1928 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1928.
Musicians born that year included Cannonball Adderley, Etta Jones and Fats Domino.

Events

By 1928, jazz was becoming popular in Germany and was being taught in Frankfurt.

Standards

In 1928 the standards "Basin Street Blues", "Sweet Lorraine" and "Mack the Knife" were published.

Deaths

; June24 – Jimmy O'Bryant, American jazz clarinetist.
; August29 – Stump Evans, American jazz saxophonist.

Births

; January3 – Al Belletto, American saxophonist and clarinetist.4 – Alan Littlejohn, British trumpeter.11 – Cal Massey, American trumpeter.12 – Ruth Brown, American singer-songwriter and actress.14 – Joe Muranyi, Hungarian-American clarinetist.15 – Werner Dies, German tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, guitarist, composer, and arranger.23 – Dave Black, American drummer.24 – Mick Mulligan, English trumpeter and bandleader.26 – Dick Nash, American trombonist.29 – Beverly Kenney, American singer.31 – Keshav Sathe, Indian tabla player.
; February6 – Nelson Boyd, American bassist.11 – Conrad Janis, American trombonist and actor.18 – Frank Butler, American drummer.25 – Mike Hennessey, English music journalist and pianist.26 – Fats Domino, American pianist and singer-songwriter.
; March5

* Lou Levy, American pianist.
* Wilbur Little, African-American bassist.9 – Keely Smith, American singer.12
* Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan pianist and composer.
* Paul Kuhn, German pianist, singer, and band leader.
* Willie Maiden, American saxophonist and arranger.15 – Bob Wilber, American clarinetist and saxophonist.31 – Archie Semple, Scottish clarinettist.

; April3 – Bill Potts, American pianist.4 – Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Cuban trumpeter.6 – Eddie Hubble, American trombonist.8 – Derek Hogg, English drummer.9 – Monty Sunshine, English clarinettist.10

* Fraser MacPherson, Canadian saxophonist.
* Jerzy Matuszkiewicz, Polish saxophonist and composer.
* Marilyn Maye, American singer and actress.13 – Teddy Charles, American vibraphonist, pianist, and drummer.14
* Egil Monn-Iversen, composer and pianist.
* Norman Amadio, Canadian pianist and composer.18 – Ken Colyer, English trumpeter and cornetist.22 – Tommy Turrentine, American trumpeter.23 – Mike Daniels, British trumpeter and bandleader.24 – Johnny Griffin, American jazz saxophonist .25 – Rick Henderson, American saxophonist.26 – Herman Foster, American pianist.29 – Errol Buddle, Australian bassoonist and saxophonist.

; May4

* Lars Gullin, Swedish saxophonist.
* Maynard Ferguson, Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader.15 – Joe Gordon, American trumpeter.22 – Jackie Cain, American singer.24 – Max Bennett, American bassist, L.A. Express, The Wrecking Crew.26 – Jack Kevorkian, American musician and composer.29 – Freddie Redd, American pianist and composer.30 – Priscilla Bowman, American singer.

; June1 – Frank Parr, English trombonist and cricketer.4 – Teddy Kotick, American bassist.11 – Bob Gordon, American saxophonist.12 – Vic Damone, American singer, songwriter, and actor.20 – Eric Dolphy, American alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist.23 – Bob Badgley, American upright bassist.26 – Don Lanphere, American saxophonist.
; July2 – Richard Wyands, American pianist, composer, and arranger.4 – Ted Joans, American trumpeter and jazz poet.13 – Leroy Vinnegar, American upright bassist.15 – Joe Harriott, Jamaican saxophonist and composer.17

* Joe Morello, American drummer.
* Vince Guaraldi, American pianist.18 – Carl Fontana, American trombonist.20 – Peter Ind, British upright bassist and record producer.22 – Keter Betts, American upright bassist.29 – Konstantin Orbelyan, Armenian pianist, composer, and head of the State Estrada Orchestra of Armenia.30 – Vernel Fournier, American drummer.

; August 3 – Lyn Christie, Australian-born American-based bassist.8 – Don Burrows, Australian clarinetist, saxophonist and flautist.15 – Bobby Orr, Scottish drummer.16 – Carl Perkins, American pianist.21

* Addison Farmer, American bassist.
* Art Farmer, American trumpeter.23 – Gil Coggins, American pianist.26 – Peter Appleyard, British–Canadian vibraphonist and percussionist. 28 – Kenny Drew, American pianist.

; September1 – Ed Summerlin, American composer, arranger, saxophonist, and music educator.2 – Horace Silver, American pianist and composer.5

* Albert Mangelsdorff, German trombonist.
* Hal Stein, American saxophonist.11 – Lorraine Geller, American pianist.14 – Jay Cameron, American saxophonist.15 – Cannonball Adderley, American saxophonist.20 – Vi Redd, American alto saxophonist and singer.21 – William Russo, American trombonist, composer, and arranger.23
* Frank Foster, American saxophonist and flautist.
* Michel Gaudry, French upright bassist.28 – Koko Taylor, American singer.30 – Jon Eardley, American trumpeter.

; October10 – Junior Mance, American pianist and composer.22 – Clare Fischer, American keyboardist.28 – Ronaldo Bôscoli, Brazilian composer.30 – Bobby Jones, American saxophonist.
; November2 – Herb Geller, American saxophonist.4 – Larry Bunker, American drummer and vibraphonist.11 – Ernestine Anderson, American singer.12 – Audrey Morris, American singer and pianist.13

* Ernie Farrow, American pianist and multi-instrumentalist.
* Hampton Hawes, American pianist.15 – Seldon Powell, American saxophonist and flautist.17
* Chuck Andrus, American upright bassist.
* John Sangster, Australian composer, arranger, drummer, cornettist, and vibraphonist.18 – Sheila Jordan, American singer and songwriter.22 – John Brimhall, American pianist and musical arranger.25 – Etta Jones, American singer.

; December4 – Frank Tiberi, American saxophonist.5 – Gene Allen, American jazz reedist.6

* Alan Abel, American percussionist.
* Frankie Dunlop, American drummer.8 – Jimmy Smith, American Hammond organist.18 – Harold Land, American saxophonist 28 – Moe Koffman, Canadian saxophonist and flautist.30 – Jack Montrose, American saxophonist.31 – Jerry van Rooyen, Dutch trumpeter, conductor, and composer.