1923 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1923.
Musicians born that year included Fats Navarro and Tito Alberti.

Events

April 6: King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band records the King Oliver/Louis Armstrong song Dippermouth Blues
June 30: Sidney Bechet cuts his first two sides "Wild Cat Blues" and "Kansas City Blues" with Clarence Williams' Blue Five.
October 29: African-American musical Runnin' Wild premieres at the New Colonial Theatre in New York. The Charleston is one of the songs featured in it.
December: Harlem-based Black Swan Records declares bankruptcy. Paramount Records would buy the label a few months later.

In 1923 the standards "Charleston", "Wolverine Blues", "Kansas City Stomp", and "Tin Roof Blues" were published.
1923 also saw the introduction of the pop/jazz standard I Cried For You, music by Arthur Freed and Abe Lyman with lyrics by Gus Arnheim. Lyman had also performed the first recorded version of it. Benny Krueger and His Orchestra had the most popular version of that year as it peaked at number two on the Billboard charts in 1923.

; January1 – Milt Jackson, American vibraphonist.7 – Paul Weeden, American-born Norwegian jazz guitarist 8 – Bobby Tucker, American pianist and arranger.11 – Osie Johnson, American drummer, arranger and singer.12 – Tito Alberti, Argentine drummer.20 – Nora Brockstedt, Norwegian singer.26 – Talib Dawud, American trumpeter.28 – Fausto Papetti, Italian alto saxophonist.
; February3 – Alys Robi, French Canadian singer.5 – Wyatt Ruther, American upright bassist.10 – Bob Lively, American saxophonist.12

* Art Mardigan, American drummer.
* Mel Powell, American pianist and composer.17 – Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player.27
* Chuck Wayne, American guitarist.
* Dexter Gordon, American tenor saxophonist.
* Lucille Dixon Robertson, American upright bassist.28 – Bill Douglass, American drummer.

; March4 – Willie Johnson, American guitarist.6 – Wes Montgomery, American guitarist and composer.10

* Chris McGale, Canadian violinist.
* Don Abney, American pianist.12 – Billy "Uke" Scott, British ukulele player.27 – Don Tosti, American musician and composer.28
* Ike Isaacs, American bassist.
* Josette Daydé, French singer and actress.
* Thad Jones, American trumpeter, composer and bandleader.29 – Remo Palmier, American guitarist.

; April1 – Don Butterfield, American tubist.13 – Ken Sykora, English guitarist and radio presenter.16 – Bennie Green, American trombonist.20 – Tito Puente, American musician, songwriter and record producer.27 – Lelio Luttazzi, Italian composer, musician, actor, singer, and conductor.30 – Percy Heath, American bassist.
; May4 – Guy Warren, Ghanaian drummer.13 – Red Garland, American pianist.15 – Ellis Larkins, American pianist.21 – Betty Glamann, American harpist.25 – Lloyd Trotman, American bassist.29 – Eugene Wright, American bassist.
; June3

* Al Harewood, American drummer.
* Phil Nimmons, Canadian clarinetist, composer and bandleader.23 – George Russell, American pianist.26 – Syd Lawrence, British bandleader.27 – Elmo Hope, American pianist.28
* Herman Sherman, American saxophonist and bandleader.
* Pete Candoli, American trumpeter.

; July3 – Johnny Hartman, American singer.4 – Aaron Sachs, American saxophonist and clarinetist.7 – Kitty White, American singer.13 – Norma Zimmer, American vocalist.15 – Philly Joe Jones, American drummer.23 – Claude Luter, clarinetist and soprano saxophonist.28 – Ray Ellis, American record producer, arranger and conductor.31 – Bjarne Nerem, Norwegian saxophonist.
; August6 – Jack Parnell, English producer, bandleader, drummer, and pianist.7

* Idrees Sulieman, American trumpeter.
* Uffe Baadh, Danish-American drummer.9 – Margie Hyams, American vibraphonist, pianist, and arranger.19 – Dill Jones, Welsh stride pianist.

; September1 – Bob Bates, American bassist.8 – Wilbur Ware, American double-bassist.12 – Joe Shulman, American bassist.15 – Arvell Shaw, American upright bassist.17 – Ralph Sharon, Anglo-American pianist and arranger.18 – Frank Socolow, American saxophonist and oboist.21 – Fred Hunt, English pianist.24 – Fats Navarro, trumpeter and pioneer of bebop.25 – Sam Rivers, American multi-instrumentalist and composer.
; October12 – Wendell Eugene, American trombonist.16 – Lenny Hambro, American saxophonist.17 – Barney Kessel, American guitarist.25 – Don Banks, Australian composer.31 – Robert Graettinger, American composer.
; November11 – Willie Cook, American trumpeter.12 – Charlie Mariano, American saxophonist.17 – Joe Kennedy Jr., American violinist and educator.24 – Serge Chaloff, American baritone saxophonist.
; December7 – Gunnar Hoffsten, Swedish trumpeter and pianist.10 – Linda Hayes, American singer.11 – Marky Markowitz, American trumpeter.12 – Bob Dorough, American pianist, composer and vocalese singer.25 – Paul Bacon, American album cover designer.
; Unknown date