THE GRAMMYS - JAZZ

It's no surprise that this year's jazz Grammy winners don't arouse much enthusiasm from anyone who hoped for surprises.

By Don Heckman, Times Staff Writer

It's no surprise that this year's jazz Grammy winners don't arouse much enthusiasm from anyone who hoped for surprises.

After all, there were few unexpected entries in the nominations. That's not to fault the well-established talents of Herbie Hancock, Nancy Wilson, McCoy Tyner and Charlie Haden, all of whom deserved their wins. But it sure would have been nice for Grammy voters to acknowledge the array of young talent on the scene at a time when the jazz field is wide open to new ideas.

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Fortunately, voters didn't slip up completely. Maria Schneider may not be a young talent, but what the Minnesota native is doing with her orchestra, bringing big-band jazz into the 21st century, fully deserves the Grammy award for large ensemble album, her first after several previous nominations. Her win also underscores the significance of the Internet-only method in which her album, "Concert in the Garden," was marketed.

It's a shame she couldn't receive the best composition award as well, but Paquito D'Rivera is an eminently worthy winner in that category.

It's also a pleasure to see guitarist Bill Frisell win a much-deserved Grammy in the category of contemporary jazz, a grouping that's too often overburdened with instrumental pop nominations.

Contemporary Jazz Album
"Unspeakable," Bill Frisell

Jazz Vocal Album
"R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)," Nancy Wilson

Jazz Instrumental Solo
"Speak Like a Child," Herbie Hancock

Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
"Illuminations," McCoy Tyner with Gary Bartz, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride and Lewis Nash

Large Jazz Ensemble Album
"Concert in the Garden," Maria Schneider Orchestra

Latin Jazz Album
"Land of the Sun," Charlie Haden