1939 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1939.

Events

The earliest formal books on jazz begin to appear, including Wilder Hobson's American Jazz Music and Frederick Ramsey and Charles Edward Smith's Jazzmen.
Fletcher Henderson becomes the first black musician who is a regular member of a white big band when he joins Benny Goodman, although he does not became a featured artist in the band.
Charlie Christian makes some revolutionary electric guitar records which allow to the guitar to play lead with the trumpet and the saxophone for the first time.
The Duke Ellington Band experiences major success. Django Reinhardt records "Montmartre", "Solid Old Man", "Low Cotton" and "Finesse" with the band.

Deaths

; February9 – Herschel Evans, tenor saxophonist.
; May19 – Louis Douglas, American dancer, choreographer, and music businessman.
; June4 – Tommy Ladnier, American jazz trumpeter.16 – Chick Webb, American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader.
; December22 – Ma Rainey, Blues singer.
; Unknown date

Charlie Irvis, American jazz trombonist.
John Robichaux, American jazz bandleader, drummer, and violinist.

Births

; January3

* Brian Smith, American saxophonist.
* Dianne Brooks, American singer.15 – Hartmut Geerken, German musician and composer.19 – Sam Brown, guitarist.22 – Alan Silva, American upright bassist and keyboarder.29 – Jeanne Lee, American singer.

; February1 – Joe Sample, American pianist, keyboarder and composer.5 – Derek Wadsworth, English trombonist, composer, and arranger.6 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer.11 – Okay Temiz, Turkish percussionist and drummer.14 – Chris Pyne, English trombonist.15 – Csaba Deseo, Hungarian violinist.17 – Bruce Cale, Australian upright bassist and composer.24 – Abu Talib (musician), African-American guitarist, singer, and harmonica player.26 – Trevor Watts, English alto and soprano saxophonist.28 – Charles Gayle, American saxophonist, pianist, bass clarinetist, bassist, and percussionist.
; March14 – Rosa King, American saxophonist/singer.19 – Mike Longo, American pianist and composer.20 – Larry Harlow, American pianist.21 – Christer Boustedt, Swedish saxophonist and actor.
; April4 – Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, singer, and composer.23 – Patrick Williams, American composer, arranger, and conductor.
; May19

* Sonny Fortune, American saxophonist.
* Richard Teitelbaum, American keyboardist.22 – Dick Berk, American drummer and bandleader.23
* Marvin Stamm, American trumpeter.
* Michel Colombier, French keyboarder and composer.25 – Phil Ranelin, American trombonist.28 – Wojciech Karolak, Polish-born organist.

; June8 – Bill Watrous, American trombonist.14 – Kent Carter, American upright bassist.16

* Albert Dailey, American pianist.
* Lou Gare, English saxophonist.22 – Heikki Sarmanto, Finnish jazz pianist, composer26 – George Braith, American saxophonist.30 – Tony Hatch, English composer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and producer.

; July13 – György Szabados, Hungarian pianist.16 – Denise LaSalle, African-American blues and R&B/soul singer, songwriter and record producer 18 – Brian Auger, English keyboardist.21 – Jamey Aebersold, American saxophonist and music educator.22 – Mario Rivera, Dominican saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist.24 – Charles McPherson, American alto saxophonist.
; August9

* Butch Warren, American upright bassist.
* Ove Stokstad, Norwegian printmaker, clarinetist and saxophonist.12 – Mike Cotton, English trumpeter.16 – Mary Stallings, American vocalist.18 – Harald Heide-Steen Jr.,, Norwegian actor, comedian and jazz singer.19 – Ginger Baker, English drummer, Cream.20 – Enrico Rava, Italian trumpeter.31
* Cleveland Eaton, American upright bassist.
* Paul Winter, American saxophonist.

; September9 – Zbigniew Namyslowski, Polish saxophonist, flautist, cellist, trombonist, and pianist.10 – Campbell Burnap, British trombonist and broadcaster.13 – Elaine Delmar, English singer.18

* Kate Westbrook, English singer, English-horn player, and flautist.
* Steve Marcus, American saxophonist.24 – Wayne Henderson, American trombonist.

; October8 – Aladár Pege, Hungarian upright bassist.14 – Chris Karan, Australian percussionist.15 – Joe Roccisano, American saxophonist and arranger.16 – Andrzej Jastrzebski, Polish tubist.18 – Jan Erik Vold, Norwegian jazz poet.19 – Masabumi Kikuchi, Japanese pianist and composer.28 – Andy Bey, American singer and pianist.31 – John Guerin, American percussionist.
; November1 – Roger Kellaway, American composer, arranger and pianist.3 – Joe McPhee, American multi-instrumentalist.6 – Carlos Emilio Morales, Cuban guitarist.10

* Andrew Cyrille, American drummer.
* Hubert Laws, American flutist and saxophonist.13 – Idris Muhammad, American drummer.16 – Henrik Otto Donner, Finnish composer and trumpeter.19 – Tommy Stewart, American trumpeter.26
* Art Themen, British saxophonist.
* Greetje Kauffeld, Dutch singer.29
* Claudio Fasoli, Italian tenor and soprano saxophonist, and composer
* Meco, American record producer and musician.

; December10 – Pekka Pöyry, Finnish saxophonist and flutist.17 – James Booker, American keyboardist.22 – Nick Ceroli, American drummer.25

* Bob James, American pianist, keyboardist, arranger, and record producer.
* Don Alias, American percussionist.