Best Jazz Instrumental Album

The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album recognizes excellence in albums by individuals or groups generally thought of as small jazz groups, typically one to eight musicians performing jazz music. Eligible albums include straight-ahead jazz and contemporary jazz.

23rd Annual Grammy Awards • 1981

Honoring recordings released between Aug 31, 1979 and Aug 30, 1980

Bill Evans won the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album with "We Will Meet Again"

Winners & Nominees 1981

Winner
Nominees

Previous Winners

Year Winner Work
2026 Sullivan Fortner, Peter Washington, Marcus Gilmore Southern Nights All Nominees
2025 Chick Corea, Béla Fleck Remembrance All Nominees
2024 Billy Childs The Winds Of Change All Nominees
2023 Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton, Matthew Stevens New Standards Vol. 1 All Nominees
2022 Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Gonzalo Rubalcaba Skyline All Nominees
2021 Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Brian Blade Trilogy 2 All Nominees
2020 Brad Mehldau Finding Gabriel All Nominees
2019 Wayne Shorter Emanon All Nominees
2018 Billy Childs Rebirth All Nominees
2017 John Scofield Country For Old Men All Nominees
2016 John Scofield Past Present All Nominees
2015 Chick Corea Trilogy All Nominees
2014 Terri Lyne Carrington Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue All Nominees
2013 Pat Metheny Unity Band All Nominees
2012 Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Lenny White Forever All Nominees
2011 James Moody Moody 4B All Nominees
2010 John McLaughlin Five Peace Band - Live All Nominees
2009 Chick Corea, Gary Burton The New Crystal Silence All Nominees
2008 Michael Brecker Pilgrimage All Nominees
2007 Chick Corea The Ultimate Adventure All Nominees
2006 Wayne Shorter Beyond The Sound Barrier All Nominees
2005 McCoy Tyner, Gary Bartz, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, Lewis Nash Illuminations All Nominees
2004 Wayne Shorter Alegría All Nominees
2003 Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove Directions In Music All Nominees
2002 Sonny Rollins This Is What I Do All Nominees
2001 Branford Marsalis Contemporary Jazz All Nominees
2000 Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, Dave Holland Like Minds All Nominees
1999 Herbie Hancock Gershwin's World All Nominees
1998 Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny Beyond The Missouri Sky All Nominees
1997 Michael Brecker Tales From The Hudson All Nominees
1996 McCoy Tyner Infinity All Nominees
1995 Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Wallace Roney, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams A Tribute To Miles All Nominees
1994 Joe Henderson So Near, So Far (Musings For Miles) All Nominees
1993 Branford Marsalis I Heard You Twice The First Time All Nominees
1992 Oscar Peterson Saturday Night At The Blue Note All Nominees
1991 Oscar Peterson The Legendary Oscar Peterson Trio Live At The Blue Note All Nominees
1990 Chick Corea Chick Corea Akoustic Band All Nominees
1989 David Murray, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Cecil McBee, Roy Haynes Blues For Coltrane - A Tribute To John Coltrane All Nominees
1988 Wynton Marsalis Marsalis Standard Time - Volume I All Nominees
1987 Wynton Marsalis J Mood All Nominees
1986 Wynton Marsalis Black Codes From The Underground All Nominees
1985 Art Blakey New York Scene All Nominees
1984 Phil Woods At The Vanguard All Nominees
1983 Phil Woods "More" Live All Nominees
1982 Gary Burton, Chick Corea Chick Corea & Gary Burton In Concert - Zurich, October 28, 1979 All Nominees
1981 Bill Evans We Will Meet Again All Nominees
1980 Chick Corea, Gary Burton Duet All Nominees
1979 Chick Corea Friends All Nominees
1978 Phil Woods The Phil Woods Six - Live From The Showboat All Nominees
1977 Chick Corea The Leprechaun All Nominees
1976 Chick Corea No Mystery All Nominees
1975 Joe Pass, Oscar Peterson, Niels Pedersen The Trio All Nominees
1974 Supersax Supersax Plays Bird All Nominees
1973 Freddie Hubbard First Light All Nominees
1972 Bill Evans The Bill Evans Album All Nominees
1971 Bill Evans Alone All Nominees
1970 Wes Montgomery Willow Weep For Me All Nominees
1969 Bill Evans Bill Evans At The Montreux Jazz Festival All Nominees
1968 Cannonball Adderley Mercy, Mercy, Mercy All Nominees
1967 Wes Montgomery Goin' Out Of My Head All Nominees
1966 Ramsey Lewis The "In" Crowd All Nominees
1965 Stan Getz Getz/Gilberto All Nominees
1964 Bill Evans Conversations With Myself All Nominees
1963 Stan Getz Desafinado All Nominees
1962 Andre Previn Andre Previn Plays Harold Arlen All Nominees
1961 Andre Previn West Side Story All Nominees
1960 Jonah Jones I Dig Chicks All Nominees
1959 Count Basie Basie All Nominees
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