2018 in jazz

Events

January

• 11
• * The 17th All Ears festival started in Oslo.
• * The 4th annual Tucson Jazz Festival started in Tucson, Arizona.
• 19 – The 37th annual Djangofestival started on Cosmopolite in Oslo, Norway.
• 28 – The Gustav Lundgren Trio performed a tribute to Django Reinhardt at Stockholm Concert Hall.
• 31
• * The 7th Bodø Jazz Open started in Bodø, Norway.
• * The 13th Ice Music Festival started in Geilo, Norway.

  February

• 1 – The 20th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.
• 23 – Kirsti Huke received the 2017 Radka Toneff Memorial Award.
• 25 – The band Hegge was awarded the 2017 jazz Spellemannprisen.

  March

• 2 – The 14th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• 8 – The Turku Jazz Festival started in Åbo.
• 16 – The Blue House Youth Jazz Festival started in Stockholm.
• 23
• * The 19th Cape Town International Jazz Festival started in Cape Town, South Africa.
• * The 45th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway. The opening was by Norwegian jazz poet Jan Erik Vold, warning about political misdirections of our time, followed by the opening concert signed Arild Andersen.

  April

• 23 – The 7th Torino Jazz Festival started in Turin.
• 25 – The 32nd April Jazz Espoo started.
• 30 – The International Jazz Day.

  May

• 4
• * The Balejazz started in Balestrand.
• * The 29th MaiJazz started in Stavanger, Norway.
• 9 – The 14th AnJazz, the Hamar Jazz Festival started at Hamar, Norway.
• 11 – The 17th All Ears festival started in Oslo.
• 24 – The 17th Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés started in Paris, France.
• 25 – The 46th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway.

  June

• 12
• * The Bergenfest started in Bergen.
• * The Norwegian Wood music festival started in Oslo.

  July

• 4 – The Kongsberg Jazzfestival opened at Kongsberg consert.
• 6 – The Baltic Jazz festival started in Dalsbruk.
• 7
• * The 40th Copenhagen Jazz Festival start in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• * The 22nd Skånevik Bluesfestival started in Skånevik, Norway, with Jeff Beck as headliner.
• 12 – The 17th Stavernfestivalen started in Stavern, Norway.
• 13
• * The 43rd North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands.
• * The 45th Umbria Jazz Festival start in Perugia, Italy.
• 14
• * The 30th Aarhus Jazz Festival started in Aarhus, Denmark.
• * The 54th Pori Jazz Festival started in Pori, Finland.
• 16 – The Moldejazz start in Molde.
• 17
• * The 71st Nice Jazz Festival started in Nice, France.
• * The 42nd Jazz de Vitoria start in Gasteiz, Spain.
• 25 – The 23rd Canal Street started in Arendal, Norway.
• 27 – The 41st Jazz in Marciac started in Marciac, France.

  August

• 3
• * The 62nd Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.
• * The Nišville International Jazz Festival started in Niš, Serbia.
• 8
• * The 19th Øyafestivalen started in Oslo, Norway.
• * The 32nd Sildajazz started in Haugesund, Norway.
• 9 – The Tromsø Jazz Festival started in Tromsø.
• 10 – The 34th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales.
• 11 – The 33rd Oslo Jazzfestival started in Oslo, Norway.
• 17 – The Parkenfestivalen started in Bodø.
• 30 – The 14th Punktfestivalen opened in Kristiansand.

  September

• 21 – The 61st Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California.

  October

• 17 – The 54th Prague International Jazz Festival started in Prague.
• 18 – The 36th DølaJazz started in Lillehammer.
• 22 – Vocalist Veronica Swift, the daughter of singer Stephanie Nakasian and the late pianist Hod O’Brien, was attacked on subway platform in New York City.
• 25 – The 40th Guinness Cork Jazz Festival started in Cork City, Ireland.

  November

• 1 – The 55th JazzFest Berlin, also known as the Berlin Jazz Festival started in Berlin.

  December

• The 24th Umbria Jazz Winter started in Orvieto, Italy.

  Albums released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

Deaths

January

• 4 – Ray Thomas, British flautist and singer, The Moody Blues.
• 14
• * Bill Hughes, American trombonist and bandleader.
• * Marlene VerPlanck, American singer.
• 20 – Terry Evans, American singer and guitarist.
• 22 – Billy Hancock, American singer, guitarist, bassist, and multiinstrumentalist.
• 23 – Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, singer, and composer.
• 25 – Tommy Banks, Canadian pianist.
• 28
• * Eddie Shaw, American saxophonist.
• * Coco Schumann, German guitarist.
• 29 – Asmund Bjørken, Norwegian accordionist and saxophonist.

  February

• 3 – Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, American drummer.
• 5 – Ove Stokstad, Norwegian printmaker, clarinetist and saxophonist.
• 7 – John Perry Barlow, American lyricist, poet, and essayist.
• 8 – Algia Mae Hinton, American guitarist and singer.
• 9 – Wesla Whitfield, American singer.
• 11 – Vic Damone, American singer, songwriter, and actor.
• 18 – Didier Lockwood, French violinist, Magma.
• 22 – Errol Buddle, Australian bassoonist and saxophonist.

