1926 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1926.
Musicians born that year included Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

Events

American author and dramatist Edna Ferber publishes the novel Show Boat, popularizing life in the Southern United States. Although Ferber never visited the south and invented her story from fictional minstrel themes, the real American Show Boats were steeped in the black Riverboat Jazz music of Mississippi and the Ohio Valley.
American ragtime jazz pianist, bandleader and composer Jelly Roll Morton is signed by Victor and begins recording with the Red Hot Peppers, featuring Kid Ory, Omer Simeon, George Mitchell, Johnny St. Cyr, Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, and Baby Dodds.
Duke Ellington and his band record "East St Louis Toodle-o" on November 29.
The Jean Goldkette band with Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer start playing the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan in early October.

In 1926 standards published included "Big Butter and Egg Man", "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "'Deed I Do".

August: David Stanley Smith Professor of Music at Yale University, dismisses Jazz as a serious art form in The Musician.
November: Andrè Coeuroy and Andrè Schaeffner publish Le Jazz.
Jacques Émile Blanche criticizes Jazz music and dance in La Revue nouvelle as a foreign import that threatens the nationality of France.

; Unknown date

; January5 – Jack Brokensha, Australian-born American vibraphonist.8 – Renato Sellani, Italian pianist and composer.9

* Bucky Pizzarelli, American guitarist and banjo player.
* Randi Hultin, Norwegian jazz critic and impresario.
* Roger Guérin, French trumpeter and singer.10 – Willie Dennis, American trombonist.13 – Melba Liston, American trombonist.16 – Stan Reynolds, British trumpeter, guitarist and bandleader.23 – Curtis Counce, American upright bassist.29 – Franco Cerri, Italian guitarist and upright bassist.

; February2 – Mimi Perrin, French pianist and singer.6 – Bernie Glow, American trumpet player.8 – Pony Poindexter, American saxophonist.12 – Buddy Childers, American trumpet player.17 – Will Davis, American pianist.20 – Bobby Jaspar, Belgian saxophonist and flautist.21 – Ronnie Verrell, English drummer.22 – Dave Bailey, American drummer.26 – Chris Anderson, American pianist.
; March4 – Don Rendell, English saxophonist.19 – Bill Henderson, American singer and actor.22 – Avo Uvezian, Armenian-American pianist, composer, and cigar manufacturer.23 – Herbie Jones, American trumpeter.25 – Riz Ortolani, Italian film composer.26 – Sonny Bradshaw, Jamaican trumpeter.
; April2 – Kenny Hagood, American vocalist.5 – Stan Levey, American drummer.6 – Randy Weston, American pianist and composer.17 – Whitney Balliett, American journalist and jazz critic.20 – Cy Laurie, English clarinettist and bandleader.30 – Buddy Arnold, American saxophonist.
; May3

* Jimmy Cleveland, American trombonist.
* Jymie Merritt, American upright bassist.4 – Sonny Payne, American drummer.7 – Herbie Steward, American saxophonist.15 – Bonnie Wetzel, American upright bassist.18 – Lou Bennett, American organist.22 – Elek Bacsik, Hungarian-American guitarist and violinist.24 – Stan Barker, English pianist.25 – Milt Bernhart, American trombonist.26 – Miles Davis, American trumpeter.27 – Bud Shank, American saxophonist and flautist.28 – Russ Freeman, American pianist and composer.30 – Tony Terran, American trumpet player.

; June6 – Kristian Bergheim, Norwegian saxophonist.9

* CeDell Davis, American guitarist and singer.
* Jimmy Gourley, American guitarist.10 – Joe Negri, American guitarist and educator.11 – Jim Caine, British pianist and radio presenter.16 – Clarence Shaw, American trumpet player.29 – Ove Lind, Swedish clarinetist.

; July2 – Billy Usselton, American reed player.3

* Johnny Coles, American trumpeter.
* Walt Harper, American pianist.6 – Frank Rehak, American trombonist.12
* Vlasta Průchová, Czech singer.
* Joe Houston, American saxophonist.13 – Bengt-Arne Wallin, Swedish composer, arrangeur, trumpeter, and flugelhornist.17 – Ray Copeland, American trumpeter.28 – Charlie Biddle, Canadian upright bassist.

; August3 – Tony Bennett, Italian-American singer.5 – Jeri Southern, American pianist and singer.8 – Urbie Green, American trombonist.12 – Dave Lee, English pianist, orchestra leader, arranger, songwriter, and film composer. 14 – Buddy Greco, American singer and pianist.17 – George Melly, English singer.20 – Frank Rosolino, American trombonist.22 – Bob Flanigan, American vocalist.28

; September3 – Ernie Henry, American saxophonist.17 – Jack McDuff, American organist.19 – Nini Rosso, Italian jazz trumpeter and composer.20 – Jackie Paris, American singer and guitarist.22 – Bill Smith, American clarinetist and composer.23

; October10 – Oscar Brown, American singer.12 – Hidehiko Matsumoto, Japanese saxophonist and bandleader.13

* Ray Brown, American upright bassist.
* Tommy Whittle, British saxophonist.18 – Chuck Berry, American guitarist, singer and songwriter.21 – Don Elliott, American trumpeter and vibraphonist.25 – Jimmy Heath, American saxophonist called "Little Bird".

; November1 – Lou Donaldson, American alto saxophonist.3 – Billy Mitchell, American saxophonist.4 – Carlos Valdes, Cuban-born conga player.5 – Johnny Windhurst, American trumpeter.17 – George Masso, American trombonist and vibraphonist.18 – Claude Williamson, American pianist.19 – Nobuo Hara, Japanese saxophonist and bandleader.
; December2 – Rob Swope, American trombonist.25

* Hitoshi Ueki, Japanese singer and guitarist.
* Rick Fay, American clarinetist and saxophonist.26 – Monty Budwig, American upright bassist.28 – Donna Hightower, American singer and guitarist.30 – Stan Tracey, British pianist and composer.

; Unknown date