[1] Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
[4] The Pat Metheny Group holds the record for the most wins in this category, with a total of five.
The composition "Birdland", written by Weather Report, earned two musicians the award: The Manhattan Transfer won in 1981 and Quincy Jones won in 1991 for the version that appears on the compilation album Back on the Block.
[5] The award went to artists or groups originating from the United States each year it was presented.
In 1990, Terri Lyne Carrington became the first solo female artist to be nominated for the award.