| Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album | |
| Awarded For: | Quality vocal or instrumental alternative jazz recordings (albums only) |
| Presenter: | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Holder: | Meshell Ndegeocello – The Omnichord Real Book (2024) |
| Website: | grammy.com |
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz is an award presented by the Recording Academy to honor quality alternative jazz music performances in any given year. The award will be presented for the first time at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, and is the first new category in the jazz genre field since 1995.
The academy announced the new category in June 2023, stating that the award "recognizes artistic excellence in Alternative Jazz albums by individuals, duos and groups/ensembles, with or without vocals." The academy defines alternative jazz as "a genre-blending, envelope-pushing hybrid that mixes jazz (improvisation, interaction, harmony, rhythm, arrangements, composition, and style) with other genres, including R&B, Hip-Hop, Classical, Contemporary Improvisation, Experimental, Pop, Rap, Electronic/Dance music, and/or Spoken Word. It may also include the contemporary production techniques/instrumentation associated with other genres."[1] [2] [3]
The category was created in response to the growing explosion of crossover jazz and the creativity of contemporary jazz artists who are exploring and incorporating elements of other genres into their music. The Academy specifically cited the work of artists such as The Comet Is Coming, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Kassa Overall, Makaya McCraven, Kamasi Washington, Sons of Kemet and Robert Glasper as examples of jazz's evolving sound and the need for a new category to honor these albums.[4]
Regarding the establishment of this category, which was announced alongside Best Pop Dance Recording and Best African Music Performance, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. stated: "The Recording Academy is proud to announce these latest category changes to our awards process. These changes reflect our commitment to actively listen and respond to the feedback from our music community, accurately represent a diverse range of relevant musical genres, and stay aligned with the ever-evolving musical landscape. By introducing these three new categories, we are able to acknowledge and appreciate a broader array of artists. We are excited to honor and celebrate the creators and recordings in these categories, while also exposing a wider range of music to fans worldwide."[5]