# Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album

The Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz/Jazz Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally. The award has been given to artists since the 1st Latin Grammy Awards in 2000 for vocal or instrumental albums containing more than half of its playing time of newly recorded material in Spanish or Portuguese. Latin jazz is a mixture of musical genres, including Afro-Caribbean and Pan-American rhythms with the harmonic structure of jazz. Other jazz genres may also be considered for inclusion by the Jazz Committee.
The award was first presented as a tie between Michel Camilo and Tomatito for Spain and Paquito D'Rivera for Tropicana Nights. D'Rivera holds the record for most wins as performer in this category, with seven (including one awarded as the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet) out of eight nominations. Bebo Valdés won the award twice for albums which also earned the Grammy Award: Bebo de Cuba received the Best Traditional Tropical Latin Album accolade in 2005, while Juntos Para Siempre, by Bebo and Chucho Valdés won for Latin Jazz Album in 2010. Chucho Valdés has won the award five times while Bebo, Camilo, D'Rivera, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Arturo Sandoval have been awarded twice. In 2012, the award was given to Sandoval for the album Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You), which was also nominated for Album of the Year. Since its inception, the award has been presented to musicians or ensembles originating from Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, United States, and Spain.

## Recipients

| Year | Performing artist(s) | Work | Nominees |
| 2000 | Michel Camilo & Tomatito | Spain | Adrián Iaies Trio – Las Tardecitas de Minton's Chico O'Farrill – Heart of a Legend Lalo Schifrin – Latin Jazz Suite |
| 2000 | Paquito D'Rivera | Tropicana Nights | Adrián Iaies Trio – Las Tardecitas de Minton's Chico O'Farrill – Heart of a Legend Lalo Schifrin – Latin Jazz Suite |
| 2001 | Paquito D'Rivera Quintet | Live at the Blue Note | Chico O'Farrill – Carambola Danilo Pérez – Motherland David Sánchez – Melaza Chucho Valdés – Solo: Live in New York Various Artists; Julio Martí & Fernando Trueba (producers) – Calle 54 |
| 2002 | Gonzalo Rubalcaba | Supernova | Richie Beirach, Gregor Huebner & George Mraz – Round About Federico Monpou William Cepeda – Expandiendo Raíces/Branching Out Charlie Haden – Norturne Omar Sosa – Sentir |
| 2003 | Paquito D'Rivera | Brazilian Dreams | Alex Acuña & Justo Almario with Tolú – Bongó de Van Gogh Gato Barbieri – The Shadow of the Cat Eddie Palmieri – La Perfecta II Esperança Hermeto Pascoal e Grupo – Mundo Verde Chucho Valdés – Fantasía Cubana |
| 2004 | Chucho Valdés | New Conceptions | Jerry González y Los Piratas del Flamenco – Jerry González y Los Piratas del Flamenco Santos Neto Quinteto – Canto do Rio Jovino Diego Urcola – Soundances Bebo Valdés & Federico Britos – We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together |
| 2005 | Bebo Valdés | Bebo de Cuba | Paoli Mejias – Mi Tambor Bob Mintzer, Giovanni Hidalgo, Andy González, David Chesky & Randy Brecker – The Body Acoustic Negroni's Trio – Piano/Drums/Bass Poncho Sanchez – Poncho At Montreaux |
| 2006 | Gonzalo Rubalcaba | Solo | Ed Motta – Aystelum Eddie Palmieri – Listen Here! Jovino Santos-Neto – Roda Carioca Dave Valentin – World on a String |
| 2007 | Arturo Sandoval | Rumba Palace | Michel Camilo & Tomatito – Spain Again Michel Camilo – Spirit of the Moment Paquito D'Rivera Quintet? – Funk Tango Chucho Valdés – Keys of Latin Jazz |
| 2008 | Caribbean Jazz Project and Dave Samuels | Afro Bop Alliance | Pau Brasil – Nonada Hamilton de Holanda Quintero – Brasilianos 2 David Sánchez – Cultural Survival Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround – Charlie Sepulveda & The Turnaround |
| 2009 | Bebo Valdés & Chucho Valdés | Juntos Para Siempre | Brazilian Trio – Forests Bobby Sanabria conducting the Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra – Kenya Revisited Live!!! Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround – Sepulveda Boulevard Néstor Torres – Nouveau Latino |
