2018 Grammys: Best Latin Jazz Album nominees

     

The GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Jazz Album was established in 1995. Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance, the award was first presented to Arturo Sandoval in 1995 for his album Danzón (Dance On). Last year, it was presented to Chucho Valdés for his album Tribute to Irakere: Live in Marciac. Other previous winners include Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Paquito D’Rivera and Trio Corrente, Charlie Haden, and Antônio Carlos Jobim.

None of the artists nominated for the 2018 GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Jazz Album have previously won the award. Here are the five album nominated. The award will be presented on January 28, 2018.

ANTONIO ADOLFO – Hybrido – From Rio to Wayne [AAM Music]

Hybrido is the latest studio album by pianist, composer, and producer Antonio Adolfo. Recorded in Rio, it is a tribute to jazz composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter performed by a horn-based group. The tribute combines several musical styles, such as Samba, Bossa, Afoxé, Baião, and more. Tracks on Hybrido include “Footprints,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Speak No Evil.” For more information, go to http://www.antonioadolfomusic.com/

JANE BUNNETT & MAQUEQUE – Oddara [Linus Entertainment]

Oddara is the second album by flutist/saxophonist, JUNO Award winner and two-time GRAMMY nominee Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, five young Cuban female musicians brought together and mentored by her. Most tracks on Oddara are original compositions. The album is also more instrumentally oriented than their acclaimed debut and, although Bunnett’s flute and sax are the main voices, the group is a collective, cooperative, coherent musical unit and all members make strong and vital contributions. For more information, go to http://www.janebunnett.com/

ANAT COHEN & MARCELLO GONÇALVES – Outra Coisa – The Music of Moacir Santos [Anzic Records]

Guitarist Marcello Gonçalves and clarinetist Anat Cohen put together a tribute to Moacir Santos, the great Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist and music educator. Gonçalves expressed the joy of putting Outra Coisa – The Music of Moacir Santos together in an official statement: “When we started playing, Anat, who has known me for many years, said: ‘I have never seen you so happy!’ I responded: ‘I’ve never been!’ This recording documents those two happy days in the studio.” For more information, go to

MIGUEL ZENON – Tipico [CD Baby]

Tipico, The latest album by saxophonist Miguel Zenón is described, above all, as a celebration of his longstanding quartet, that includes pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig, and drummer Henry Cole. Unlike his previous albums, which consisted of jazz adaptations revolving around his Puerto Rican heritage and homeland, on Tipicohones in on his bandmates, and the music is centered on what each individual member contributes to the ensemble and overall sound. For more information, go to https://miguelzenon.com/

PABLO ZIEGLER TRIO – Jazz Tango [Zoho]

Jazz Tango is the latest album by Argentinian Tango jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Pablo Ziegler. It features three tango standards penned by Astor Piazzolla, with whom he worked regularly from 1978 until Piazzolla’s retirement for health reasons in 1989, and seven original Ziegler compositions. Jazz Tango also presents Ziegler’s U.S. based trio, featuring bandoneonist Hector Del Curto, and guitarist Claudio Ragazzi. For more information, go to https://www.pabloziegler.com/

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, January 28, 2018.