Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance
# Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance

The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance was an award given to a song or album for excellence in the jazz fusion genre, a combination of rock and jazz. It was given at the Grammy Awards, which began in 1958 under the name Gramophone Awards. 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".

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental, the award was first presented to the jazz band Weather Report at the 22nd Grammy Awards in 1980 for the album 8:30. In 1988, the category name changed to Best Jazz Fusion Performance and was moved to a newly created Fusion field. The category name was retired before the 33rd Grammy Awards (1992) with the addition of the award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance (currently known as Best Contemporary Jazz Album).

The Pat Metheny Group holds the record for the most wins in this category, with a total of five. David Sanborn is the only other musician to win the award more than once, with two. The composition "Birdland", written by Weather Report, earned two musicians the award: The Manhattan Transfer won in 1981 and Quincy Jones won in 1991 for the version that appears on the compilation album Back on the Block. The award went to artists or groups originating from the United States each year it was presented. Lyle Mays holds the record for the most nominations, with eight (including five with the Pat Metheny group, two as a solo artist, and one shared with Metheny, of which five came in consecutive nominations between 1981 and 1985). The group Spyro Gyra holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with six. In 1990, Terri Lyne Carrington became the first solo female artist to be nominated for the award. No female artists were nominated in 1991, the final year the award was presented, making Carrington the only female solo artist to be nominated throughout the category's lifetime.

## Recipients

| Year | Performing artist(s) | Work | Nominees | Ref. |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1980 | Weather Report | 8:30 | George Benson – Livin' Inside Your Love Chick Corea – Secret Agent Don Sebesky – Three Works for Jazz Soloists and Symphony Orchestra Stanley Turrentine – Betcha | |
| 1981 | The Manhattan Transfer | "Birdland" | Earl Klugh – Dreams Come True Chuck Mangione – Fun and Games Pat Metheny Group – American Garage Spyro Gyra – Catching the Sun Patrick Williams – An American Concerto | |
| 1982 | Grover Washington, Jr. | Winelight | Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays – As Falls Wichita, so Falls Wichita Falls Tom Scott – Apple Juice Weather Report – Night Passage | |
| 1983 | Pat Metheny Group | Offramp | David Sanborn – As We Speak Tom Scott – Desire Spyro Gyra – Incognito Weather Report – Weather Report | |
| 1984 | Pat Metheny Group | Travels | Miles Davis – Star People Spyro Gyra – City Kids Yellowjackets – Mirage a Trois Weather Report – Procession | [11] [12] [13] |
| 1985 | Pat Metheny Group | First Circle | Miles Davis – Decoy Earl Klugh – Wishful Thinking David Sanborn – Backstreet Spyro Gyra – Access All Areas | |
| 1986 | David Sanborn | Straight to the Heart | Miles Davis – You're Under Arrest Wayne Shorter – Atlantis Spyro Gyra – Alternating Currents Stanley Jordan Group – Magic Touch Weather Report – Sportin' Life | |
| 1987 | Bob James and David Sanborn | Double Vision | Chick Corea – The Chick Corea Elektric Band Clare Fischer and His Latin Jazz Sextet – Free Fall Lyle Mays – Lyle Mays Lee Ritenour – Earth Run | |
| 1988 | Pat Metheny Group | Still Life (Talking) | George Benson and Earl Klugh – Collaboration Larry Carlton – Discovery David Sanborn – A Change of Heart Yellowjackets – Four Corners | |
| 1989 | Yellowjackets | Politics | David Benoit – Every Step of the Way Lyle Mays – Street Dreams John Patitucci – John Patitucci Tom Scott – "Amaretto" from Streamlines | |
| 1990 | Pat Metheny Group | Letter from Home | Larry Carlton – On Solid Ground Terri Lyne Carrington – Real Life Story Miles Davis – Amandla John Patitucci – On the Corner Joe Sample – Spellbound | |
| 1991 | Quincy Jones | "Birdland" | Chick Corea Elektric Band – Inside Out Stan Getz – Apasionado Lee Ritenour – Stolen Moments Spyro Gyra – Fast Forward | |

Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

