Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album

The Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz 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 Latin jazz music genre. Honors 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".

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance, the award was first presented to Arturo Sandoval in 1995. The name of the category was changed to Best Latin Jazz Album in 2001, the same year producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the winning work became award recipients in addition to the recording artists. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented to "vocal or instrumental albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded material," with the intent to recognize the "blending" of jazz music with Argentinian, Brazilian, Iberian-American, and Latin tango music. Beginning in 1998, members of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (LARAS) are eligible to vote in the Latin categories, including Best Latin Jazz Album.

As of 2026, Chucho Valdés has the most wins in this category, with five. Arturo O’Farrill has won four, Paquito D'Rivera and Gonzalo Rubalcaba have won three, and two-time recipients include Sandoval, Charlie Haden, Eliane Elias, Eddie Palmieri and Chick Corea. Since its inception, the award has been presented to musicians or groups originating from Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the United States, and Venezuela.

The award was not presented in 2012 as part of a major overhaul of Grammy categories; Latin jazz recordings were shifted to either the Best Jazz Instrumental Album or Best Jazz Vocal Album categories. However, following protests and a lawsuit made by Latin jazz musicians Bobby Sanabria, Eugene Marlow, Ben Lapidus, and Mark Levine filed by attorney Roger Maldonado, the Recording Academy reinstated the category the following year, 2013, for the 55th Grammy Awards.

Recipients

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man in a suit and tie, sitting in a black chair. He is also wearing eyeglasses, a ring, and accessories on his wrist.|Five-time winner [[Chucho Valdés]]

thumb|right|upright|Four-time winner [[Arturo O'Farrill]]

right|upright|thumb|Three-time winner, [[Paquito D'Rivera]]

right|upright|thumb|Three-time winner, [[Gonzalo Rubalcaba]]

right|upright|thumb|alt=A man wearing glasses and a jacket, playing a trumpet behind a microphone.|Two-time award winner [[Arturo Sandoval]]

right|upright|thumb|Two-time winner, [[Eddie Palmieri]]

thumb|right|upright|alt=Black and white image of a man in a suit playing on a bass (a large string instrument).|Two-time award winner [[Charlie Haden]]

{| class="wikitable"

! width="7%" | Year

! width="25%" | Performing artist(s)

! width="25%" | Work

! width="35%" class=unsortable|Nominees

! width="5%" class=unsortable|Ref.

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1995

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1996

| Jobim

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1997

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1998

| Roy Hargrove's Crisol

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1999

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2000

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2001

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2002

| and Gonzalo Rubalcaba

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2003

| and the Caribbean Jazz Project

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2004

| Michel Camilo, Charles Flores, and Horacio Hernández

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2005

| and Gonzalo Rubalcaba

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2006

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2007

| The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2008

| Paquito D'Rivera Quintet?

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2009

| and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2010

| and Chucho Valdés

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2011

| Chucho Valdés and the Afro-Cuban Messengers

| Chucho's Steps

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2013

| Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band

| Ritmo!

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2014

| Paquito D'Rivera and Trio Corrente

|Song for Maura

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2015

| Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

|The Offense of the Drum

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2016

| Eliane Elias

|Made in Brazil

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2017

| Chucho Valdés

|Tribute to Irakere: Live in Marciac

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2018

| Pablo Ziegler Trio

|Jazz Tango

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2019

| Dafnis Prieto Big Band

|Back to the Sunset

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2020

| Chick Corea & the Spanish Heart Band

|Antidote

| style="text-align:center;"|

! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2021

| Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

| Four Questions

| style="text-align:center;"|

!2022

|Eliane Elias with Chick Corea & Chucho Valdés

|Mirror Mirror

| style="text-align:center;"|

!2023

|Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra ft. the Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective

|Fandango at the Wall in New York

| style="text-align:center;"|

!2024

|Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo

|El Arte del Bolero Vol. 2

| style="text-align:center;"|

!2025

|Luques Curtis, Zaccai Curtis, Willie Martinez, Camilo Molina & Reinaldo de Jesus

|Cubop Lives!

| style="text-align:center;"|

!2026

|Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro

|A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole

Paquito D'Rivera & Madrid-New York Connection Band – La Fleur de Cayenne
Pedrito Martinez, Daymé Arocena, Jon Faddis, Donald Harrison & Melvis Santa – The Original Influencers: Dizzy, Chano & Chico Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra – Mundoagua – Celebrating Carla Bley
Miguel Zenón Quartet – Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard

| style="text-align: center;" |

Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

References

;General

Note: User must select the "Jazz" category as the genre under the search feature.

;Specific

Recipients

See also

References