And The Grammy Goes To…

…Gina. And congratulations to all the Grammy nominees:

In the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance Category: Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Annie Lennox, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand. (To me, both the Bennett & Gaga and Lennox albums were a total disappointment, so my favorite is Barbra Streisand.)

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: Mindy Abair, Gerald Albright, Nathan East, Jeff Lorber/Chuck Loeb/Everette Harp, Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer (my favorite here is Gerald Albright).

Best Traditional R&B Performance: Marsha Ambrosius & Anthony Hamilton, Angie Fischer, Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm Jamal Warner, Kem, Antonique Smith (Robert Glasper should win.)

Best R&B Album: again the Robert Glasper Experiment and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings among them.

Best Improvised Jazz Solo: Kenny Barron on “The Eye Of The Hurricane” by the Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio, Chick Corea on “Fingerprints” from his Trilogy Trio album, Fred Hersch on “You & the Night & the Music” from his Trio album Floating, Joe Lovano on “Recorda Me” from the Conrad Herwig album The Latin Side of Joe Henderson, and Brad Mehldau for “Sleeping Giant” from his Mehliana album (Fred Hersch please.)

Best Jazz Vocal Album: Billy Childs with Various Artists for their Laura Nyro project, René Marie, Gretchen Parlato, Dianne Reeves, and Tierney Sutton (Dianne Dianne!).

Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band, Chick Corea Trio, Fred Hersch Trio, Bobby Hutcherson/David Sanborn/Joey DeFrancesco with Billy Hart, and Jason Moran (I would like to see Brian Blade win.)

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Rufus Reid, Archie Shepp Attica Blues Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (my pick: Rufus Reid.)

Best Latin Jazz Album: Conrad Herwig featuring Joe Lovano, The Pedrito Martinez Group, Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Emilio Solla Y La Inestable De Brooklyn, and Yosvany Terry (best for me is the Pedrito Martinez.)

Billy Childs is also nominated for “And When I Die”, a track from his Laura Nyro project which features Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas. (Best American Roots Performance)

Sérgio Mendes is nominated for his “Magic” album in the Best World Music Album category.

Gloria Gaynor is nominated in the Best Spoken Word Album category for her “We Will Survive: True Stories Of Encouragement, Inspiration, and the Power of Song”.

“Get On Up: The James Brown Story” is nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media.

In the Best Instrumental Compostition, there’s Rufus Reid again (“Recognition”), Stanley Clarke (“Last Train To Sanity”), and Gordon Goodwin (“Life In The Bubble”).

There is also Chris Walden, Gordon Goodwin, and Pete McGuinness in the Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella category.

Vince Mendoza, Gordon Goodwin, Billy Childs, and Pete McGuinness again in the Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals category.

Ashley Kahn is nominated in the Best Album Notes category for “Offering: Live at Temple University” by John Coltrane.

And, hooray, “20 Feet From Stardom” is nominated for Best Music Film.