1976 in jazz

Events

April

• 9 – The 3rd Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway.

  May

• 19 – The 4th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway.

  June

• 4 – The 5th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany.
• 25
• * The 23rd Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.
• * The 10th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland.

  July

• 16 – The very first North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands.

  September

• 17 – The 19th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California.

  Album releases

• Keith Jarrett: Survivors Suite
• George Lewis: Solo Trombone Record
• Air: Air Raid
• David Murray:
• Derek Bailey: Company 1
• Jan Garbarek: Dis
• Irene Schweizer: Wilde Senoritas
• Toshiko Akiyoshi: Road Time
• Albert Mangelsdorff: Tromboneliness
• Leo Smith: Song of Humanity
• Tony Coe: Zeitgeist
• Ornette Coleman: Dancing in Your Head
• Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius
• Martial Solal: Movability
• George Finola: New Orleans After Hours
• Hamiet Bluiett: Endangered Species
• Art Lande: Rubisa Patrol
• Chick Corea: Romantic Warrior
• George Adams: Suite For Swingers
• Jean-Luc Ponty: Imaginary Voyage
• David Friesen: Star Dance
• Dexter Gordon: Biting the Apple
• Joachim Kuhn: Springfever
• Eberhard Weber: The Following Morning
• Lew Tabackin: Dual Nature
• Chico Freeman: Morning Prayer
• Weather Report: Black Market
• Charles Tyler: Saga Out of the Outlaws
• Al Di Meola: Land of The Midnight Sun
• Woody Shaw: Little Red's Fantasy
• Stanley Clarke: School Days
• Yosuke Yamashita: Banslikana
• Ran Blake: Wende
• Guenter Christmann: Solomusiken Fuer Posaune und Kontrabasse
• Egberto Gismondi: Dança Das Cabeças
• Michael Franks: The Art of Tea
• Hugh Masekela: Colonial Man
• Hugh Masekela: Melody Maker
• Ryo Fukui: Scenery

  Deaths

• 14 – Juan d'Arienzo, Argentine tango violinist, band leader, and composer.
• 24 – Gösta Theselius, Swedish arranger, composer, film scorer, pianist, and saxophonist.
• 28 – Ray Nance, American trumpeter, violinist and singer.

• 5 – Rudy Pompilli, American tenor saxophonist, Bill Haley and His Comets.
• 6 – Vince Guaraldi, American pianist.
• 12 – Skip Martin, American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and music arranger.

• 14 – Junior Collins, American French horn player.
• 18 – Jim McCartney, English trumpeter and pianist.
• 19 – Paul Kossoff, English guitarist, Free.
• 26 – Duster Bennett, British singer and guitarist, Fleetwood Mac.

• 14 – Keith Relf, English singer, The Yardbirds.
• 17 – Lars Gullin, Swedish saxophonist.
• 29 – Willie Maiden, American saxophonist and arranger.
• 30 – Rube Bloom, Jewish-American songwriter, pianist, arranger, band leader, singer, and author.

• 7 – Jimmy Garrison, American upright bassist.
• 12 – Ted Buckner, American saxophonist.

• 7 – Bobby Hackett, American trumpeter, cornetist, and guitarist.

• 10 – Mike Pratt, English actor, musician, songwriter, and screenwriter.
• 12 – Buddy Featherstonhaugh, English saxophonist.

• 8 – August Agbola O'Browne, Nigerian-Polish drummer.

• 3
• * Victoria Spivey, American singer and songwriter.
• * Herb Flemming, American trombonist and vocalist.
• 11 – Connee Boswell, American singer.

• 4 – Tommy Bolin, American guitarist, Deep Purple.
• 28 – Freddie King, American guitarist and singer.

  Births

• 10 – Freddy Wike, Norwegian drummer.
• 23 – Harmen Fraanje, Dutch pianist and composer.

• 11 – Gretchen Parlato, American singer.
• 20 – Ben Wendel, Canadian-American saxophonist, composer, bassoonist, and pianist, Kneebody.
• 22 – Julia Biel, British singer, songwriter, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist.
• 26 – Karl Strømme, Norwegian trumpeter.

• 1 – Andreas Mjøs, Norwegian vibraphonist, percussionist, guitarist, record producer, and composer, Jaga Jazzist.
• 10 – Ane Brun, singer and songwriter.
• 16 – Erlend Jentoft, Norwegian saxophonist and composer.
• 27 – Tia Fuller, American saxophonist, composer, and educator.

• 10 – Jan Werner Danielsen, Norwegian singer.
• 17 – Kjetil Steensnæs, Norwegian guitarist.
• 30 – Radek Nowicki, Polish saxophonist.

• 10 – Torbjörn Zetterberg, Swedish upright bassist and composer.
• 20 – Ferenc Nemeth, Hungarian drummer and composer.

• 3
• * Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen, Norwegian singer, songwriter, cabaret artist.
• * Roger Arntzen, Norwegian upright bassist, In The Country.
• 6 – Emilie-Claire Barlow, Canadian singer and voice actress.
• 10 – Kinan Azmeh, Syrian clarinetist.
• 17 – Kjetil Møster, Norwegian reedist and composer, The Core and Ultralyd.
• 21 – Jarle Bernhoft, Norwegian singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and lyricist.

• 7
• * Erja Lyytinen, Finnish guitarist and singer-songwriter.
• * Orlando le Fleming, English upright bassist, composer and former cricketer, OWL Trio.

• 6 – Jonas Westergaard, Danish upright bassist.

• 4 – Alex Pangman, Canadian singer.
• 15 – Femi Temowo, Nigerian-born British jazz guitarist, musical director, producer and broadcaster.

• 1 – Ivar Grydeland, Norwegian guitarist and composer.
• 7 – Pekka Kuusisto, Finnish violinist.
• 19 – Jostein Gulbrandsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer.
• 28 – Emma Salokoski, Finnish singer, composer, and writer.

• 8 – Eric Harland, American drummer.

• 6 – Ole Børud, Norwegian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
• 7 – Kresten Osgood, Danish drummer.
• 17 – Andreas Schaerer, Swiss vocalist and composer.
• 30 – Miguel Zenón, Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, band leader, music producer, and educator.

• Daniel Fredriksson, Swedish drummer.
• Jakob Høyer, Danish drummer.
• Tamar Halperin, Israeli harpsichordist, pianist, and musicologist.
• Yasuyuki "Yaz" Takagi, Japanese saxophonist.