Best Traditional Blues Album:
Kingfish — Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
Tall, Dark & Handsome — Delbert McClinton & Self-made Men
Sitting On Top Of The Blues — Bobby Rush
Baby, Please Come Home — Jimmie Vaughan
Spectacular Class — Jontavious Willis
Best Contemporary Blues Album:
This Land — Gary Clark Jr.
Venom & Faith — Larkin Poe
Brighter Days — Robert Randolph & The Family Band
Somebody Save Me — Sugaray Rayford
Keep On — Southern Avenue
Star: Gary Clark Jr. received a nod for This Land in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category (he is seen on SNL in February)
Best Folk Album:
My Finest Work Yet — Andrew Bird
Rearrange My Heart — Che Apalache
Patty Griffin — Patty Griffin
Evening Machines — Gregory Alan Isakov
Front Porch — Joy Williams
Best Regional Roots Music Album:
Kalawai’anui — Amy Hānaiali’i
When It’s Cold – Cree Round Dance Songs — Northern Cree
Good Time — Ranky Tanky
Recorded Live At The 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — Rebirth Brass Band
Hawaiian Lullaby (Various Artists) — Imua Garza & Kimié Miner, Producers
REGGAE
Best Reggae Album:
Rapture — Koffee
As I Am — Julian Marley
The Final Battle: Sly & Robbie Vs. Roots Radics — Sly & Robbie & Roots Radics
Mass Manipulation — Steel Pulse
More Work To Be Done — Third World
WORLD MUSIC
Best World Music Album:
Gece — Altin Gün
What Heat — Bokanté & Metropole Orkest Conducted By Jules Buckley
African Giant — Burna Boy
Fanm D’ayiti — Nathalie Joachim With Spektral Quartet
Celia — Angelique Kidjo – WINNER
Hallelujah: Burna Boy (seen earlier this month in London) earned a nod for African Giant in the Best World Music Album category
CHILDREN’S
Best Children’s Music Album:
Ageless Songs For The Child Archetype — Jon Samson
Flying High! — Caspar Babypants
I Love Rainy Days — Daniel Tashian
The Love — Alphabet Rockers
Winterland — The Okee Dokee Brothers
SPOKEN WORD
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):
Beastie Boys Book (Various Artists) — Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Scott Sherratt & Dan Zitt, producers
Becoming — Michelle Obama
I.V. Catatonia: 20 Years As A Two-Time Cancer Survivor — Eric Alexandrakis
Mr. Know-It-All — John Waters
Sekou Andrews & The String Theory — Sekou Andrews & The String Theory
COMEDY
Best Comedy Album:
Quality Time — Jim Gaffigan
Relatable — Ellen Degeneres
Right Now — Aziz Ansari
Son Of Patricia — Trevor Noah
Sticks & Stones — Dave Chappelle – WINNER
Legend: Dave Chappelle (seen in Houston earlier this month) was recognized in the Best Comedy Album category for Sticks & Stones
MUSICAL THEATER
Best Musical Theater Album:
Ain’t Too Proud: The Life And Times Of The Temptations — Saint Aubyn, Derrick Baskin, James Harkness, Jawan M. Jackson, Jeremy Pope & Ephraim Sykes, principal soloists; Scott M. Riesett, producer (Original Broadway Cast)
Hadestown — Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada & Patrick Page, principal soloists; Mara Isaacs, David Lai, Anaïs Mitchell & Todd Sickafoose, producers (Anaïs Mitchell, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast) – WINNER
Moulin Rouge! The Musical — Danny Burstein, Tam Mutu, Sahr Ngaujah, Karen Olivo & Aaron Tveit, principal soloists; Justin Levine, Baz Luhrmann, Matt Stine & Alex Timbers, producers (Original Broadway Cast)
The Music Of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child – In Four Contemporary Suites — Imogen Heap, producer; Imogen Heap, composer (Imogen Heap)
Oklahoma! — Damon Daunno, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Ali Stroker, Mary Testa & Patrick Vaill, principal soloists; Daniel Kluger & Dean Sharenow, producers (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (2019 Broadway Cast)
MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:
The Lion King: The Songs — (Various Artists)
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood — (Various Artists)
Rocketman — Taron Egerton
Spider-man: Into The Spider-Verse — (Various Artists)
A Star Is Born — Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media:
Avengers: Endgame — Alan Silvestri, composer
Chernobyl — Hildur Guðnadóttir, composer
Game Of Thrones: Season 8 — Ramin Djawadi, composer
The Lion King — Hans Zimmer, composer
Mary Poppins Returns — Marc Shaiman, composer
Best Song Written For Visual Media:
“The Ballad Of The Lonesome Cowboy” — Randy Newman, songwriter (Chris Stapleton); Track from: “Toy Story 4”
“Girl In The Movies” — Dolly Parton & Linda Perry, songwriters (Dolly Parton); Track from: “Dumplin’”
“I’ll Never Love Again (Film Version)” — Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Aaron Raitiere, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper); Track from: A Star Is Born
