It looked like it was going to be all Amy Winehouse — until the end.
Herbie Hancock picked up the album of the year award for "River: The Joni Letters."
But when it came time for the final announcement, album of the year, the award went to 67-year-old jazz legend Herbie Hancock for "River: The Joni Letters," his album of Joni Mitchell interpretations.
The decision appeared to shock many, though Hancock wasn’t caught off-stride.
In his acceptance, the pianist, who had earlier co-performed George Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue," paid tribute to a number of his predecessors, most notably mentor Miles Davis.
"I’d like to thank the Academy for courageously breaking the mold this time, in doing so, honoring the giants upon whose shoulders I stand, some of whom like Miles Davis, John Coltrane … unquestionably deserved the award in the past," Hancock said. "But this is a new day, that proves that the impossible can be made possible."
"River" is the first jazz album to win album of the year since Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s 1964 "Getz/Gilberto" pulled off the trick. The two works are the only jazz albums to have done so.
Other Winners of Interest
Album of the Year: "River: The Joni Letters," Herbie Hancock.
Record of the Year: "Rehab," Amy Winehouse.
Song of the Year: "Rehab," Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse).
New Artist: Amy Winehouse.
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson.
Pop Vocal Album: "Back to Black," Amy Winehouse.
Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Rehab," Amy Winehouse.
Male Pop Vocal Performance: "What Goes Around…Comes Around," Justin Timberlake.
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Makes Me Wonder," Maroon 5.
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.
Pop Instrumental Album: "The Mix-Up," Beastie Boys.
Pop Instrumental Performance: "One Week Last Summer," Joni Mitchell.
Alternative Music Album: "Icky Thump," The White Stripes.
Rock Album: "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace," Foo Fighters.
Rock Song: "Radio Nowhere," Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen).
Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Radio Nowhere," Bruce Springsteen.
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Icky Thump," The White Stripes.
Hard Rock Performance: "The Pretender," Foo Fighters.
Metal Performance: "Final Six," Slayer.
Rock Instrumental Performance: "Once Upon a Time in The West," Bruce Springsteen.
Electronic/Dance Album: "We Are the Night," The Chemical Brothers.
Bluegrass Album: "The Bluegrass Diaries," Jim Lauderdale.
Traditional Blues Album: "Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas," Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood Jr. & David "Honeyboy" Edwards.
Contemporary Blues Album: "The Road to Escondido," JJ Cale & Eric Clapton.
Contemporary Jazz Album: "River: The Joni Letters," Herbie Hancock.
Jazz Instrumental Solo: "Anagram," Michael Brecker, soloist.
Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: "Pilgrimage," Michael Brecker.
Traditional Folk Album: "Dirt Farmer," Levon Helm.
Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: "Washington Square Serenade," Steve Earle
Reggae: "Mind Control," Stephen Marley.
Classical Crossover Album: "A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane," Turtle Island Quartet.
Short Form Music Video: "God’s Gonna Cut You Down," Johnny Cash.
Recording Package: "Cassadaga," Zachary Nipper, art director (Bright Eyes).
