1944 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of jazz in the year 1944.

Events

1944 – The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time. The performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.

Album releases

Coleman Hawkins - ''Rainbow Mist''

Deaths

; February16 – Bob Zurke, American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader.
; April19 – Jimmie Noone, American clarinetist.
; March22 – Yank Porter, American pianist and composer.
; July24 – O'Neill Spencer, American drummer and singer.
; October22 – Clarence Profit, American pianist and composer.
; December8 – Rod Cless, American clarinetist and saxophonist.15 – Glenn Miller, American big-band musician, arranger, composer and bandleader.19 – Miklós Vig, Hungarian singer, actor and comedian.
; Unknown date

Tommy Stevenson, American trumpet player.

Births

January

5 – Louis Stewart, Irish guitarist.6 – Don Sickler, American trumpeter.8 – Bobby Battle, American drummer.9 – Roy Hellvin, Norwegian pianist, composer, and music arranger.10

* Frank Sinatra Jr., American singer an orchestra leader.
* Gianluigi Trovesi, Italian saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.12 – Cynthia Robinson, American trumpeter and vocalist, Sly and the Family Stone.20 – Chuck Domanico, American bassist.23 – Randy Jones, British-born American drummer.24 – Bob Degen, American pianist.29
* Salena Jones, American singer.
* Steve Reid, American drummer.30 – Roger Humphries, American drummer.

February

1 – Ari Brown, American tenor saxophonist and pianist.5 – Bill Mays, American pianist.6 – Kosuke Mine, Japanese saxophonist.8 – Candy Johnson, American singer and dancer.10 – Rufus Reid, American bassist, educator, and composer.11 – Martin Drew, English drummer.15 – Henry Threadgill, American composer, saxophonist, and flautist.17 – Karl Jenkins, Welsh musician and composer.19 – Ron Mathewson, Scottish upright bassist and bass guitarist.20 – Lew Soloff, American trumpeter, composer, and actor.22 – Mark Charig, British trumpeter and cornetist.24 – Oddbjørn Blindheim, Norwegian pianist.

March

6 – Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand soprano.10 – David Friedman, American percussionist.13 – Warren Tartaglia, American musician and poet.15

* Jazz Summers, British music manager, Scissor Sisters, The Verve, and Snow Patrol.
* Joachim Kühn, German pianist.
* Ralph MacDonald, Trinbagonian-American percussionist.22 – Saheb Sarbib, American upright bassist and bandleader.26 – Diana Ross, American singer and actress.

April

5 – Evan Parker, British saxophonist.7

* Carol Grimes, British singer/songwriter poet and musician.
* Pat LaBarbera, American saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist.16 – Sebastião Tapajós, Brazilian guitarist and composer.19 – Bernie Worrell, American keyboardist and composer, Parliament-Funkadelic.20 – Iris Williams, Welsh singer 21 – Peter Kowald, German free jazz musician.22 – Howard Wyeth, American drummer and pianist.

May

16 – Billy Cobham, Panamanian-American drummer, composer, and bandleader.22 – Richard Dunbar, American player of the French horn.30 – John Gross, American saxophone, flute and clarinet player.

June

4 – Jack Wilkins, American guitarist.6 – Monty Alexander, Jamaican-American pianist.7 – Erling Wicklund, Norwegian trombonist and music critique.8 – Babik Reinhardt, French guitarist.10 – David Goloschekin, Russian violinist and multi-instrumentalist.17 – Chris Spedding, English guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer.19 – Chico Buarque, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist.21 – Jon Hiseman, English drummer, recording engineer, and record producer.24

* Chris Wood, English saxophonist and flautist, Traffic.
* Jeff Beck, English guitarist.25
* Bobby Naughton, American vibraphonist.
* Dave Cliff, British guitarist.26 – Arthur Doyle, American saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist.

July

* Butch Miles, American drummer.
* Harvey Brooks, American bassist.
* Jan Erik Kongshaug, Norwegian guitarist, sound engineer, and composer.15 – Martha Brooks, Canadian writer and singer.17 – Aage Teigen, Norwegian trombonist.19 – Didier Levallet, French upright bassist.21 – Orange Kellin, Swedish clarinetist.27 – Barbara Thompson, English saxophonist, and flautist.

August

* Albert Stinson, American upright bassist.
* Naná Vasconcelos, Brazilian percussionist and vocalist.4 – Bobo Stenson, Swedish pianist.5 – Phil Wachsmann, English violinist.8 – John Renbourn, English guitarist and songwriter.18 – Oscar Brashear, American trumpeter.20 – Terry Clarke, Canadian drummer.25 – Pat Martino, American guitarist.30 – John Surman English saxophone, bass clarinet, and pianist.

September

3 – Fred Hess, American tenor saxophonist.9 – George Mraz, Czech-American bassist and alto saxophonist.18 – Michael Franks, American singer and songwriter.21 – John Clark, American hornist and composer.26 – Judy Chamberlain, American singer, bandleader and journalist.

October

4 – Eddie Gómez, Puerto Rican upright bassist.26 – Kenneth Ascher, American pianist, composer, and arranger.31 – Sherman Ferguson, American drummer.

November

2 – Keith Emerson, English pianist and keyboardist.4 – Willem Breuker, Dutch saxophonist.8 – Charles Sullivan or Kamau Muata Adilifu, American trumpeter.13 – Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, American pianist, singer and songwriter.14 – George Cables, American pianist and composer.

December

* Alex Acuña, Peruvian drummer and percussionist.
* Michael Carvin, American drummer.15 – Carlos Inzillo, Argentinian clarinetist, producer, and historian.16 – John Abercrombie, American guitarist.17 – Vyacheslav Ganelin, Lithuanian–Israeli musician and composer.19
* Alvin Lee, English singer and guitarist.
* Steve Tyrell, American producer and vocalist.24 – Woody Shaw, trumpeter, flugelhornist, and cornetist.31 – Bernie Senensky, Canadian pianist, organist, and composer.

Unknown date

Lars Edegran, American musician and bandleader.
Tom Parker, British pianist.
Wally Shoup, American saxophonist and painter.