“Spirit” — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Timothy McKenzie & Ilya Salmanzadeh, songwriters (Beyoncé); Track from: “The Lion King”
“Suspirium” — Thom Yorke, songwriter (Thom Yorke); Track from: “Suspiria”
Far from the Shallow: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper were nominated for I’ll Never Love Again from 2018 film A Star Is Born in the Best Song Written For Visual Media
COMPOSING/ARRANGING
Best Instrumental Composition:
“Begin Again” — Fred Hersch, composer (Fred Hersch & The WDR Big Band Conducted By Vince Mendoza)
“Crucible For Crisis” — Brian Lynch, composer (Brian Lynch Big Band)
“Love, A Beautiful Force” — Vince Mendoza, composer (Vince Mendoza, Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts & Temple University Studio Orchestra)
“Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Symphonic Suite” — John Williams, composer (John Williams)
“Walkin’ Funny” — Christian McBride, composer (Christian McBride)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella:
“Blue Skies” — Kris Bowers, arranger (Kris Bowers)
“Hedwig’s Theme” — John Williams, arranger (Anne-Sophie Mutter & John Williams)
“La Novena” — Emilio Solla, arranger (Emilio Solla Tango Jazz Orchestra)
“Love, A Beautiful Force” — Vince Mendoza, arranger (Vince Mendoza, Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts & Temple University Studio Orchestra)
“Moon River” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals:
“All Night Long” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier Featuring Jules Buckley, Take 6 & Metropole Orkest)
“Jolene” — Geoff Keezer, arranger (Sara Gazarek)
“Marry Me A Little” — Cyrille Aimée & Diego Figueiredo, arrangers (Cyrille Aimée)
“Over The Rainbow” — Vince Mendoza, arranger (Trisha Yearwood)
“12 Little Spells (Thoracic Spine)” — Esperanza Spalding, arranger (Esperanza Spalding)
PACKAGE
Best Recording Package:
Anónimas & Resilientes — Luisa María Arango, Carlos Dussan, Manuel García-Orozco & Juliana Jaramillo-Buenaventura, art directors (Voces Del Bullerengue)
Chris Cornell — Barry Ament, Jeff Ament, Jeff Fura & Joe Spix, art directors (Chris Cornell)
Hold That Tiger — Andrew Wong & Fongming Yang, art directors (The Muddy Basin Ramblers)
i,i — Aaron Anderson & Eric Timothy Carlson, art directors (Bon Iver)
Intellexual — Irwan Awalludin, art director (Intellexual)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package:
Anima — Stanley Donwood & Tchocky, art directors (Thom Yorke)
Gold In Brass Age — Amanda Chiu, Mark Farrow & David Gray, art directors (David Gray)
1963: New Directions — Josh Cheuse, art director (John Coltrane)
The Radio Recordings 1939–1945 — Marek Polewski, art director (Wilhelm Furtwängler & Berliner Philharmoniker)
Woodstock: Back To The Garden – The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive — Masaki Koike, art director (Various Artists)
NOTES
Best Album Notes:
The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions — Judy Cantor-Navas, album notes writer (Various Artists)
The Gospel According To Malaco — Robert Marovich, album notes writer (Various Artists)
Pedal Steel + Four Corners — Brendan Greaves, album notes writer (Terry Allen And The Panhandle Mystery Band)
Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection — Jeff Place, album notes writer (Pete Seeger)
Stax ’68: A Memphis Story — Steve Greenberg, album notes writer (Various Artists)
HISTORICAL
Best Historical Album:
The Girl From Chickasaw County – The Complete Capitol Masters — Andrew Batt & Kris Maher, compilation producers; Simon Gibson, mastering engineer (Bobbie Gentry)
The Great Comeback: Horowitz At Carnegie Hall — Robert Russ, compilation producer; Andreas K. Meyer & Jennifer Nulsen, mastering engineers (Vladimir Horowitz)
Kankyo Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990 — Spencer Doran, Yosuke Kitazawa, Douglas Macgowan & Matt Sullivan, compilation producers; John Baldwin, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection — Jeff Place & Robert Santelli, compilation producers; Pete Reiniger, mastering engineer (Pete Seeger)
Woodstock: Back To The Garden – The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive — Brian Kehew, Steve Woolard & Andy Zax, compilation producers; Dave Schultz, mastering engineer, Brian Kehew, restoration engineer (Various Artists)
PRODUCTION, NON-CLASSICAL
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical:
All These Things — Tchad Blake, Adam Greenspan & Rodney Shearer, engineers; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer (Thomas Dybdahl)
