Jazz Momentum Builds With Grammy Buzz, NEA Honors, and a Triumphant Marsalis Performance in Minneapolis
Jazz is having a moment as Grammy nominations, NEA Jazz Masters honors, and a sold-out Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performance converge to spotlight the genre’s vitality. From predictions for the 2026 Grammy Awards to the recognition of legendary artists and advocates, the season underscores jazz’s enduring cultural power and continued evolution.
It’s an exciting season for jazz and music overall. Grammy Award nominations were recently announced, the National Endowment for the Arts named its 2026 Jazz Masters, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis delivered an outstanding performance Nov. 1 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards are scheduled for Feb. 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The program will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount.
Here are some 2026 jazz Grammy nominees I predict will win big:
- Best Jazz Performance: “Peace of Mind/Dreams Come True,” Samara Joy
- Best Jazz Vocal Album: “Elemental,” Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap
- Best Jazz Instrumental Album: “Southern Nights,” Sullivan Fortner featuring Peter Washington and Marcus Gilmore
- Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: “Without Further Ado, Vol. 1,” Christian McBride Big Band
- Best Latin Jazz Album: “La Fleur de Cayenne,” Paquito D’Rivera and the Madrid–New York Connection Band
- Best Alternative Jazz Album: “Ride into the Sun,” Brad Mehldau
- Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: “Ones & Twos,” Gerald Clayton
Good luck to all the deserving nominees.
On Nov. 21, the NEA announced its 2026 Jazz Masters: Carmen Lundy, Airto Moreira, Patrice Rushen and Rhonda Hamilton, who will receive the A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy.
The NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship is the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz musicians and advocates.
“As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, the NEA is proud to also honor these individuals who have played a significant role in jazz, considered one of our country’s greatest cultural gifts to the world,” NEA Senior Advisor Mary Anne Carter said. “As with our nation, jazz is an art form with a rich heritage that continues to evolve, thanks to those who have dedicated their lives and creativity to this music over generations.”
Hamilton, a jazz broadcaster, currently hosts a weekday show on KKJZ-FM in Los Angeles. She played a key role in launching the jazz station WBGO-FM.
Lundy, a vocalist, composer and arranger, has been a major force in modern jazz for more than five decades and has published more than 150 songs.
Moreira is a drummer, percussionist, educator and composer whose work spans tambourine, bongos, and numerous percussion instruments.
Rushen, a pianist, composer, musical director and educator, is celebrated for bridging jazz, classical, pop and R&B with a distinct, sophisticated sound.
The NEA will honor the 2026 recipients at a free concert April 18, 2026, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The event will also stream online. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit arts.gov.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Marsalis returned to Orchestra Hall on Nov. 1. The sold-out crowd welcomed the band with a standing ovation before the first note. It marked the orchestra’s second appearance at the hall in 2025.
The concert opened with “2/3’s Adventure,” composed by bassist Carlos Henriquez and featured on the “Live in Cuba” album. Pianist Dan Nimmer, trumpeter Marcus Printup and Henriquez delivered dynamic solos that drew strong applause.
Another highlight of the first set was “Joe’s Concerto: Mvt. IV,” named for original band member Joe Temperley, who died in 2016 at age 86. Baritone saxophonist Paul Nedzela led the piece. Marsalis once called Temperley “the most soulful thing to come out of Scotland.”
The second set featured works by South African jazz musicians, including pianists Nduduzo Makhathini and Bheki Mseleku. Sherman Irby’s arrangement of “Lulu in Adderley Street” highlighted tenor saxophonist Julian Lee.
The final piece, “Timelessness,” showcased trombonist Chris Crenshaw, who arranged the work in three hours as a favor to multi-instrumentalist Chris Lewis. Solos by Irby on alto saxophone, Ryan Kisor on trumpet, and Obed Calvaire on drums were standout moments, along with a rhythm section break that prompted an enthusiastic “Yeah!” from an audience member.
The encore, “Big Fat Alice’s Blues,” again featured Irby with the rhythm section and ended with a second full standing ovation.
Robin James welcomes reader responses at jamesonjazz@spokesman-recorder.com.