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26 year old jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding has been nominated in the 'Best New Artist' catagory, a remarkable inclusion in a section that has been largely dominated by commercial artists.  Other nominees in 'Best New Artist' include Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence and the Machine and Mumford and Sons.

Best Contemporary Jazz Album

The Stanley Clarke Band, by The Stanley Clarke Band (Heads Up International)
Never Can Say Goodbye, by Joey DeFrancesco (HighNote Records)
Now Is The Time, by Jeff Lorber Fusion (Heads Up International)
To The One, by John McLaughlin (Abstract Logix)
Backatown, by Trombone Shorty (Verve Forecast)

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee, by Dee Dee Bridgewater (Emarcy)
Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B, by Freddy Cole (HighNote Records)
When Lights Are Low, by Denise Donatelli (Savant Records)
Ages, by Lorraine Feather (Jazzed Media)
Water, by Gregory Porter (Motéma Music)

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

'Solar' by Alan Broadbent, from Live At Giannelli Square: Volume 1 (Chilly Bin Records)
'A Change Is Gonna Come' by Herbie Hancock, from The Imagine Project (Hancock Records)
'Body And Soul' by Keith Jarrett, from Jasmine (ECM)
'Lonely Woman' by Hank Jones, from Pleased To Meet You (Justin Time Records)
'Van Gogh' by Wynton Marsalis, from Portrait In Seven Shades (Jazz At Lincoln Center)

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

Positootly!, by John Beasley (Resonance Records)
The New Song And Dance, by Clayton Brothers (ArtistShare)
Historicity, by Vijay Iyer Trio (ACT Music + Vision)
Moody 4B, by James Moody (IPO Recordings)
Providencia, by Danilo Perez (Mack Avenue Records)

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Infernal Machines, by Darcy James Argue's Secret Society (New Amsterdam Records)
Autumn: In Moving Pictures Jazz-Chamber Music Vol. 2, by Billy Childs Ensemble (ArtistShare)
Pathways, by Dave Holland Octet (Dare2 Records)
54, by Metropole Orkest, John Scofield & Vince Mendoza (Emarcy/Universal)
Mingus Big Band Live At Jazz Standard, by Mingus Big Band (Jazz Workshop, Inc./Jazz Standard)

Best Latin Jazz Album

Tango Grill, by Pablo Aslan (Zoho)
Second Chance, by Hector Martignon (Zoho)
Psychedelic Blues, by Poncho Sanchez (Concord Picante)
Chucho's Steps, by Chucho Valdés And The Afro-Cuban Messengers (Four Quarters Entertainment)
¡Bien Bien!, by Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet (Patois Records)

Jazz musicians/projects in other Grammy catagories

Bobby McFerrin's Vocabularies, and Matt Haimovitz's Meeting of the Spirits, are both nominated in the 'Best Classical Crossover Album' category.

Writer Ashley Kahn was nominated for 'Best Liner Notes' for his work on the John Coltrane Side Steps project.

Vince Mendoza, Patrick Williams, Ted Nash, Frank Macchia, Herbie Hancock/Larry Klein and Geoffrey Keezer are among 'The Best Instrumental Arrangement' and 'Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)' nominations.

'Best Instrumental Composition' nominations include Patrick Williams, Gerald Clayton, Tim Hagans, Bill Cunliffe and Billy Childs.

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• Esperanza Spalding

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