Ella Mai — Chris “Shaggy” Ascher, Jaycen Joshua & David Pizzimenti, engineers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer (Ella Mai)
Run Home Slow — Paul Butler & Sam Teskey, engineers; Joe Carra, mastering engineer (The Teskey Brothers)
Scenery — Tom Elmhirst, Ben Kane & Jeremy Most, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Emily King)
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — Rob Kinelski & Finneas O’Connell, engineers; John Greenham, mastering engineer (Billie Eilish)
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical:
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas – WINNER
Ricky Reed
Star maker: Jack Antonoff (seen earlier this month in New York) earned a nod for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Best Remixed Recording:
“I Rise (Tracy Young’s Pride Intro Radio Remix)” — Tracy Young, remixer (Madonna)
“Mother’s Daughter (Wuki Remix)” — Wuki, remixer (Miley Cyrus)
“The One (High Contrast Remix)”– Lincoln Barrett, remixer (Jorja Smith)
“Swim (Ford. Remix)” — Luc Bradford, remixer (Mild Minds)
“Work It (Soulwax Remix)” — David Gerard C Dewaele & Stephen Antoine C Dewaele, remixers (Marie Davidson)
PRODUCTION, IMMERSIVE AUDIO
Best Immersive Audio Album:
Chain Tripping — Luke Argilla, immersive audio engineer; Jurgen Scharpf, immersive audio mastering engineer; Jona Bechtolt, Claire L. Evans & Rob Kieswetter, immersive audio producers (Yacht)
Kverndokk: Symphonic Dances — Jim Anderson, immersive audio engineer; Robert C. Ludwig, immersive audio mastering engineer; Ulrike Schwarz, immersive audio producer (Ken-David Masur & Stavanger Symphony Orchestra)
Lux — Morten Lindberg, immersive audio engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive audio mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive audio producer (Anita Brevik, Trondheimsolistene & Nidarosdomens Jentekor)
The Orchestral Organ — Keith O. Johnson, immersive audio engineer; Keith O. Johnson, immersive audio mastering engineer; Marina A. Ledin & Victor Ledin, immersive audio producers (Jan Kraybill)
The Savior — Bob Clearmountain, immersive audio engineer; Bob Ludwig, immersive audio mastering engineer; Michael Marquart & Dave Way, immersive audio producers (A Bad Think)
PRODUCTION, CLASSICAL
Best Engineered Album, Classical:
Aequa – Anna Thorvaldsdóttir — Daniel Shores, engineer; Daniel Shores, mastering engineer (International Contemporary Ensemble)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 — Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
Rachmaninoff – Hermitage Piano Trio — Keith O. Johnson & Sean Royce Martin, engineers; Keith O. Johnson, mastering engineer (Hermitage Piano Trio)
Riley: Sun Rings — Leslie Ann Jones, engineer; Robert C. Ludwig, mastering engineer (Kronos Quartet)
Wolfe: Fire In My Mouth — Bob Hanlon & Lawrence Rock, engineers; Ian Good & Lawrence Rock, mastering engineers (Jaap Van Zweden, Francisco J. Núñez, Donald Nally, The Crossing, Young People’s Chorus Of NY City & New York Philharmonic)
Producer Of The Year, Classical:
Blanton Alspaugh
James Ginsburg
Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin
Morten Lindberg
Dirk Sobotka
CLASSICAL
Best Orchestral Performance:
“Bruckner: Symphony No. 9” — Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
“Copland: Billy The Kid; Grohg” — Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
“Norman: Sustain” — Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
“Transatlantic” — Louis Langrée, conductor (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
“Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 21” — Mirga Gražinytė-tyla, conductor (City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Kremerata Baltica)
Best Opera Recording:
“Benjamin: Lessons In Love & Violence” — George Benjamin, conductor; Stéphane Degout, Barbara Hannigan, Peter Hoare & Gyula Orendt; James Whitbourn, producer (Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House)
“Berg: Wozzeck” — Marc Albrecht, conductor; Christopher Maltman & Eva-Maria Westbroek; François Roussillon, producer (Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra; Chorus Of Dutch National Opera)
“Charpentier: Les Arts Florissants; Les Plaisirs De Versailles” — Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Jesse Blumberg, Teresa Wakim & Virginia Warnken; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble; Boston Early Music Festival Vocal Ensemble)
“Picker: Fantastic Mr. Fox” — Gil Rose, conductor; John Brancy, Andrew Craig Brown, Gabriel Preisser, Krista River & Edwin Vega; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Boston Children’s Chorus)
