From fresh faces to storied greats, the jazz musicians who earned Grammy nods for 2026 reflect a delicate balance of innovation and tradition.
On Nov. 7, the Recording Academy announced their 2026 Grammy nominations, including finalists for each of the six jazz categories.
This year’s nominees include rising talent like vocalist Samara Joy and vocalist and composer Michael Mayo, mid-career greats like pianists Robert Glasper and Sullivan Fortner, and veterans like jazz fusion band Yellowjackets, and the late pianist-composer Chick Corea.
Since releasing her debut record in 2023, 26-year-old Joy has brought home three Grammys for her music, and she’s poised to dominate again. Joy is nominated in both the best jazz performance and best vocal jazz album categories, for her dramatic performance of “Peace of Mind/Dreams Come True,” and her third studio record, Portrait, respectively.
While Joy is the youngest nominee, she is followed close behind by vocalist and composer Michael Mayo, 33, who has performed and toured with Josh Groban, Kneebody, Jacob Collier, Nate Smith, Christian Sands and Herbie Hancock. Mayo’s a best jazz performance nominee for his rendition of - and acrobatic vocal improvisation on - “Four,” the jazz standard first recorded by Miles Davis in 1954. He earned a nod for his second studio record, Fly, as well.
A variety of established jazz musicians also appear on the nomination list. Prominent jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and vocalist Christie Dashiell drew a nomination for their record, We Insist 2025, a riff off We Insist!, the 1960 record by Max Roach. Carrington and Dashiell’s version adapts Roach’s Civil Rights movement-inspired record to modern times.
Southern Nights, Grammy-winning pianist Sullivan Fortner’s creative record with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Marcus Gilmore, was nominated in the best jazz instrumental category. The record features a wide-ranging repertoire and was recorded live during the trio’s residency at the iconic New York City club, The Village Vanguard.
Meanwhile, Robert Glasper, a pioneer of blending hip-hop and jazz, received a nod in the best alternative jazz album category, which is devoted to music that "mixes jazz (improvisation, interaction, harmony, rhythm, arrangements, composition, and style) with other genres.”
Glasper’s 2025 record, Keys To The City Volume One, is a live album recorded during his residency at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City and features collaborations with Black Thought, Norah Jones, and Thundercat.
Ambrose Akinmusire, the notable avant-garde trumpeter, is also nominated in the category, for his boundary-pushing 2025 record honey from a winter stone. A hybrid of chamber music, hip-hop, jazz, and spoken word, Akinmusire called the emotive, layered record a “self-portrait.”
Seasoned jazz icons were also well-represented in the nominations list, whether as nominees themselves, or the subjects of notable projects.
Celebrated pianist, composer, and 28-time Grammy winner Chick Corea’s Trilogy 3 record, released posthumously, is nominated for best jazz instrumental record. The live album features Corea’s powerhouse trio with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade and was recorded in 2020, shortly before Corea passed away in 2021.
Similarly, Yellowjackets, the legendary West Coast jazz fusion band founded in 1977, is nominated in the best jazz instrumental record category for their 27th studio record, Fasten Up. Sun Ra’s Arkestra, which has been together since the mid-’50, earned a nomination in the best large jazz ensemble album category too.
The acclaimed avant-garde pianist, composer and bandleader Carla Bley, who died in 2023, is a key part of another nomination. Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s (ALJO) record, Mundoagua, is nominated in the best Latin jazz album category. Mundoagua features “Blue Palestine,” Bley’s final four-part work commissioned for O'Farrill and the ALJO before her passing.
The 2026 Grammys take place Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The awards will be broadcast on live from 5-8:30 p.m. PT on CBS. Viewers may also stream the awards show live and on demand through Paramount+.
Check out the full list of jazz nominees, below.
Best Jazz Performance
“Noble Rise”
Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Immanuel Wilkins & Mark Whitfield
“Windows - Live”
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade
“Peace Of Mind / Dreams Come True”
Samara Joy
“Four”
Michael Mayo
“All Stars Lead To You - Live”
Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold & Rachel Eckroth, Sam Weber
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Elemental
Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap
We Insist 2025
Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell
Portrait
Samara Joy
Fly
Michael Mayo
Live at Vic's Las Vegas
Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold & Rachel Eckroth, Sam Weber
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Trilogy 3 — Live
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade
Southern Nights
Sullivan Fortner Featuring Peter Washington & Marcus Gilmore
Belonging
Branford Marsalis Quartet
Spirit Fall
John Patitucci Featuring Chris Potter & Brian Blade
Fasten Up
Yellowjackets
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Orchestrator Emulator
The 8-Bit Big Band
Without Further Ado, Vol 1
Christian McBride Big Band
Lumen
Danilo Pérez & Bohuslän Big Band
Basie Rocks
Deborah Silver & The Count Basie Orchestra
Lights on a Satellite
Sun Ra Arkestra
Best Latin Jazz Album
La Fleur de Cayenne
Paquito D'Rivera & Madrid-New York Connection Band
The Original Influencers: Dizzy, Chano & Chico Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Featuring Pedrito Martinez, Daymé Arocena, Jon Faddis, Donald Harrison & Melvis Santa
Mundoagua - Celebrating Carla Bley
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro
Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard
Miguel Zenón Quartet
Best Alternative Jazz Album
honey from a winter stone
Ambrose Akinmusire
Keys To The City Volume One
Robert Glasper
Ride into the Sun
Brad Mehldau
LIVE-ACTION
Nate Smith
Blues Blood
Immanuel Wilkins
