Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
In Memoriam: Al Foster, 1943–2025
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
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
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Roscoe Mitchell will receive a Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s Vision Festival.
May 27, 2025 6:21 PM
Arts for Art has announced the full lineup for the 2025 Vision Festival, which will run June 2–7 at Roulette…
Benny Benack III and his quartet took the Midwest Jazz Collective’s route for a test run this spring.
Jun 3, 2025 10:31 AM
The time and labor required to tour is, for many musicians, daunting at best and prohibitive at worst. It’s hardly…
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…