“Wagner: Lohengrin” — Christian Thielemann, conductor; Piotr Beczała, Anja Harteros, Tomasz Konieczny, Waltraud Meier & Georg Zeppenfeld; Eckhard Glauche, producer (Festspielorchester Bayreuth; Festspielchor Bayreuth)
Best Choral Performance:
“Boyle: Voyages” — Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
“Duruflé: Complete Choral Works” — Robert Simpson, conductor (Ken Cowan; Houston Chamber Choir)
“The Hope Of Loving” — Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Conspirare)
“Sander: The Divine Liturgy Of St. John Chrysostom” — Peter Jermihov, conductor (Evan Bravos, Vadim Gan, Kevin Keys, Glenn Miller & Daniel Shirley; PaTRAM Institute Singers)
“Smith, K.: The Arc In The Sky” — Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance:
“Cerrone: The Pieces That Fall To Earth” — Christopher Rountree & Wild Up
“Freedom & Faith” — Publiquartet
“Perpetulum” — Third Coast Percussion
“Rachmaninoff” – Hermitage Piano Trio — Hermitage Piano Trio
“Shaw: Orange” — Attacca Quartet
Best Classical Instrumental Solo:
“The Berlin Recital” — Yuja Wang
“Higdon: Harp Concerto” — Yolanda Kondonassis; Ward Stare, conductor (The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra)
“Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite” — Nicola Benedetti; Cristian Măcelaru, conductor (Philadelphia Orchestra)
“The Orchestral Organ” — Jan Kraybill
“Torke: Sky, Concerto For Violin” — Tessa Lark; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album:
The Edge Of Silence – Works For Voice By György Kurtág — Susan Narucki (Donald Berman, Curtis Macomber, Kathryn Schulmeister & Nicholas Tolle)
Himmelsmusik — Philippe Jaroussky & Céline Scheen; Christina Pluhar, conductor; L’arpeggiata, ensemble (Jesús Rodil & Dingle Yandell)
Schumann: Liederkreis Op. 24, Kerner-lieder Op. 35 — Matthias Goerne; Leif Ove Andsnes, accompanist
Songplay — Joyce Didonato; Chuck Israels, Jimmy Madison, Charlie Porter & Craig Terry, accompanists (Steve Barnett & Lautaro Greco)
A Te, O Cara — Stephen Costello; Constantine Orbelian, conductor (Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra)
Best Classical Compendium:
American Originals 1918 — John Morris Russell, conductor; Elaine Martone, producer
Leshnoff: Symphony No. 4 ‘heichalos’; Guitar Concerto; Starburst — Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer
Meltzer: Songs And Structures — Paul Appleby & Natalia Katyukova; Silas Brown & Harold Meltzer, producers
The Poetry Of Places — Nadia Shpachenko; Marina A. Ledin & Victor Ledin, producers
Saariaho: True Fire; Trans; Ciel D’hiver — Hannu Lintu, conductor; Laura Heikinheimo, producer
Best Contemporary Classical Composition:
Bermel: Migration Series For Jazz Ensemble & Orchestra — Derek Bermel, composer (Derek Bermel, Ted Nash, David Alan Miller, Juilliard Jazz Orchestra & Albany Symphony Orchestra)
Higdon: Harp Concerto — Jennifer Higdon, composer (Yolanda Kondonassis, Ward Stare & The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra) – WINNER
Marsalis: Violin Concerto In D Major — Wynton Marsalis, composer (Nicola Benedetti, Cristian Măcelaru & Philadelphia Orchestra)
Norman: Sustain — Andrew Norman, composer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Shaw: Orange — Caroline Shaw, composer (Attacca Quartet)
Wolfe: Fire In My Mouth — Julia Wolfe, composer (Jaap Van Zweden, Francisco J. Núñez, Donald Nally, The Crossing, Young People’s Chorus Of NY City & New York Philharmonic)
MUSIC VIDEO/FILM
Best Music Video:
“We’ve Got To Try” — The Chemical Brothers, Ellie Fry, video director; Ninian Doff, video producer
“This Land” — Gary Clark Jr., Savanah Leaf, video director; Alicia Martinez, video producer
“Cellophane” — FKA twigs, Andrew Thomas Huang, video director; Alex Chamberlain, video producer
“Old Town Road (Official Movie)” — Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus, Calmatic, video director; Candice Dragonas, Melissa Larsen & Saul Levitz, video producers
“Glad He’s Gone” — Tove Lo, Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors; Natan Schottenfels, video producer
Queen: Beyonce’s Netflix documentary Homecoming was recognized in the Best Music Film category
Best Music Film:
HOMECOMING — Beyoncé, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Ed Burke, video directors; Dora Melissa Vargas, video producer
Remember My Name — David Crosby, A.J. Eaton, video director; Cameron Crowe, Michele Farinola & Greg Mariotti, video producers
Birth Of The Cool — Miles Davis, Stanley Nelson, video director; Nicole London, video producer
Shangri-la — Various Artists,Morgan Neville, video director; Emma Baiada, video producer
Anima — Thom Yorke, Paul Thomas Anderson, video director; Paul Thomas Anderson, Erica Frauman & Sara Murphy, video producers