Grammy Award for Best New Age, Ambient Or Chant Album

Grammy Award for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album
Awarded forQuality albums in the new-age music genre
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
Formerly calledGrammy Award for Best New Age Album (1992–2022); others
First awarded1987
Currently held byWhite Sun, Mystic Mirror (2023)
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards.[1] 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".[2]

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best New Age Recording, the honor was first presented to Swiss musician Andreas Vollenweider at the 29th Grammy Awards in 1987 for his album Down to the Moon. Two compilation albums featuring Windham Hill Records artists were nominated that same year.[3] The record label was founded by William Ackerman,[4] later an award nominee and 2005 winner for the album Returning. From 1988 to 1991 the category was known as Best New Age Performance. from 1992 to 2023, the award was presented as Best New Age Album. Beginning in 2001, award recipients included the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists.[5] As of 2023, the category will be known as Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album.[6]

While "new-age" music can be difficult to define, journalist Steven Rea described the genre as "music that is acoustic, electronic, jazzy, folky and incorporates classical and pop elements, Eastern and Latin influences, exotic instrumentation and environmental sound effects."[7] According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented for instrumental or vocal new-age albums "containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded material", with seasonal recordings not being eligible.[8] The addition of the award category reflected a "coming of age" of the music genre, though some musicians classified as new age dislike the term "new age" and some of its negative connotations.[7]

Multiple wins

As of 2015, Paul Winter holds the record for the most wins in this category, having won six times (four times as the leader of the group Paul Winter Consort). Winter is the only musician to win the award consecutively; he received an award in 1994 for Spanish Angel as a member of his ensemble and another in 1995 for Prayer for the Wild Things as a solo artist. Irish musician Enya has received four awards. Kitarō holds the record for the most nominations, with sixteen (with only one win, in 2001). All five volumes of Kitarō's Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai series were nominated for Best New Age Album.

Pianist Peter Kater held the record for most nominations without a win, with 12, until he finally won his first Grammy (for Dancing on Water) in 2018. He also holds the record from the most consecutive nominations, with 11, having been nominated every year between 2007 and 2018.

Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai is the only artist to be nominated for more than one work within the same year—for the 42nd Grammy Awards he was nominated alongside Paul Horn for Inside Monument Valley and for his own album Inner Voices.

Recipients

A man wearing black clothing and a red scarf, walking along a gravel path and carrying a harp over his shoulder
1987 award winner Andreas Vollenweider
A man with his eyes closed, wearing a black cap and plaid shirt and playing a saxophone
1988 award recipient Yusef Lateef in 2007
A line of people performing various instruments outdoors; monochromatic flags of various colors are seen in the background
Members of the four-time award-winning band Paul Winter Consort performing in 2005
A man wearing a patterned dress shirt, performing a wind instrument while standing behind a microphone
Paul Winter of the Paul Winter Consort, a two-time award winner as a solo artist, performing at the Clearwater Festival in 2007
Five people (four men, one woman in the middle) standing next to one another on a red carpet; in the background is a repeated pattern of orange blocks with the text "meteor IRELAND MUSIC AWARDS"
Members of the 1999 award-winning band Clannad at the 2007 Meteor Awards
A man in black clothing behind a set of keyboard instruments
2001 award winner and frequent nominee Kitarō
A man with his eyes closed playing a guitar.
2004 award recipient Pat Metheny performing in 2008
A man in a striped dress shirt, sitting behind and performing on a drum set
2009 award recipient Jack DeJohnette performing in 2006
Year[I] Performing artist(s) Work Nominees Ref.
1987 Andreas Vollenweider Down to the Moon
[3]
[7]
1988 Yusef Lateef Yusef Lateef's Little Symphony
[9]
1989 Shadowfax Folksongs for a Nuclear Village [10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
1990 Peter Gabriel Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ [14]
1991 Mark Isham Mark Isham [15]
1992 Chip Davis Fresh Aire 7 [16]
1993 Enya Shepherd Moons [17]
1994 Paul Winter Consort Spanish Angel
1995 Paul Winter Prayer for the Wild Things [18]
1996 George Winston Forest [19]
1997 Enya The Memory of Trees
[20]
1998 Michael Hedges Oracle [21]
1999 Clannad Landmarks
[22]
2000 Paul Winter Celtic Solstice
[23]
2001 Kitarō Thinking of You
[24]
[25]
2002 Enya A Day Without Rain
[26]
2003 Tingstad and Rumbel Acoustic Garden
[27]
2004 Pat Metheny One Quiet Night [28]
2005 William Ackerman Returning [29]
[30]
2006 Paul Winter Consort Silver Solstice
[31]
2007 Enya Amarantine
[32]
2008 Paul Winter Consort Crestone
[33]
2009 Jack DeJohnette Peace Time
[34]
2010 David Darling Prayer for Compassion
[35]
2011 Paul Winter Consort Miho: Journey to the Mountain
[36]
2012 Pat Metheny What's It All About
2013 Omar Akram Echoes of Love
[37]
2014 Laura Sullivan Love's River
[38]
2015 Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman Winds of Samsara
[39]
2016 Paul Avgerinos Grace
2017 White Sun White Sun II [40]
2018 Peter Kater Dancing on Water
[41]
2019 Opium Moon Opium Moon
[42]
2020 Peter Kater Wings [43]
2021 Jim "Kimo" West More Guitar Stories
[44]
2022 Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej Divine Tides
[45]
2023 White Sun Mystic Mirror
[46]
2024 Winner TBA on 4 February 2024
  • Kirsten Agresta-Copely - Aquamarine
  • Omar Akram - Moments of Beauty
  • Ólafur Arnalds - Some Kind of Peace (Piano Reworks)
  • David Darling & Hans Christian - Ocean Dreaming Ocean
  • Carla Patullo ft. Tonality & The Scorchio Quartet - So She Howls

