The Underrecognized Land on Top

This year’s jazz Grammy nominations are surprising in one significant sense: There’s no real headliner. Lacking last year’s high-visibility presence of Diana Krall, and the absence of such names as Wynton Marsalis and Sonny Rollins, the selections reflect the eclectic nature of today’s jazz as well as its scarcity of iconic figures.

The vocal category, for example, includes three fine female singers--Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nnenna Freelon and Dianne Reeves--as well as veteran Freddy Cole and quirky Kurt Elling. Despite their admirable skills, however, none has thus far made the breakout effort that could take them to the very top level of their field.

It’s good to see under-acknowledged pianist Kenny Barron in two categories--best instrumental solo and best instrumental group; Michael Brecker’s presence in both categories is more predictable. But the grab-bag nature of these groupings obliges the academy voters to make choices between apples and oranges. How do they decide between Barron and Pat Metheny, or between Brecker and the pairing of Martial Solal and Johnny Griffin--all worthy of praise, but with only minimally comparable artistic intentions?

The contemporary field, with choices to be made between Bela Fleck, Fourplay, Ronny Jordan, Liquid Soul and the pairing of Tim Hagans and Bob Belden, generally emphasizes the underplayed musical aspects of the category. The large ensemble grouping, with selections ranging from Sam Rivers’ edgy Rivbea All-Star Orchestra to the craftsman-like work of the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra, underscores the eclectic but unfocused nature of this year’s nominations.

And, perhaps forecasting things to come, the Latin jazz category may be the most promising of all, with Gary Burton’s tango tribute the only odd inclusion in a grouping that includes engaging efforts from Danilo Perez, Bobby Sanabria, David Sanchez and Chucho Valdes. Picking a winner here will be tough.