The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the vocal jazz music genre. Awards in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
History Until 2001 this award was titled the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. From 1981 to 1991 (except for 1985) this category was presented as separate awards for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female and Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male.
Since 2001, only the performing artist has been regarded a nominee. For a winning album, the producer(s) and engineer(s)/mixer(s) also receive a Grammy statuette.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.
Recipients
1970s Year Work Artist1977 Fitzgerald and Pass... Again Ella Fitzgerald More Sarah Vaughan Live in Japan Sarah Vaughan Porgy and Bess Ray Charles and Cleo Laine Quire Quire Where Is Love? Irene Kral1978 Look to the Rainbow Al Jarreau Amoroso João Gilberto Carmen McRae at The Great American Music Hall Carmen McRae Helen Merrill/John Lewis Helen Merrill Kral Space Irene Kral1979 All Fly Home Al Jarreau Gentle Rain Irene Kral How Long Has This Been Going On Sarah Vaughan The Main Man Eddie Jefferson Together Again: For the First Time Mel Tormé True to Life Ray Charles
1980s Year Work Artist1980 Fine and Mellow Ella Fitzgerald I Love Brazil! Sarah Vaughan The Live-Liest Eddie Jefferson Prez and Joe Joe Williams Sneakin' Around Helen Humes1985 Nothin' but the Blues Joe Williams An Evening at Charlie's Mel Tormé Harlem Butterfly Lorez Alexandria Ridin' High Sue Raney You're Lookin' at Me Carmen McRae
1990s Year Work Artist1992 He Is Christmas Take 6 "Ellington Medley" Mel Tormé "Long 'Bout Midnight" Natalie Cole The Offbeat of Avenues The Manhattan Transfer You Won't Forget Me Shirley Horn1993 "Round Midnight" All the Way Jimmy Scott Here's to Life Shirley Horn "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" Take 6 You Gotta Pay the Band Abbey Lincoln1994 Light Out of Darkness Shirley Horn Now and Then Ernestine Anderson "The Pink Panther Theme" Bobby McFerrin Swing That Music Bobby Short with Alden Barrett Quintet1995 Blue Light 'til Dawn Cassandra Wilson I Love You, Paris Shirley Horn Keeping Tradition Dee Dee Bridgewater We'll Be Together Again Lena Horne1996 Close Your Eyes Kurt Elling Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver Dee Dee Bridgewater Quiet After the Storm Dianne Reeves A Turtle's Dream Abbey Lincoln1997 All for You Diana Krall Blues, Dues and Love News Ernestine Anderson The Main Ingredient Shirley Horn Shaking Free Nnenna Freelon1998 Love Scenes Diana Krall Loving You Shirley Horn The Messenger Kurt Elling Song for the Geese Mark Murphy1999 Maiden Voyage Nnenna Freelon My Buddy: Etta Jones Sings the Songs of Buddy Johnson Etta Jones That Day... Dianne Reeves This Time It's Love Kurt Elling
2000s Year Work Artist2000 Bridges Dianne Reeves Heart of a Woman Etta James It's All About Love Carla Cook Traveling Miles Cassandra Wilson2001 In the Moment — Live in Concert Live at Yoshi's Dee Dee Bridgewater Live in Chicago Kurt Elling Merry-Go-Round Freddy Cole Soulcall Nnenna Freelon2002 Dianne Reeves Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane Karrin Allyson Flirting with Twilight Kurt Elling The Mose Chronicles: Live in London, Vol. 1 Mose Allison You're My Thrill Shirley Horn2003 Ask a Woman Who Knows Natalie Cole Brazilian Duos Luciana Souza Etta Jones Sings Lady Day Etta Jones For Ella Patti Austin2004 Man in the Air Kurt Elling May the Music Never End Shirley Horn Nature Boy: The Standards Album Aaron Neville North and South Luciana Souza2005 Accentuate the Positive Al Jarreau American Song Andy Bey The Dana Owens Album Queen Latifah Twentysomething Jamie Cullum2006 Good Night, and Good Luck Blueprint of a Lady: Sketches of Billie Holiday Nnenna Freelon Duos II Luciana Souza I'm with the Band Tierney Sutton J'ai deux amours Dee Dee Bridgewater2007 Easy to Love Roberta Gambarini Footprints Karrin Allyson From This Moment On Diana Krall Live at Jazz Standard with Fred Hersch Nancy King2008 Avant Gershwin Music Maestro Please Freddy Cole Nightmoves Kurt Elling On the Other Side Tierney Sutton Red Earth Dee Dee Bridgewater2009 Breakfast on the Morning Tram Stacey Kent Distances Norma Winstone If Less Is More...Nothing Is Everything Kate McGarry Imagina: Songs of Brazil Karrin Allyson
