Contemporary Instrumental Music

68th Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Brightside. ARKAI

67th Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Plot Armor. Taylor Eigsti

66th Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

As We Speak. Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Rakesh Chaurasia

65th Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Empire Central. Snarky Puppy

64th Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Tree Falls. Taylor Eigsti

63rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Live At The Royal Albert Hall. Snarky Puppy

62nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Mettavolution. Rodrigo y Gabriela

61st Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Steve Gadd Band. Steve Gadd

60th Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Prototype. Jeff Lorber

59th Annual GRAMMY® Awards

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Culcha Vulcha. Snarky Puppy

About Contemporary Instrumental Music

Contemporary instrumental music covers several genres, but it contains a distinctly modern element that sets it apart from other instrumental styles.
The Contemporary Instrumental Music Field was first introduced at the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 2015; the Best Pop Instrumental Album category was renamed Best Contemporary Instrumental Album that same year.
Of the past six GRAMMY Awards shows, the band Snarky Puppy has won the GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album three times.

Year	Category	Winner	Work	Actions
2026	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	ARKAI	Brightside	All Nominees
2025	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Taylor Eigsti	Plot Armor	All Nominees
2024	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer, Rakesh Chaurasia	As We Speak	All Nominees
2023	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Snarky Puppy	Empire Central	All Nominees
2022	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Taylor Eigsti	Tree Falls	All Nominees
2021	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Snarky Puppy	Live At The Royal Albert Hall	All Nominees
2020	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Rodrigo y Gabriela	Mettavolution	All Nominees
2019	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Steve Gadd	Steve Gadd Band	All Nominees
2018	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Jeff Lorber	Prototype	All Nominees
2017	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Snarky Puppy	Culcha Vulcha	All Nominees
2016	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Snarky Puppy, Metropole Orkest	Sylva	All Nominees
2015	Best Contemporary Instrumental Album	Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer	Bass & Mandolin	All Nominees