Krall Will Probably Not Be Denied, Even If She Loses for Best Album

The nomination of Diana Krall’s “When I Look in Your Eyes” for a best album Grammy is the most attention-getting jazz development of the year. And the big question, obviously, is whether the Krall album will make an even bigger leap and actually be selected best album. It’s clearly a longshot, but if Krall does win, it will say a lot for the revival of musicality as a measure of quality in pop music.

But it seems far more likely that Krall will nail the best vocal jazz performance award. Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson provide potent competition, but one suspects that voters who pass on Krall for best album will feel obliged to support her in the jazz category.

The best large ensemble entries are diverse, reflecting the category’s catchall nature. It would be great to see another longshot--Anthony Brown’s Asian American Orchestra’s “Far East Suite”--take home a trophy. But Tom Harrell’s “Time’s Mirror” is a more likely winner.

There’s also a lot to choose from in the best contemporary jazz album grouping, with entries from Russell Gunn, Bob James, David Sanborn, Victor Wooten and--in a peculiar interpretation of how the category has traditionally been defined--Tim Hagans. It’s hard to imagine a win by anyone other than the two well-established veterans, James and Sanborn.

It’s good to see three gifted Southland artists--Al McKibbon, Bobby Rodriguez and Poncho Sanchez--among the Latin jazz nominees. As in the contemporary listings, however, two major names--Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Jesus “Chucho” Valdes--loom large. Expect a win by one or the other.

The best jazz instrumental solo and best individual jazz instrumental performance categories are always difficult to evaluate. But the presence of two Concord label nominations, with Chick Corea in both categories, raises the possibility of vote splitting, allowing one of the other entries to slip through and grab the award. Wayne Shorter is a strong alternative in the former category, and the impressive field of Branford Marsalis, Brad Mehldau and Rubalcaba in the latter offers alternatives. Given his media acclaim, Mehldau could very well take the prize.