Several years ago, I quit the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in frustration over the academy’s treatment of jazz. I returned my dues statement with the notation that I needed the $75 more than Celine Dione did. If anything, jazz has been shoved further down the ladder since then. The jazz categories in the awards list start at number 45, and they begin with what the academy members obviously think is the most important, “Best Contemporary Jazz Album,” often populated with oatmeal-music nominees, but — to give due credit — this year it had albums of greater substance than usual. 
The winner in that category was Herbie Hancock’s River:The Joni Letters, which also won the overall album-of-the-year award for all categories.
Clearly, the academy voters were paying tribute to Joni Mitchell at least as much as they were recognizing Hancock, but the outcome is good for both of them. It may even stir a bit of general interest in jazz, although I’m skeptical about that. As I pointed out in this month’s Picks, River contains some of Hancock’s and saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s best playing together, but that’s not why it won the big award. It won because the academy has a pop mentality and its members regarded River as a pop album. Good. No harm done, and maybe something will rub off on other jazz artists, but I’m not going to deprive myself of oxygen while I wait for that to happen.
The only other jazz Grammy winner Rifftides reviewed was Maria Schneider’s sublime Sky Blue. One track, “Cerulean Skies,” won the award for best instrumental composition. Go here for a lengthy appreciation of Sky Blue and Ms. Schneider.
Michael Brecker’s posthumously released Pilgrimage won as best jazz instrumental album. I did not review the CD, but following Brecker’s death in January of 2007, there were several Rifftides items about him, including this long, loving tribute by Randy Sandke.