| 2010 | João Donato Trio | Sambolero | Isaac Delgado – L-O-V-E Mark Levine & The Latin Tinge – Off and On: The Music of Moacir Santos Poncho Sanchez – Psychedelic Blues Chucho Valdés – Cuban Dreams Miguel Zenón – Esta Plena |
| 2011 | Paquito D'Rivera | Panamericana Suite | Paquito D'Rivera and Pepe Rivero – Clazz: Continental Latin Jazz. Live at Barcelona, Teatre Paral.lel 2011 Bobby Sanabria conducting The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra – Tito Puente Masterworks Live!!! Chucho Valdés – New York Is Now! / Viva El Sonido Cubano Dave Valentin – Pure Imagination |
| 2012 | Arturo Sandoval | Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) | Jerry Gonzalez & El Comando de la Clave – Jerry González and El Comando de la Clave Tania Maria – Tempo Poncho Sanchez & Terence Blanchard – Chano y Dizzy! Chuchito Valdes – Live in Chicago |
| 2013 | Michel Camilo | What's Up? | The Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band – ¡Ritmo! Negroni's Trio – On The Way Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band – Live in Hollywood Chucho Valdés & The Afro-Cuban Messengers – Border Free Chuchito Valdés – Grand Piano Live |
| 2014 | Chick Corea | The Vigil | Juan Garcia-Herreros "Snow Owl" – Normas Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra – The Offense of the Drum Luisito Quintero – 3rd Element |
| 2014 | Paquito D'Rivera and Trío Corrente | Song for Maura | Juan Garcia-Herreros "Snow Owl" – Normas Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra – The Offense of the Drum Luisito Quintero – 3rd Element |
| 2015 | Paquito D'Rivera | Jazz Meets The Classics | Eddie Fernández – Jazzeando Iván "Melón" Lewis – Ayer y Hoy José Negroni – Negroni Piano +9 José Valentino Ruiz and the Latin Jazz Ensemble featuring Giovanni Hidalgo – I Make You Want To Move |
| 2016 | Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra | Cuba: The Conversation Continues | Mario Adnet – Jobim Jazz (Ao Vivo) Antonio Adolfo – Tropical Infinito Raul Agraz – Between Brothers Carrera Quinta – Big Band |
| 2017 | Eliane Elias | Dance of Time | Antonio Adolfo – Hybrido / From Rio To Wayne Shorter Oskar Cartaya – Bajo Mundo Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround – Mr. EP - A Tribute to Eddie Palmieri Miguel Zenón – Típico |
| 2018 | Hermeto Pascoal & Big Band | Naturaleza Universal | Adrian Iaies Trio – La Casa de un Pianista de Jazz Dafnis Prieto Big Band – Back to the Sunset Néstor Torres – Jazz Flute Traditions Bobby Valentin & The Latin Jazzists – Mind of a Master |
| 2019 | Chucho Valdés | Jazz Batá 2 | Claudia Acuña – Turning Pages Branly, Ruiz & Haslip – Elemental Dos Orientales – Tercer Viaje André Marques – Rio - São Paulo |
| 2020 | Emilio Solla Tango Jazz Orchestra | Puertos: Music from International Waters | Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra – Tradiciones Chick Corea & the Spanish Heart Band – Antidote David Sánchez – Carib Miguel Zenón – Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera |
| 2021 | Iván "Melón" Lewis | Voyager | Antonio Adolfo – Bruma: Celebrating Milton Nascimiento Roxana Amed – Ontology Edmar Castañeda – Family Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo – El Arte del Bolero |
| 2022 | Eliane Elias, Chick Corea, Chucho Valdés | Mirror Mirror | Antonio Adolfo – Jobim Forever Martin Bejerano – #Cubanamerican Chano Domínguez, Rubem Dantas & Hamilton de Holanda – Chabem |
| 2023 | Chucho Valdés & Paquito D'Rivera (with Reunion Sextet) | I Missed You Too! | Roxana Amed – Unánime Hamilton de Holanda featuring Thiago Rabello & Salomão Soares – Flying Chicken Iván "Melon" Lewis & The Cuban Swing Express – Bembé William Maestre Big Band – Semblanzas |
| 2024 | Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo | Pra Você, Ilza | Hamilton de Holanda & Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Collab Sammy Figueroa featuring Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola – Searching for a Memory (Busco Tu Recuerdo) Ivan Lins – My Heart Speaks Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo – El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 2 |
Each year is linked to the article about the Latin Grammy Awards held that year. The name of the performer and the nominated album.