1942 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1942.

Events

; August

The American Federation of Musicians president James C. Petrillo initiated a ban on recording, in hopes of coercing record companies into returning part of their profits to the union to be used for special concerts and projects. This forced the record companies to focus on recording singers and singing groups and reissuing previously recorded material.

; October

Sarah Vaughan was discovered at the Apollo Theater in Harlem after having won first prize at Amateur Night.18 – Louis Armstrong was married to a Cotton Club dancer named Lucille Wilson. They remained married until his death.

Deaths

; January1 – Jaroslav Ježek, Czech composer, pianist and conductor.12 – Willie Cornish, American trombonist.
; March1 – Leo Adde, American drummer.2 – Charlie Christian, American guitarist.
; June2 – Bunny Berigan, American trumpeter.
; July 30 – Jimmy Blanton, American upright bassist.

Births

; January4 – John McLaughlin, English guitarist.7 – Jocelyne Jocya, American singer and songwriter.8

* Bill Goodwin, American drummer.
* Jon Lucien, American vocalist.19 – Nara Leão, Brazilian singer.25
* Art Murphy, American pianist and composer.
* Graeme Lyall, Australian saxophonist, composer and arranger.27 – Maki Asakawa, Japanese singer, lyricist, and composer.

; February5 – Keith Ingham, English pianist.12 – Lionel Grigson, British pianist and trumpeter.26 – Yōsuke Yamashita, Japanese pianist, composer and writer.
; March3

* Lyman Woodard, American organist.
* Teruo Nakamura, Japanese bassist.4 – Dave Matthews, American keyboardist.5 – Dave Green, English upright bassist.6
* Charles Tolliver, American trumpeter and composer.
* Flora Purim, Brazilian singer.
* Robin Kenyatta, American alto saxophonist.21 – Amina Claudine Myers, American pianist, organist, vocalist, and composer.25 – Aretha Franklin, American singer and songwriter.

; April2 – Leon Russell, American musician and songwriter.13 – Rusty Jones, American drummer.17

* Buster Williams, American bassist.
* Han Bennink, Dutch drummer and multi-instrumentalist.21 – Alan Skidmore, English tenor saxophonist.29 – Sammy Rimington, English reedist.

; May6 – David Friesen, American bassist.13 – Jim Douglas, Scottish guitarist.20 – Dan Jacobs, American trumpeter and flugelhornist.23 – Randolph Colville, Scottish clarinettist and saxophonist.26 – Geoff Bull, Australian trumpeter and bandleader.
; June3 – Curtis Mayfield, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer.14 – Peter Lemer, English pianist and keyboarder, Spontaneous Music Ensemble.17 – Torgrim Sollid, Norwegian trumpeter and drummer.21 – Ditlef Eckhoff, Norwegian trumpeter.25 – Joe Chambers, American drummer, pianist, vibraphonist, and composer.
; July2 – Mike Abene, American pianist.3 – Lonnie Smith, American Hammond B3 organist.11 – Tomasz Stańko, Polish trumpeter and composer.12 – Richard Stoltzman, American clarinetist.
; August2 – Carl Saunders, American trumpeter, composer and educator.6 – Byard Lancaster, American saxophonist and flutist.9 – Jack DeJohnette, American drummer, pianist, and composer.16 – Marc Moulin, Belgian musician and journalist.23

* Letta Mbulu, South African singer.
* Walter Payton, American bassist and sousaphonist.25
* Michel Donato, Canadian upright bassist and composer.
* Terje Fjærn, Norwegian orchestra conductor .

; September6

* Andrew White, American saxophonist.
* Dave Bargeron, American trombonist and tubist.12 – Jane Getz, American pianist.14 – Oliver Lake, American saxophonist and composer.22 – Marlena Shaw, American singer.23 – Jeremy Steig, American flautist.25 – John Taylor, British pianist.28 – Tim Maia, Brazilian musician and songwriter.29 – Jean-Luc Ponty, French violinist and composer.30 – Frankie Lymon, American singer.

; October1 – Wendell Harrison, American clarinetist, tenor saxophonist.5 – Donald Ayler, American trumpeter.10 – Cecil Bridgewater, American trumpeter.25 – Terumasa Hino, Japanese trumpeter.26 – Ranee Lee, American vocalist.27 – Philip Catherine, Belgian guitarist and composer.
; November9 – Bill Elgart, American drummer.10 – Zdzisław Piernik, Polish tubist.23 – Jiří Stivín, Czech flautist and composer.
; December19 – Cornell Dupree, American guitarist.26 – Doug Hammond, American drummer, composer, and poet.31 – Andy Summers, English guitarist, composer, and photographer.
; Unknown date

Carlton Kitto, Indian guitarist.
Pocho Lapouble, Argentine drummer, composer and arranger.
Richard Badendyck, Norwegian singer and pianist.