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…
Sullivan Fortner continues a winning streak with his third Grammy for Jazz Album of the Year after earning the Gilmore Larry J. Bell Artist Award last October.
(Photo: Melanie Mor)The 68th Annual Grammy Awards presented a marathon of winners, tributes and music on Feb. 1. Kendrick Lamar added five more Grammys to his collection, which now totals 27. Bad Bunny became the first artist to win Album of the Year with a primarily Spanish-language offering. And there were plenty of artists garnering Grammys who have graced the pages of DownBeat in the past year. Here’s a look at the winners from the realms of jazz, blues & beyond!
Record of the Year
luther
Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Album of the Year
DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS
Bad Bunny
Song of the Year
“Wildflower”
Billie Eilish
Best Jazz Performance
“Windows (Live)”
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Portrait
Samara Joy
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Southern Nights
Sullivan Fortner featuring Peter Washington & Marcus Gilmore
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Without Further Ado, Vol 1
Christian McBride Big Band
Best Latin Jazz Album
A Tribute To Benny Moré And Nat King Cole
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro
Best Alternative Jazz Album
Live-Action
Nate Smith
Best Traditional Vocal Pop Album
A Matter Of Time
Laufey
Best Musical Theater Album
Buena Vista Social Club
Original Broadway Cast
Best American Roots Performance
Beautiful Strangers
Mavis Staples
Best Americana Performance
Godspeed
Mavis Staples
Best Americana Album
Big Money
Jon Batiste
Best Bluegrass Album
Highway Prayers
Billy Strings
Best Traditional Blues Album
Ain’t Done With The Blues
Buddy Guy
Best Contemporary Blues Album
Preacher Kids
Robert Randolph
Best Regional Roots Music Album
A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco
Various Artists
Best Album Notes
Miles ’55: The Prestige Recordings
Miles Davis
Notes by Ashley Kahn
Best Historical Album
Joni Mitchell Archives–Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1978-1980)
Joni Mitchell
Best Instrumental Composition
“First Snow”
Nordkraft Big Band
Remy Le Boeuf & Danielle Wertz
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or a Cappella
“Super Mario Praise Break”
The 8-Bit Big Band
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
“Big Fish”
Nate Smith featuring säge
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.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
Feb 19, 2026 10:39 AM
Jazz camps have exploded around the globe as a summertime tradition for working on your chops and making new friends.…
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…