2010s Year Work Artist2010 Desire Tierney Sutton No Regrets Randy Crawford and Joe Sample So in Love Roberta Gambarini Tide Luciana Souza2011 Eleanora Fagan (1915–1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee Ages Lorraine Feather Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B Freddy Cole Water Gregory Porter When Lights Are Low Denise Donatelli2012 Terri Lyne Carrington & Various Artists American Road Tierney Sutton The Gate Kurt Elling The Music of Randy Newman Roseanna Vitro 'Round Midnight Karrin Allyson2013 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project Kurt Elling The Book of Chet Luciana Souza Live Al Jarreau and Metropole Orchestra Soul Shadows Denise Donatelli2014 Gregory Porter After Blue Tierney Sutton Attachments Lorraine Feather WomanChild Cécile McLorin Salvant The World According to Andy Bey Andy Bey2015List of Nominees 2015 Dianne Reeves I Wanna Be Evil: With Love to Eartha Kitt René Marie Live in NYC Gretchen Parlato Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro Billy Childs and Various Artists Paris Sessions Tierney Sutton2016 Cécile McLorin Salvant Find a Heart Denise Donatelli Flirting with Disaster Lorraine Feather Jamison Jamison Ross Many a New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein Karrin Allyson2017List of Nominees 2017 Gregory Porter Harlem on My Mind Catherine Russell Sound of Red René Marie The Sting Variations The Tierney Sutton Band Upward Spiral Branford Marsalis Quartet with Kurt Elling2018Grammy.com, 28 November 2017 Cécile McLorin Salvant Bad Ass and Blind Raul Midón The Journey The Baylor Project Porter Plays Porter Randy Porter Trio with Nancy King A Social Call Jazzmeia Horn2019Grammy.com, 7 December 2018 Cécile McLorin Salvant If You Really Want Raul Midón with the Metropole Orkest conducted by Vince Mendoza My Mood Is You Freddy Cole The Questions Kurt Elling The Subject Tonight Is Love Kate McGarry, Keith Ganz and Gary Versace
2020s Year Work Artist2020 12 Little Spells Esperanza Spalding Alone Together Catherine Russell Love & Liberation Jazzmeia Horn ScreenPlay The Tierney Sutton Band Thirsty Ghost Sara Gazarek20212021 Nominations List Secrets Are the Best Stories Kurt Elling featuring Danilo Pérez Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper Somi with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band conducted by John Beasley Modern Ancestors Carmen Lundy ONA Thana Alexa What's the Hurry Kenny Washington2022Grammy.com, 23 November 2021 Songwrights Apothecary Lab Esperanza Spalding Flor Gretchen Parlato Generations The Baylor Project SuperBlue Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter Time Traveler Nnenna Freelon2023 Linger Awhile Samara Joy The Evening: Live at APPARATUS The Baylor Project Fade to Black Carmen Lundy Fifty The Manhattan Transfer with the WDR Funkhausorchester Ghost Song Cécile McLorin Salvant2024 How Love Begins Nicole Zuraitis Alive at the Village Vanguard Fred Hersch and Esperanza Spalding For Ella 2 Patti Austin featuring Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Lean In Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke Mélusine Cécile McLorin Salvant2025 A Joyful Holiday Samara Joy Journey in Black Christie Dashiell Milton + Esperanza Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding My Ideal Catherine Russell and Sean Mason Wildflowers, Vol. 1 Kurt Elling and Sullivan Fortner2026 Portrait Samara Joy Elemental Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap Fly Michael Mayo Live at Vic's Las Vegas Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold and Rachel Eckroth We Insist 2025! Terri Lyne Carrington and Christie Dashiell featuring Weedie Braimah, Milena Casado, Morgan Guerin, Simon Moulier and Matthew Stevens
Artists with multiple wins
5 wins Dianne Reeves
3 wins Cécile McLorin Salvant Esperanza Spalding Samara Joy
2 wins Ella Fitzgerald Al Jarreau Dee Dee Bridgewater Cassandra Wilson Kurt Elling Diana Krall Nancy Wilson Gregory Porter
Artists with multiple nominations
15 nominations Kurt Elling
9 nominations Shirley Horn
8 nominations Dianne Reeves Tierney Sutton
7 nominations Dee Dee Bridgewater
6 nominations Cécile McLorin Salvant
5 nominations Nnenna Freelon Diana Krall Karrin Allyson Luciana Souza Esperanza Spalding
4 nominations Al Jarreau Cassandra Wilson Freddy Cole
3 nominations The Baylor Project Catherine Russell Denise Donatelli Gregory Porter Gretchen Parlato Irene Kral Lorraine Feather Mel Tormé Natalie Cole Patti Austin Samara Joy Sarah Vaughan
2 nominations Abbey Lincoln Andy Bey Bobby McFerrin Carmen Lundy Carmen McRae Eddie Jefferson Ella Fitzgerald Ernestine Anderson Etta James Fred Hersch Jazzmeia Horn Joe Williams Kate McGarry Lena Horne Metropole Orchestra Nancy King Nancy Wilson Raul Midón Ray Charles René Marie Roberta Gambarini Take 6 The Manhattan Transfer
References
General Note: User must select the "Jazz" category as the genre under the search feature.
Specific
External links Official site of the Grammy Awards