# Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (previously: Best Pop Instrumental 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 instrumental albums in the pop 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".
The award was first presented to Joe Jackson in 2001. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented to albums containing "at least 51% playing time of newly recorded pop instrumental tracks". As of 2025, Larry Carlton, Taylor Eigsti, Béla Fleck, Booker T. Jones, Edgar Meyer and Snarky Puppy are the only musicians to receive the award more than once. (Snarky Puppy has had the most wins, with 4.) Gerald Albright has received the most nominations, with six.
The award goes to the artist, producer and engineer/mixer of more than 50% of playing time on the winning album. A producer or engineer/mixer who worked on less than 50% of playing time, as well as the mastering engineer, can apply for a Winners Certificate.
In 2015, the category was renamed Best Contemporary Instrumental Album and moved from the Pop category field to the Contemporary category field. The category description did not change.

## Recipients

| Year | Performing artist(s) | Work | Nominees |
| 2001 | Joe Jackson | Symphony No. 1 | Blue Man Group – Audio Kenny G – Faith: A Holiday Album William Orbit – Pieces in a Modern Style Kirk Whalum – Hymns in the Garden |
| 2002 | Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather | No Substitutions: Live in Osaka | Acoustic Alchemy – AArt Dave Koz and Friends – A Smooth Jazz Christmas Neal Schon – Voice Kirk Whalum – Unconditional |
| 2003 | Norman Brown | Just Chillin' | Kenny G – Paradise Boney James – Ride John Tesh – The Power of Love Kirk Whalum – The Christmas Message |
| 2004 | Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban | Mambo Sinuendo | Jim Brickman – Peace Kenny G – Wishes: A Holiday Album Prince – N.E.W.S George Winston – Night Divides the Day – The Music of the Doors |
| 2005 | Various artists | Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar | Boney James – Pure Dave Koz – Saxophonic Various artists – Forever, for Always, for Luther Mason Williams – EP 2003: Music for the Epicurean Harkener |
| 2006 | Burt Bacharach | At This Time | Eric Johnson – Bloom Earl Klugh – Naked Guitar Daniel Lanois – Belladonna Jeff Lorber – Flipside |
| 2007 | Peter Frampton | Fingerprints | Gerald Albright – New Beginnings Larry Carlton – Fire Wire Fourplay – X Spyro Gyra – Wrapped in a Dream |
| 2008 | Beastie Boys | The Mix-Up | Chris Botti – Italia Dave Koz – At the Movies Spyro Gyra – Good to Go-Go Kirk Whalum - Roundtrip |
| 2009 | Béla Fleck and the Flecktones | Jingle All the Way | Gerald Albright – Sax for Stax Larry Carlton – Greatest Hits Rerecorded, Volume One Earl Klugh – The Spice of Life Spyro Gyra – A Night Before Christmas |
| 2010 | Booker T. Jones | Potato Hole | Chris Botti – In Boston Hiroshima – Legacy The Rippingtons and Russ Freeman – Modern Art Spyro Gyra – Down the Wire |
| 2011 | Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto (B'z) | Take Your Pick | Gerald Albright – Pushing the Envelope Kenny G – Heart and Soul Robby Krieger – Singularity Kirk Whalum – Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway |
| 2012 | Booker T. Jones | The Road from Memphis | Jenny Oaks Baker – Wish Upon a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney Daniel Ho – E Kahe Malie Dave Koz – Hello Tomorrow Brian Setzer – Setzer Goes Instru-Mental! |
| 2013 | Chris Botti | Impressions | Gerald Albright and Norman Brown – 24/7 Larry Carlton – Four Hands and a Heart Volume One Dave Koz – Live at the Blue Note Tokyo Arun Shenoy – Rumbadoodle |
| 2014 | Herb Alpert | Steppin' Out | Boney James – The Beat Earl Klugh – HandPicked Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair and Richard Elliot – Summer Horns Jeff Lorber Fusion – Hacienda |
| 2015 | Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer | Bass & Mandolin | Mindi Abair – Wild Heart Gerald Albright – Slam Dunk Nathan East – Nathan East Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb and Everette Harp – Jazz Funk Soul |
| 2016 | Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest | Sylva | Bill Frisell – Guitar in the Space Age! Wouter Kellerman – Love Language Marcus Miller – Afrodeezia Kirk Whalum – The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter IV |
| 2017 | Snarky Puppy | Culcha Vulcha | Herb Alpert – Human Nature Bill Frisell – When You Wish Upon a Star Steve Gadd Band – Way Back Home: Live from Rochester, NY Chuck Loeb – Unspoken |
| 2018 | The Jeff Lorber Fusion | Prototype | Jerry Douglas Band – What If Alex Han – Spirit Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge – Mount Royal Antonio Sanchez – Bad Hombre |
| 2019 | Steve Gadd Band | Steve Gadd Band | Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – The Emancipation Procrastination Julian Lage – Modern Lore Marcus Miller – Laid Black Simon Phillips – Protocol 4 |
| 2020 | Rodrigo y Gabriela | Mettavolution | Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Ancestral Recall Theo Croker – Star People Nation Mark Guiliana – Beat Music! Beat Music! Beat Music! Lettuce – Elevate |
| 2021 | Snarky Puppy | Live at the Royal Albert Hall | Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Axiom Jon Batiste – Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard Black Violin – Take The Stairs Grégoire Maret, Romain Collin & Bill Frisell – Americana |
| 2022 | Taylor Eigsti | Tree Falls | Randy Brecker & Eric Marienthal – Double Dealin' Rachel Eckroth – The Garden Steve Gadd Band – At Blue Note Tokyo Mark Lettieri – Deep: The Baritone Sessions Vol. 2 |
| 2023 | Snarky Puppy | Empire Central | Jeff Coffin – Between Dreaming and Joy DOMi & JD Beck – Not Tight Grant Geissman – Blooz Brad Mehldau – Jacob's Ladder |
| 2024 | Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer ft. Rakesh Chaurasia | As We Speak | House of Waters – On Becoming Bob James – Jazz Hands Julian Lage – The Layers Ben Wendel – All One |
| 2025 | Taylor Eigsti | Plot Armor | Béla Fleck – Rhapsody In Blue Bill Frisell featuring Alexander Hanson, Brussels Philharmonic, & Thomas Morgan – Orchestras (Live) Mark Guiliana – MARK Julian Lage – Speak to Me |
Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year. An award was presented to James R. Jensen as the producer of the album.