Two jazz recordings with Detroit ties win Grammys

A pair of jazz category wins put Detroit in the spotlight Sunday night at the Grammy Awards.

Terri Lyne Carrington, artistic director of Detroit’s Carr Center, took home Best Jazz Instrumental Album for her “New Standards Vol. 1,” while saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Leo Genovese won Best Improvised Jazz Solo for “Endangered Species,” a track from Shorter’s “Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival.”

Drummer, composer and bandleader Carrington’s “New Standards” was assembled as a tribute to female musicians and songwriters in jazz. The album’s win was shared with pianist Kris Davis, bassist Linda May Han Oh, trumpeter Nicholas Payton and guitarist Matthew Stevens.

“I'm incredibly honored to have received a Grammy award for New Standards Volume 1,” Carrington told the Free Press by email. “The message of inclusion of women composers in the jazz canon is important. So glad that Detroit and the Carr Center has been an important part of the messaging, and the movement!”

The Carr Center’s executive director, Oliver Ragsdale, Jr., shared his congratulations for Carrington and referenced an art exhibition the center held last fall in conjunction with the album’s release.

“We are very happy for our artistic director, Terri Lyne Carrington, in winning her fourth Grammy," Ragsdale said. Carr Center is very proud to be a part of the ‘New Standards’ movement. Delighted that we produced the New Standards installation last fall and are committed to bringing more of the story to Detroit and the world.  Stay tuned!”

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Carrington also served as drummer on Shorter’s “Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival,” recorded in 2017. The album was also a nominee for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, losing to Carrington’s project. Shorter retired from playing in 2018, though the 89-year-old legend continues to write music.

“Congratulations to Wayne Shorter and Leo Genovese for winning the Grammy award last night in the category of Best Improvised Jazz Solo,” said Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation president Chris Collins. “Their magical, spontaneous set, ‘Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival’ in 2017 was a beautiful, unforgettable moment in jazz history that will forever be celebrated, admired and revered for its artistry, and as a testament to our ongoing commitment to presenting once-in-a-lifetime, world-class performances from our stages.”

Related:A special night at the Detroit Jazz Fest leads to an evening at the Grammys

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit jazz musicians take home two Grammys