Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (previously: Best Pop Instrumental Album) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards,^[1] to recording artists for quality instrumental albums in the pop music genre. 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]

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Awarded for	Quality instrumental albums in the pop music genre
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award	2001
Currently held by	Taylor Eigsti – Plot Armor (2025)
Website	Grammy.com

The award was first presented to Joe Jackson in 2001. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award is presented to albums containing "at least 51% playing time of newly recorded pop instrumental tracks".^[3] As of 2025, Larry Carlton, Taylor Eigsti, Béla Fleck, Booker T. Jones, Edgar Meyer and Snarky Puppy are the only musicians to receive the award more than once. (Snarky Puppy has had the most wins, with 4.) Gerald Albright has received the most nominations, with six.

The award goes to the artist, producer and engineer/mixer of more than 50% of playing time on the winning album. A producer or engineer/mixer who worked on less than 50% of playing time, as well as the mastering engineer, can apply for a Winners Certificate.^[4]

In 2015, the category was renamed Best Contemporary Instrumental Album and moved from the Pop category field to the Contemporary category field.^[5] The category description did not change.

Recipients

Joe Jackson was the first recipient of the award in 2001.

2002 award winner, Steve Lukather

2007 award winner, Peter Frampton

Béla Fleck of the 2009 award-winning group, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

Two-time winner Larry Carlton

2010 award winner, Booker T. Jones

Four-time winners Snarky Puppy

Year[I]	Performing artist(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
2001	Joe Jackson	Symphony No. 1	Blue Man Group – Audio Kenny G – Faith: A Holiday Album William Orbit – Pieces in a Modern Style Kirk Whalum – Hymns in the Garden	[6]
2002	Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather	No Substitutions: Live in Osaka	Acoustic Alchemy – AArt Dave Koz and Friends – A Smooth Jazz Christmas Neal Schon – Voice Kirk Whalum – Unconditional	[7]
2003	Norman Brown	Just Chillin'	Kenny G – Paradise Boney James – Ride John Tesh – The Power of Love Kirk Whalum – The Christmas Message	[8]
2004	Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban	Mambo Sinuendo	Jim Brickman – Peace Kenny G – Wishes: A Holiday Album Prince – N.E.W.S George Winston – Night Divides the Day – The Music of the Doors	[9]
2005	Various artists[II]	Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar	Boney James – Pure Dave Koz – Saxophonic Various artists – Forever, for Always, for Luther Mason Williams – EP 2003: Music for the Epicurean Harkener	[10]
2006	Burt Bacharach	At This Time	Eric Johnson – Bloom Earl Klugh – Naked Guitar Daniel Lanois – Belladonna Jeff Lorber – Flipside	[11]
2007	Peter Frampton	Fingerprints	Gerald Albright – New Beginnings Larry Carlton – Fire Wire Fourplay – X Spyro Gyra – Wrapped in a Dream	[12]
2008	Beastie Boys	The Mix-Up	Chris Botti – Italia Dave Koz – At the Movies Spyro Gyra – Good to Go-Go Kirk Whalum - Roundtrip	[13]
2009	Béla Fleck and the Flecktones	Jingle All the Way	Gerald Albright – Sax for Stax Larry Carlton – Greatest Hits Rerecorded, Volume One Earl Klugh – The Spice of Life Spyro Gyra – A Night Before Christmas	[14]
2010	Booker T. Jones	Potato Hole	Chris Botti – In Boston Hiroshima – Legacy The Rippingtons and Russ Freeman – Modern Art Spyro Gyra – Down the Wire	[15]
2011	Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto (B'z)	Take Your Pick	Gerald Albright – Pushing the Envelope Kenny G – Heart and Soul Robby Krieger – Singularity Kirk Whalum – Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway	[16]
2012	Booker T. Jones	The Road from Memphis	Jenny Oaks Baker – Wish Upon a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney Daniel Ho – E Kahe Malie Dave Koz – Hello Tomorrow Brian Setzer – Setzer Goes Instru-Mental!	[17]
2013	Chris Botti	Impressions	Gerald Albright and Norman Brown – 24/7 Larry Carlton – Four Hands and a Heart Volume One Dave Koz – Live at the Blue Note Tokyo Arun Shenoy – Rumbadoodle	[18]
2014	Herb Alpert	Steppin' Out	Boney James – The Beat Earl Klugh – HandPicked Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair and Richard Elliot – Summer Horns Jeff Lorber Fusion – Hacienda	[19]
2015	Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer	Bass & Mandolin	Mindi Abair – Wild Heart Gerald Albright – Slam Dunk Nathan East – Nathan East Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb and Everette Harp – Jazz Funk Soul	[20]
2016	Snarky Puppy and Metropole Orkest	Sylva	Bill Frisell – Guitar in the Space Age! Wouter Kellerman – Love Language Marcus Miller – Afrodeezia Kirk Whalum – The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter IV	[21]
2017	Snarky Puppy	Culcha Vulcha	Herb Alpert – Human Nature Bill Frisell – When You Wish Upon a Star Steve Gadd Band – Way Back Home: Live from Rochester, NY Chuck Loeb – Unspoken	[22]
2018	The Jeff Lorber Fusion	Prototype	Jerry Douglas Band – What If Alex Han – Spirit Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge – Mount Royal Antonio Sanchez – Bad Hombre	[23]
2019	Steve Gadd Band	Steve Gadd Band	Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – The Emancipation Procrastination Julian Lage – Modern Lore Marcus Miller – Laid Black Simon Phillips – Protocol 4	[24]
2020	Rodrigo y Gabriela	Mettavolution	Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Ancestral Recall Theo Croker – Star People Nation Mark Guiliana – Beat Music! Beat Music! Beat Music! Lettuce – Elevate
2021	Snarky Puppy	Live at the Royal Albert Hall	Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah – Axiom Jon Batiste – Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard Black Violin – Take The Stairs Grégoire Maret, Romain Collin & Bill Frisell – Americana	[25]
2022	Taylor Eigsti	Tree Falls	Randy Brecker & Eric Marienthal – Double Dealin' Rachel Eckroth – The Garden Steve Gadd Band – At Blue Note Tokyo Mark Lettieri – Deep: The Baritone Sessions Vol. 2	[26]
2023	Snarky Puppy	Empire Central	Jeff Coffin – Between Dreaming and Joy DOMi & JD Beck – Not Tight Grant Geissman – Blooz Brad Mehldau – Jacob's Ladder	[27]
2024	Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer ft. Rakesh Chaurasia	As We Speak	House of Waters – On Becoming Bob James – Jazz Hands Julian Lage – The Layers Ben Wendel – All One	[28]
2025	Taylor Eigsti	Plot Armor	Béla Fleck – Rhapsody In Blue Bill Frisell featuring Alexander Hanson, Brussels Philharmonic, & Thomas Morgan – Orchestras (Live) Mark Guiliana – MARK Julian Lage – Speak to Me	[29]

^{^[I]} Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
^{^[II]} An award was presented to James R. Jensen as the producer of the album.

See also

• Pop music portal

• Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance
• List of Grammy Award categories