2011 in jazz

Events

January

• 20 – The 6th Ice Music Festival started in Geilo, Norway.
• 26 – The first Bodø Jazz Open started in Bodø, Norway.

  February

• 3 – The 13th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

  March

• 4 – The 7th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia.

  April

• 15 – The 38th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway.
• 16
• * Mari Kvien Brunvoll was awarded Vossajazzprisen 2011.
• * Mathias Eick performed the commissioned work Voss at Vossajazz
• 27 – The 17th SoddJazz started in Inderøy, Norway.
• 30 – The International Jazz Day.

  May

• 25 – The 39th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway.

  June

• 10 – The 40th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany.
• 15 – The 23rd Jazz Fest Wien started in Vienna, Austria.
• 17 – The 28th Stockholm Jazz Festival started in Stockholm, Sweden.
• 25 – The 31st Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

  July

• 1
• * The 33rd Copenhagen Jazz Festival started in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• * The 45th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland.
• 6 – The 47th Kongsberg Jazzfestival started in Kongsberg, Norway.
• 8
• * The 36th North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands.
• * The 64th Nice Jazz Festival started in Nice, France.
• 9 – The 46th Pori Jazz Festival started in Pori, Finland.
• 18 – The 51st Moldejazz started in Molde, Norway.
• 21 – The 46th San Sebastian Jazz Festival started in San Sebastian, Spain.

  August

• 5 – The 55th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.
• 10 – The 25th Sildajazz started in Haugesund, Norway.
• 12
• * Marius Neset is awarded the Sildajazzprisen 2011.
• * The 27th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales.
• 15 – The 26th Oslo Jazzfestival started in Oslo, Norway.

  September

• 1 – The 7th Punktfestivalen started in Kristiansand, Norway.
• 16 – The 54th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California.

  October

November

• 11 – 20th London Jazz Festival started in London, England.

  December

• 18 – Eldbjørg Raknes was awarded the Norwegian jazz award Buddyprisen 2011.

  Album released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

• 1 – Charles Fambrough, American bassist, composer, and record producer.
• 27 – Charlie Callas, American drummer, comedian, and actor.
• 29 – Milton Babbitt, American composer, music theorist, and teacher.

• 3 – Tony Levin, English jazz drummer.
• 8 – Eugenio Toussaint, Mexican composer, arranger, and musician.
• 14 – George Shearing, British jazz pianist.
• 24 – Jens Winther, Danish jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.

• 4 – Tom Vaughn, American pianist.
• 11 – Billy Bang, American violinist and composer.
• 12 – Joe Morello, American drummer.
• 15 – Melvin Sparks, American guitarist.

• 26 – Phoebe Snow, American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

• 8 – Cornell Dupree, American guitarist.
• 10 – Norma Zimmer, American singer.
• 11 – Snooky Young, American trumpeter.
• 12 – Ted Nash, American saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist.
• 15 – Bob Flanigan, American tenor vocalist and founding member of The Four Freshmen.
• 28 – Alys Robi, French-Canadian singer.

• 2 – Ray Bryant, American pianist and composer.
• 3 – Jack Kevorkian, American flautist, composer, pathologist, and euthanasia proponent.
• 10 – György Szabados, Hungarian jazz pianist.
• 20 – Ottilie Patterson, Northern Irish singer.

• 2 – Paul Weeden, American-born Norwegian jazz guitarist
• 17 – Joe Lee Wilson, American singer.
• 23 – Amy Winehouse, English singer and songwriter.
• 24 – Harald Johnsen, Norwegian bassist .
• 26 – Frank Foster, American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer.

• 7 – Jiří Traxler, Czech-Canadian pianist, composer, lyricist, and arranger.

• 7 – Eddie Marshall, American drummer.
• 9 – Graham Collier, English bassist, bandleader, and composer.
• 12 – Dinah Kaye, Scottish singer.
• 19 – Johnny Răducanu, Romanian pianist.

• 1 – Butch Ballard, American drummer.
• 8 – Roger Williams, American pianist.
• 10 – Lucy Ann Polk, American singer.
• 19 – Lars Sjösten, Swedish pianist and composer.
• 28 – Beryl Davis, English singer.
• 29 – Walter Norris, American pianist and composer.

• 1
• * André Hodeir, French violinist, composer, arranger, and musicologist.
• * Christiane Legrand, French soprano, The Swingle Singers.
• 2 – Papa Bue, Danish trombonist and bandleader.
• 6 – Gordon Beck, English pianist and composer.
• 11 – Michael Garrick, English pianist and composerr.
• 19 – Russell Garcia, American composer and music arranger.
• 22 – Paul Motian, American drummer.
• 24 – Ross McManus, Irish-English trumpeter.

• 2 – Bill Tapia, American guitarist.
• 15 – Bob Brookmeyer, American valve trombonist, pianist, and composer.
• 17 – Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean singer.
• 18 – Ralph MacDonald, Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, and steelpan virtuoso.
• 26 – Sam Rivers, American saxophonist, bass clarinetist, flautist, harmonica player and pianist, and composer.