^[I] Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

See also

References

General
Specific
  1. ^ "Grammy Awards at a Glance". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2010.
  2. ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Veterans top Grammy nominations". The Herald. The McClatchy Company. January 8, 1987. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  4. ^ Conner, Thomas (August 28, 2010). "Windham Hill founder Will Ackerman in Chicago for benefit". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  5. ^ "Past Winners Search". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2010. Note: User must select the "New Age" category as the genre under the search feature.
  6. ^ Aswad, Jem (June 9, 2022). "Grammys Add New Awards: Songwriter of the Year, Song for Social Change, More".
  7. ^ a b c Rea, Steven (February 22, 1987). "New-age Music: Hard To Define, But It Sells It Even Has A Grammy Category Of Its Own". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Media Network. pp. 1–3. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  8. ^ "52nd OEP Category Description Guide" (PDF). National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  9. ^ Christensen, Thor (January 17, 1988). "Grammy nominee list a bit weightier". The Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Journal Communications. p. 4E. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  10. ^ "For Your Consideration". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 5. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 29, 2000. p. 26. Retrieved March 11, 2011. Note: Advertisement.
  11. ^ "Mark Isham: Biography". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Archived from the original on 2011-04-20. Retrieved March 11, 2011. He was nominated for Grammys for Best New Age Performance for his albums Castalia (1988) and Tibet (1989), and finally won for 1990's Mark Isham.
  12. ^ Khan, Steve (1997). Contemporary Chord Khancepts. Alfred Music Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 9781576235645. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  13. ^ "Nominations for 31st Grammy Awards". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  14. ^ "Here's list of nominees from all 77 categories". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Publishing Company. January 12, 1990. p. W7. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  15. ^ "List of Grammy Awards nominations". Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina: The New York Times Company. January 11, 1991. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  16. ^ "Grammy Nominations Span Streisand, Seal, Seattle Symphony". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. January 8, 1992. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  17. ^ "Grammy nominations". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland: Tribune Company. February 21, 1993. p. 3. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  18. ^ "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1995. p. 5. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  19. ^ "The 38th Annual Grammy Nominations: The Complete List of Nominees". Los Angeles Times. January 5, 1996. p. 5. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  20. ^ Errico, Marcus (January 7, 1997). "Babyface, Celine Dion Dominate Grammy Nominations". E!. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  21. ^ "40th Annual Grammy Awards: Final Nominations". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 3. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 17, 1998. p. 79. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  22. ^ Marine, Craig (January 6, 1999). "Grammys go ga-ga for Lauryn Hill". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 14, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  23. ^ "A Complete List of the Nominees". Los Angeles Times. January 5, 2000. p. 5. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  24. ^ Boucher, Geoff (January 4, 2001). "Grammys Cast a Wider Net Than Usual". Los Angeles Times. p. 7. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  25. ^ "In a Distance Place". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved March 11, 2011. Note: Source used to verify full names of musicians.
  26. ^ "Final Nominations for the 44th Annual Grammy Awards". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 3. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. January 19, 2002. p. 90. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  27. ^ "The complete list of nominees". Los Angeles Times. January 8, 2003. p. 5. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  28. ^ "46th Grammy Awards – 2004". Rock on the Net. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  29. ^ "47th Annual Grammy Awards". VH1. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  30. ^ "Will Ackerman: Biography". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Archived from the original on April 13, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  31. ^ "The Complete List of Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. December 8, 2005. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  32. ^ "Nominations for 49th Annual Grammy Awards". E!. December 7, 2006. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  33. ^ du Lac, J. Freedom (December 6, 2007). "Grammys: And The Nominees Are..." The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  34. ^ Conner, Thomas (December 3, 2008). "Complete list of Grammy nominees". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  35. ^ Venutolo, Anthony (January 31, 2010). "Grammy awards: Complete list of nominees". The Star-Ledger. New Jersey On-Line. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  36. ^ "Complete List of Nominees for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards". E!. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  37. ^ "List of 2013 nominees". Archived from the original on February 1, 2012.
  38. ^ "2014 Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  39. ^ "List of Nominees 2015" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-02-11. Retrieved 2014-12-07.
  40. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (6 December 2016). "Here Is the Complete List of Nominees for the 2017 Grammys". Billboard. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  41. ^ Lynch, Joe (6 December 2016). "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  42. ^ "Grammy.com, 7 December 2018". Archived from the original on 7 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  43. ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: The Complete Winners & Nominees List". GRAMMY.com. February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  44. ^ "2020 GRAMMY WINNERS &NOMINEES". grammy.com. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  45. ^ "2022 GRAMMYs Awards: Complete Nominations List". GRAMMY.com. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  46. ^ "2023 GRAMMY Awards: The Complete Winners & Nominees List". GRAMMY.com. February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.

External links