And the Jazz Grammys go to….

Here are your Grammy winners in the main jazz categories, as announced Sunday, January 31st:

Best Contemporary Jazz Album: Joe Zawinul & the Zawinul Syndicate – 75

Best Jazz Vocal Album: Kurt Elling – Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman

Best Improvised Jazz Solo: Terence Blanchard “Dancin’ 4 Chicken” from CD Watts (Jeff “Tain” Watts)

Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Chick Corea/John McLaughlin Five Peace Band – Five Peace Band – Live

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (led by Irvin Mayfield) – Book One

Best Latin Jazz Album: Bebo Valdes/Chucho Valdes – Juntos Para Siempre

OTHER WINNERS:

Best Instrumental Arrangement: Bill Cunliffe – Resonance Big Band Plays Tribute to Oscar Peterson

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocals: Claus Ogerman – Diana Krall – Quiet Nights

Best Album Notes: Dan Morgenstern – The Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions (1935-1946)

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Michael Buble – Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden

A few surprises here? I sure expected Allen Toussaint to win Instrumental Album, and underestimated Kurt Elling’s latest as well. Let us know what you think!