1925 in jazz
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1925.
Musicians born that year included Art Pepper and Zoot Sims.
Events
- Louis Armstrong leaves Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, returns to Chicago, Illinois, and makes his first records under his own name, leading Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five.
Standards
- In 1925 standards that were published included "Dinah" and "Squeeze Me".
Deaths
; January8 – Jimmy Palao, African-American Violinist, saxophonist, cornetist, mellophonist, and leader of the Original Creole Band.; June16 – Emmett Hardy, New Orleans American cornet player.
; August16 – Edna Hicks, American singer.
Births
; January6- * Jane Harvey, American singer.
- * Leon Abramson or Lee Abrams, American drummer.7 – Dave Schildkraut, American saxophonist.13 – Nat Peck, American trombonist.19 – Don Lang, English trombonist and singer.23 – Marty Paich, American pianist.25 – Barbara Carroll, American pianist.
; March5 – Jimmy Bryant, American guitarist.13 – Roy Haynes, American drummer and band leader.14 – Sonny Cohn, American trumpeter.21 – Harold Ashby, American saxophonist.25 – Elmer Dresslar Jr., American singer.26 – James Moody, American saxophonist.
; April1 – Kathy Stobart, English saxophonist.2 – Frank Holder, Guyanese singer and percussionist.11 – Emil Mangelsdorff, German saxophonist.14 – Gene Ammons, American tenor saxophonist.18 – Leo Parker, American saxophonist.20 – Henri Renaud, French pianist.21
- * Carline Ray, American singer, pianist, and guitarist, International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
- * Sonny Berman, American trumpeter.24 – Jiří Jirmal, Czech guitarist. 26 – Jørgen Ingmann, Danish guitarist.
; June6 – Al Grey, American trombonist.23 – Sahib Shihab, American saxophonist.26 – Ken Moule, English pianist, composer, and arranger.29 – Hale Smith, American composer and pianist.30 – Wallace Davenport, American trumpeter.
; July16
- * Cal Tjader, American vibraphonist and drummer.
- * Nat Pierce, American pianist.17 – Jimmy Scott, American singer.27 – Kippie Moeketsi, South-African alto saxophonist.
- * George Morrow, American bassist.
- * Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist.16
- * Amru Sani, Indian-Jamaican singer and actor.
- * Mal Waldron, American pianist.27 – Tony Crombie, English drummer and pianist.
- * B.B. King, American guitarist.
- * Charlie Byrd, American guitarist.18 – Pia Beck, Dutch pianist and singer.22 – Russell Solomon, American entrepreneur, art collector, and founder of the Tower Records.
- * Errol Parker, French-Algerian pianist.
- * Teo Macero, American saxophonist.31 – Tommy Watt, Scottish bandleader.
; December1 – Dick Johnson, American clarinetist.5 – Alvin Tyler, American saxophonist.6 – Bob Cooper, American saxophonist.8 – Sammy Davis Jr., American singer.12 – Dodo Marmarosa, American jazz pianist.15
- * Billy Butler, American guitarist.
- * Jimmy Nottingham, American trumpeter.23 – Janika Balázs, Serbian musician.25 – Chris Woods, American saxophonist.31 – Billy Taylor Jr., American upright bassist.
- Jim Aton, American bassist.