Jazz breaking news: Stanley Clarke, Herbie Hancock And Dee Dee Bridgewater Win At The Grammys
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Grammys took place last night in Los Angeles and in a separate ceremony earlier in the day the jazz Grammy winners were announced.
There weren’t any Brit winners this year although both John McLaughlin and Dave Holland were nominated, instead main honours went to the Stanley Clarke Band for their eponymous Heads Up release in the best contemporary jazz album category while best jazz vocal album this year went to Dee Dee Bridgewater for her Billie Holiday tribute album Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee.
Perennial Grammy victor Herbie Hancock picked up the award for best improvised solo on his Imagine Project album track ‘A Change is Gonne Come’ and in the pop collaboration with vocal category, while there was a posthumous award for the late James Moody and his album Moody 4B in the best jazz instrumental album category.
Best large ensemble album award went to the Mingus Big Band for Live At Jazz Standard, while Cuban great Chucho Valdes picked up for best latin jazz album for Chucho’s Steps. Bela Fleck won in the contemporary world music album category and Billy Childs was victorious in the instrumental composition category. Vince Mendoza won for best instrumental arrangement.
Esperanza Spalding (pictured) was also one of the big winners of the Grammys this year winning in the best new artist category; and fittingly Roy Haynes was also awarded a special Lifetime Achievement award.
– Stephen Graham