Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Grammy Awards · 122 nominations across 26 ceremonies · 26 wins
68th Grammys · 2026
- Winner Brightside
- Nominee BeaTrio · Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, Antonio Sánchez
- Nominee Shayan · Charu Suri
- Nominee Just Us · Bob James, Dave Koz
- Nominee Ones & Twos · Gerald Clayton
67th Grammys · 2025
- Winner Plot Armor · Taylor Eigsti
- Nominee Mark · Mark Guiliana
- Nominee Orchestras (Live) · Bill Frisell, Brussels Philharmonic, Thomas Morgan
- Nominee Speak to Me · Julian Lage
- Nominee Rhapsody in Blue · Béla Fleck
66th Grammys · 2024
- Winner As We Speak · Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Rakesh Chaurasia
- Nominee All One · Ben Wendel
- Nominee Jazz Hands · Bob James
- Nominee The Layers · Julian Lage
- Nominee On Becoming · House of Waters
65th Grammys · 2023
- Winner Empire Central · Snarky Puppy
- Nominee Not Tight · Domi and JD Beck
- Nominee Between Dreaming and Joy · Jeff Coffin
- Nominee Jacob's Ladder · Brad Mehldau
- Nominee Blooz · Grant Geissman
64th Grammys · 2022
- Winner Tree Falls · Taylor Eigsti
- Nominee Double Dealin · Randy Brecker, Eric Marienthal
- Nominee The Garden · Rachel Eckroth
- Nominee Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Vol. 2 · Mark Lettieri
- Nominee At Blue Note Tokyo · Steve Gadd, Steve Gadd Band
63rd Grammys · 2021
- Winner Live at the Royal Albert Hall · Snarky Puppy
- Nominee Take the Stairs · Black Violin
- Nominee Axiom · Christian Scott
- Nominee Chronology of a Dream: Live at The Village Vanguard · Jon Batiste
- Nominee Americana · Grégoire Maret, Bill Frisell
62nd Grammys · 2020
- Winner Mettavolution · Rodrigo y Gabriela
- Nominee Star People Nation · Theo Croker
- Nominee Elevate · Lettuce
- Nominee Ancestral Recall · Christian Scott
- Nominee Beat Music! Beat Music! Beat Music! · Mark Guiliana
61st Grammys · 2019
- Winner Steve Gadd Band
- Nominee Modern Lore · Julian Lage
- Nominee Protocol IV · Simon Phillips
- Nominee The Emancipation Procrastination · Christian Scott
- Nominee Laid Black · Marcus Miller
60th Grammys · 2018
- Winner Prototype · Jeff Lorber
- Nominee What If · Jerry Douglas
- Nominee Spirit
- Nominee Bad Hombre · Antonio Sánchez
- Nominee Mount Royal · Julian Lage, Chris Eldridge
59th Grammys · 2017
- Winner Culcha Vulcha · Snarky Puppy
- Nominee Way Back Home: Live from Rochester, NY · Steve Gadd, Steve Gadd Band
- Nominee When You Wish Upon a Star · Bill Frisell
- Nominee Unspoken · Chuck Loeb
- Nominee Human Nature · Herb Alpert
58th Grammys · 2016
- Winner Sylva · Snarky Puppy, Metropole Orkest
- Nominee Love Language · Wouter Kellerman
- Nominee The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter IV · Kirk Whalum
- Nominee Guitar in the Space Age! · Bill Frisell
- Nominee Afrodeezia · Marcus Miller
57th Grammys · 2015
- Winner Bass & Mandolin · Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer
- Nominee Jazz Funk Soul · Jeff Lorber, Chuck Loeb, Everette Harp
- Nominee Nathan East
- Nominee Wild Heart · Mindi Abair
- Nominee Slam Dunk · Gerald Albright
56th Grammys · 2014
- Winner Steppin' Out · Herb Alpert
- Nominee Hacienda · Jeff Lorber
- Nominee HandPicked · Earl Klugh
- Nominee Summer Horns · Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot
- Nominee The Beat · Boney James
55th Grammys · 2013
- Winner Impressions · Chris Botti
- Nominee Rumbadoodle · Arun Shenoy
- Nominee Live at Blue Note Tokyo · Dave Koz
- Nominee 24/7 · Gerald Albright, Norman Brown
- Nominee Four Hands & a Heart Volume One · Larry Carlton
54th Grammys · 2012
- Winner The Road from Memphis · Booker T. Jones
- Nominee Setzer Goes Instru-Mental! · Brian Setzer
- Nominee E Kahe Malie · Daniel Ho
- Nominee Wish Upon a Star: A Tribute to the Music of Walt Disney · Jenny Oaks Baker
- Nominee Hello Tomorrow · Dave Koz
53rd Grammys · 2011
- Winner Take Your Pick · Larry Carlton, Tak Matsumoto
- Nominee Pushing the Envelope · Gerald Albright
- Nominee Everything Is Everything: The Music of Donny Hathaway · Kirk Whalum
- Nominee Heart and Soul · Kenny G
- Nominee Singularity · Robby Krieger
52nd Grammys · 2010
- Winner Potato Hole · Booker T. Jones
- Nominee In Boston · Chris Botti
- Nominee Legacy + · Hiroshima
- Nominee Modern Art · The Rippingtons, Russ Freeman
- Nominee Down the Wire · Spyro Gyra
51st Grammys · 2009
- Winner Jingle All the Way · Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, Béla Fleck, the Flecktones
- Nominee A Night Before Christmas · Spyro Gyra
- Nominee Greatest Hits Rerecorded Volume One · Larry Carlton
- Nominee Sax for Stax · Gerald Albright
- Nominee The Spice of Life · Earl Klugh
50th Grammys · 2008
- Winner Off the Grid · Beastie Boys
- Nominee Good to Go-Go · Spyro Gyra
- Nominee Roundtrip · Kirk Whalum
- Nominee Italia · Chris Botti
- Nominee At the Movies · Dave Koz
49th Grammys · 2007
- Winner Fingerprints · Peter Frampton
- Nominee Wrapped in a Dream · Spyro Gyra
- Nominee X · Fourplay
- Nominee New Beginnings · Gerald Albright
- Nominee Fire Wire · Larry Carlton
48th Grammys · 2006
- Winner At This Time · Burt Bacharach
- Nominee Belladonna · Daniel Lanois
- Nominee Bloom · Eric Johnson & Alien Love Child
- Nominee Flipside · Jeff Lorber
- Nominee Naked Guitar · Earl Klugh
47th Grammys · 2005
- Winner Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar
- Nominee Honey-Dipped · Dave Koz
- Nominee EP 2003: Music for the Epicurean Harkener · Mason Williams
- Nominee Pure · Boney James
- Nominee Forever, for Always, for Luther
46th Grammys · 2004
- Winner Mambo Sinuendo · Ry Cooder, Manuel Galbán
45th Grammys · 2003
- Winner Just Chillin' · Norman Brown
44th Grammys · 2002
- Winner No Substitutions: Live in Osaka · Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather
- Nominee Unconditional · Kirk Whalum
- Nominee Voice · Neal Schon
- Nominee AArt · Acoustic Alchemy
- Nominee A Smooth Jazz Christmas · Dave Koz
43rd Grammys · 2001
- Winner Symphony No. 1 · Joe Jackson
- Nominee Pieces in a Modern Style · William Orbit
- Nominee Faith: A Holiday Album · Kenny G
- Nominee Audio · Blue Man Group
- Nominee Hymns in the Garden · Kirk Whalum