Today we’re listening to the nominees for Best Improvised Jazz Solo. I’m only familiar with Jon Batiste and Chick Corea among these nominees.

Sackodougou, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, trumpet soloist. This is a little long, so if you’d like to cut to the solo, it starts at about 4:49:

Kick Those Feet, Kenny Barron, piano soloist. Barron lays down the theme in the first 30 seconds, then improvises for the next three minutes. He then supports bassist, then recaps the theme at the end:

Bigger Than Us, Jon Batiste, piano soloist. The improvisation starts around 0:40:

Absence, Terence Blanchard, trumpet soloist. He’s improvising almost all the way through:

Humpty Dumpty (Set 2), Chick Corea, piano soloist. Yep, he’s also improvising almost all the way through:

I like Sackodougou, but Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s solo gets kind of shrill. Bigger Than Us is lovely, but short; Batiste does a great job. Absence is nice, but a little dissonant at times. Kick Those Feet is an absolute delight–sweet, neat, it keeps me engaged the entire time. Amazing piano playing by Barron. But Humpty Dumpty (Set 2) is also all of that, and it’s 12 minutes long, and it was recorded live. I gotta vote for Chick Corea.

Now it’s your turn. Which of these nominees is your favorite? Tell us why in the comments below.

Have you seen the other parts of this series? Part I: Best Music Video, Part II: Song of the Year, Part III: Best Global Music Performance, Part IV: Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/ Song, Part V: Best Dance/ Electronic Performance, Part VI: Best Rock Song, Part VII: Best Country Song, and Part VIII: Best Traditional R&B Performance.