his distinctive sounds on the…
Singer-songwriter Cécile McLorin Salvant won a Grammy for her 2017 release, Dreams And Daggers.
(Photo: Mark Fitton)Singer-songwriter Cécile McLorin Salvant, pianist Billy Childs and bassist Christian McBride are among the jazz artists who won Grammy Awards on Jan. 28.
During the 60th annual edition of the Grammys, held at Madison Square Garden in New York, Salvant won the category Best Jazz Vocal Album, for Dreams And Daggers (Mack Avenue), and Childs topped the category Best Jazz Instrumental Album, for Rebirth (Mack Avenue).
The Christian McBride Big Band topped the category Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Bringin’ It (Mack Avenue).
Among the other winners is veteran guitarist John McLaughlin, who was honored in the Best Improvised Jazz Solo category for “Miles Beyond,” a track from Live @ Ronnie Scott’s (Abstract Logix), which was recorded with his band The 4th Dimension.
The various artists collection Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 (Columbia) topped the category Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Among the contributors to the album are Stevie Wonder, Diana Krall, Lady Gaga, K.D. Lang, Leslie Odom Jr. and Bennett himself.
The Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album went to the Pablo Ziegler Trio for its release Jazz Tango (Zoho). The winner for Best Tropical Latin Album was Salsa Big Band (Ruben Blades Productions), recorded by Rubén Blades Con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta.
The album that topped the category Best Surround Sound Album is soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom’s Early Americans (Outline). Honored were Jim Anderson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer; and Anderson and Bloom, surround producers. Bloom won the Soprano Saxophone category in the 2017 DownBeat Critics Poll.
The Rolling Stones won the Best Traditional Blues Album category for Blue & Lonesome (Interscope). The bluesmen Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ took home the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for TajMo (Concord), which also topped the Blues Album category in the 2017 DownBeat Readers Poll.
To see a clip of Jazzmeia Horn demonstrating her singing and scatting skills at the Grammys, click here.
For a complete list of winners, visit the Grammy website. DB
Benjamin possessed a fluid, round sound on the alto saxophone, and he was often most recognizable by the layers of electronic effects that he put onto the instrument.
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