  March

• 4 – Russell Solomon, American entrepreneur, art collector, and founder of the Tower Records.
• 7 – Jerzy Milian, Polish vibraphonist.
• 12 – Olly Wilson, American composer, pianist, upright bassist, and musicologist.
• 16 – Buell Neidlinger, American upright bassist and cellist.
• 22 – Morgana King, American singer and actress.
• 29 Jimmy Woods, American alto saxophonist.

  April

• 1 – Audrey Morris, American singer and pianist.
• 3 – Lill-Babs or Barbro Svensson, Swedish singer and actress.
• 5 – Cecil Taylor, American pianist and poet.
• 8 – Nathan Davis, American saxophonist, flautist, and multi-instrumentalist.
• 11 – Jim Caine, British pianist and radio presenter.
• 12 – Gyula Babos, Hungarian guitarist.
• 14 – Brian Rolland, American guitarist, composer, and songwriter.
• 16 – Dona Ivone Lara, Brazilian samba singer.
• 17 – Peter Guidi, Scottish saxophonist and flutist.
• 23 – Bob Dorough, American pianist, composer, and vocalese singer.
• 26 – Charles Neville, American R&B saxophonist, The Neville Brothers.
• 27 – Gildo Mahones, American pianist.
• 28 – Brooks Kerr, American pianist.

May

• 1 – John "Jabo" Starks, American drummer.
• 11 – Mikhail Alperin, Ukrainian born pianist, Moscow Art Trio.
• 17 – Jon Sholle, American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist.
• 18 – Jack Reilly, American pianist.
• 19 – Reggie Lucas, American guitarist and songwriter.

  June

• 4 – Norman Edge, American upright bassist.
• 5 – Brian Browne, Canadian pianist and composer.
• 9 – Lorraine Gordon, American jazz music advocate, Village Vanguard jazz club.
• 11 – Wayne Dockery, American bassist.
• 12 – Jon Hiseman, British drummer, recording engineer, and record producer, Colosseum, Colosseum II, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.
• 13 – D. J. Fontana, American drummer.
• 15 – Matt Murphy, American guitarist, The Blues Brothers.
• 17 – Rebecca Parris, American singer.
• 21 – Bob Bain, American guitarist.
• 26
• * Big Bill Bissonnette, American trombonist, drummer and producer.
• * Fedor Frešo, Slovak bassist.

  July

• 2
• * Henry Butler, American pianist.
• * Bill Watrous, American trombonist.
• 8 – Tab Hunter, American actor, singer, and author.
• 15 – Theryl DeClouet, American singer, Galactic.
• 23 – Duke Carl Gregor of Mecklenburg, member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a music and art historian.
• 25 – Patrick Williams, American composer, arranger, and conductor.
• 29 – Tomasz Stanko, Polish trumpeter and composer.

  August

• 10 – Ken Pickering, Canadian jazz promoter, Vancouver Jazz Festival co-founder.
• 16 – Aretha Franklin, American singer and songwriter.
• 18 – Jack Costanzo, American percussionist.
• 22 – Lazy Lester, American singer and guitarist.

  September

• 1 – Randy Weston, American pianist and composer.
• 12 – Erich Kleinschuster, Austrian trombonist and bandleader.
• 14 – Max Bennett, American bassist, L.A. Express, The Wrecking Crew.
• 16
• * Maartin Allcock, British multi-instrumentalist, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull.
• * Big Jay McNeely, American saxophonist.
• 29 – Otis Rush, American singer and guitarist.

  October

• 1 – Jerry González, American trumpeter.
• 3 – John Von Ohlen, American drummer, Blue Wisp Big Band.
• 4 – Hamiet Bluiett, American saxophonist, World Saxophone Quartet.
• 10 – Theresa Hightower, African-American singer.
• 17 – Chuck Wilson, American saxophonist.
• 25 – Sonny Fortune, American saxophonist.
• 27 – Fred Hess, American tenor saxophonist.

  November

• 2 – Roy Hargrove, American trumpeter.
• 15 – Ivan Smirnov, Russian guitarist.
• 25 – Shep Shepherd, American drummer and trombonist.
• 27 – Johnny Maddox, American pianist.
• 28
• * Norio Maeda, Japanese composer and pianist.
• * Roger Neumann, American saxophonist, flutist, and composer.

  December

• 1 – Calvin Newborn, American guitarist.
• 2 – Perry Robinson, American clarinetist and composer.
• 7 – The Mascara Snake or Victor Hayden, American avant-garde clarinetist, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band.
• 13 – Nancy Wilson, American singer.
• 15 – Arthur Maia, Brazilian jazz and samba bassist and composer.
• 30 – Miúcha, Brazilian singer and composer.
• 31 – Urbie Green, American trombonist.