2008 in jazz

Events

January

• 30 – The 11th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

  February

• 21 – The 3rd Ice Music Festival Festival started in Geilo, Norway.

  March

• 7 – The 4th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia.
• 11 – Jazz musician and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton announces his retirement from presenting BBC Radio 2's jazz programme after forty years.
• 14
• * The 35th Vossajazz started at Voss, Norway.
• * Mads Berven was awarded Vossajazzprisen 2008.
• 19 – Tord Gustavsen performs the commissioned work Restar av lukke – bitar av tru for Vossajazz 2008.
• 31 – theJazz radio station stops broadcasting.

  April

• 18
• * The International Association for Jazz Education ceased daily operations and filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the United States Federal Bankruptcy Law, ending 40 years of service.
• 24 – The 14th SoddJazz started in Inderøy, Norway.

  May

• 9 – The 37th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany.
• 21 – The 36th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway.

  June

• 26 – The 28th Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
• 27 – The 20th Jazz Fest Wien started in Vienna, Austria.
• 29
• * The first annual International Jazz Awards, a global 2 hour television special celebrating over 100 years of Jazz music, took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

July

• 2 – The 44th Kongsberg Jazzfestival started in Kongsberg, Norway.
• 4
• * The 30th Copenhagen Jazz Festival started in Copenhagen, Denmark.
• * The 42nd Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland.
• 11 – The 33rd North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands.
• 14
• * The 48th Moldejazz started in Molde, Norway.
• * The 43rd Pori Jazz Festival started in Pori, Finland.
• 16 – The 25th Stockholm Jazz Festival started in Stockholm, Sweden.
• 19 – The 61st Nice Jazz Festival started in Nice, France.
• 22 – The 43rd San Sebastian Jazz Festival started in San Sebastian, Spain.

  August

• 6 – The 22nd Sildajazz started in Haugesund, Norway.
• 8
• * The 52ndd Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.
• * The 24th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales.
• 11 – The 23rd Oslo Jazzfestival started in Oslo, Norway.

  September

• 4 – The 4th Punktfestivalen started in Kristiansand, Norway.
• 19 – The 51st Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California.

  October

November

• 14 – The 17th London Jazz Festival started in England.

  December

Album released

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

• 4
• * Irene Reid, American singer.
• * Keith Smith, English trumpeter.
• 11
• * Pete Candoli, American trumpeter .
• * Steve Harris, English drummer and composer.
• 20 – Tommy McQuater, British trumpeter.
• 30
• * Bill Saragih, Indonesian musician.
• * Miles Kington, British journalist and upright bassist, Instant Sunshine.

• 3 – Jackie Orszaczky, Hungarian bass guitarist and composer.
• 4 – Chris Anderson, American pianist.
• 12 – John Brunious, American trumpeter and the bandleader, Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
• 13 – Henri Salvador, French Caribbean comedian and singer.
• 14 – Gene Allen, American jazz reedist.
• 19 – Teo Macero, American saxophonist, record producer and composer.

• 2 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer and guitarist.
• 10 – Dennis Irwin, American upright bassist.
• 16 – Pete Chilver, British guitarist and hotelier.
• 19 – Eivind Solberg, Norwegian trumpeter.
• 21 – Patti Bown, American jazz pianist, composer, and singer.
• 22 – Israel López Valdés or better known as Cachao, Cuban upright bassist and composer.
• 24 – Chalmers Alford, American guitarist.
• 29 – Allan Ganley, British drummer.

• 7 – Phil Urso, American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer.
• 12 – Bobby Tucker, American pianist and arranger.
• 15 – Dick Charlesworth, English clarinettist, saxophonist, and bandleader.
• 24 – Jimmy Giuffre, American musician .
• 25 – Humphrey Lyttelton, British jazz musician.
• 27 – Hal Stein, American saxophonist.

• 6 – Franz Jackson, American saxophonist.
• 10 – Mario Schiano, Italian alto and soprano saxophonist.
• 15
• * Bob Florence, American pianist.
• * Walt Dickerson, American vibraphonist.
• 24 – Jimmy McGriff,, American organist.
• 28 – Danny Moss, British jazz saxophonist.
• 30
• * Campbell Burnap, British trombonist and broadcaster .
• * Nat Temple, British big band leader.

• 4 – Bill Finegan, American pianist and arranger.
• 14 – Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish pianist .
• 28 – Ronnie Mathews, American pianist.

• 3
• * Harald Heide-Steen Jr.,, Norwegian actor, comedian and jazz singer.
• * Salah Ragab, Egyptian drummer and called the founder Egyptian jazz.
• 6 – Bobby Durham, American drummer.
• 13 – Gerald Wiggins, American pianist.
• 22 – Joe Beck, American guitarist .
• 25
• * Hiram Bullock, American fusion guitarist .
• * Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist .
• 31
• * Lee Young, American drummer and singer.
• * Yusuf Salim, American jazz pianist and composer.

• 15 – Jerry Wexler, American music journalist and music producer.
• 19 – LeRoi Moore, American saxophonist .
• 23 – Jimmy Cleveland, American trombonist.

• 2 – Arne Domnérus, Swedish saxophonist.
• 3
• * Géo Voumard, Swiss jazz pianist and composer.
• * Pierre Van Dormael, Belgian musician and composer.
• 8 – Bheki Mseleku, South African musician and composer .
• 15 – Richard Wright, English keyboardist, composer, singer and songwriter.
• 16 – Jim Aton, American bassist.
• 19
• * Dick Sudhalter, American trumpeter and critic.
• * Earl Palmer, American rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues drummer.
• 22 – Connie Haines, American singer.
• 30 – Henry Adler, American drummer and percussionist.

• 4 – Alfred Gallodoro, American musician.
• 11 – Neal Hefti, American trumpeter and composer.
• 18 – Dave McKenna, American pianist.
• 24 – Merl Saunders, American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards.
• 26 – Marc Moulin, Belgian musician and journalist.
• 27 – Ray Ellis, American record producer, arranger, and conductor.

• 1 – Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer of The Mothers of Invention.
• 9 – Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer and civil rights activist.
• 16 – Tony Reedus, American drummer.
• 27 – Pekka Pohjola, Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer.

• 3 – Derek Wadsworth, English trombonist, composer, and arranger.
• 5 – Anca Parghel, Romanian jazz singer, composer, arranger, pianist, and choir conductor.
• 7 – Jimmy Gourley, American guitarist.
• 12 – Prince Lasha, American alto saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist.
• 19
• * Kenny Cox, American pianist.
• * Page Cavanaugh, American pianist, vocalist, and arranger.
• * Verne Byers, American bandleader, bassist, and concert promoter.
• 22 – Guy Warren, Ghanaian singer-songwriter.
• 23 – Monty Waters, American saxophonist, flautist, and singer.
• 25 – Eartha Kitt, American singer, actress, dancer, activist, and comedian.
• 29 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpeter.

• Byrdie Green, American singer.