Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
Hyde Park Jazz Fest on Chicago’s South Side to Present 20th Edition
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
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
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
Sep 22, 2026 1:39 PM
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
Camille Thurman took to the stage alongside bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Tommy Campbell for a rendition of Johnny Mercer’s “I’m An Old Cowhand” that recalled Rollins’ epochal 1957 trio outing Way Out West.
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As emcee Mark Ruffin noted at the commencement of an epic tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the Cathedral of Saint…
Kurt Elling, Katherine Russell and Emmet Cohen (host on the 2027 Jazz Cruise) share a laugh at sea.
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It began in 2001. A travel agent named Anita E. Berry had been booking clients on “partial” jazz cruises that took…
Sep 17, 2026 11:00 AM
The 2027 DownBeat College Guide is an invaluable resource for music students, especially jazz students, to find a school…
