1946 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events in Jazz in the year 1946.

Events

The Jazz Journal is established in London by Sinclair Traill, originally under the title Pick Up.
Armstrong wins the Esquire Gold award for Vocalist.
John Serry appears as the featured guest artist on Gordon MacRae's radio show "SkyLine Roof" on the CBS network under the musical direction of Archie Bleyer.

Album releases

Accordion Capers - with the Joe Biviano Accordion Rhythm Sextette, guitarist Tony Mottola and accordionist John Serry

Artistry in Rhythm – Stan Kenton

Births

January4 — Susannah McCorkle, American singer.4 — André Ceccarelli, French drummer and composer.3 — James Mtume, American percussionist, keyboardist, songwriter and record producer, Mtume .12 – George Duke, American keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer.16 – Spike Wells, English drummer and priest.20 – John Sheridan, American pianist.24 – Marion Cowings, American singer and university teacher.30 – Michael S. Smith, American drummer and percussionist.31 – Terry Kath, American guitarist and vocalist, Chicago.
February20 – J. Geils, American jazz and blues guitarist in The J. Geils Band.21 – Terry Bradds, American guitarist.22 – Tom Grant, American pianist and vocalist.24 – Tullio De Piscopo, Italian drummer and singer.28

* Mike Renzi, American pianist, arranger and musical director.
* Pierre Dørge, Danish guitarist, bandleader, and composer.

March1 — Vinny Golia, American composer and multi-instrumentalist.11 – Patty Waters, American singer.19 – Jack Schaeffer, American musician, recording artist, producer and arranger.22

* Jerry Jemmott, American bass guitarist.
* Melvin Sparks, American guitarist.

April13 – Al Green, American singer.14 – Knut Kristiansen, Norwegian pianist and orchestra leader.16 – Ivar Antonsen, Norwegian pianist.24 – Stafford James, American bassist.25 – Digby Fairweather, British cornettist and broadcaster.29 – Humphrey Carpenter, English musician, biographer, and writer.30 – Joel Futterman, American pianist and curved soprano saxophonist.
May2 — Joel Forrester, American composer and pianist.5 — Jack Walrath, American trumpeter and arranger.10 – Jimmy Ponder, American guitarist.12 – Rudolf Tomsits, Hungarian trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer.22 – Martin Kratochvíl, American jazz rock musician.23 – Don Moye, American percussionist and drummer.27 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish upright bassist.28 – Claudio Roditi, Brazilian trumpeter.
June7 — Zbigniew Seifert, Polish violinist.16 – Tom Harrell, American trumpet and flugelhorn player.17 – B. J. Cole, English pedal steel guitarist.18 – William Hooker, American drummer and composer.24 – Clint Houston, American upright bassist.29 – Ken Hyder, Scottish fusion drummer.
July3 — John Klemmer, American saxophonist, composer, songwriter, and arranger.6 — Toquinho, Brazilian singer and guitarist.11 – Kimiko Itoh, Japanese singer.17

* Ellade Bandini, Italian drummer.
* Per Henrik Wallin, Swedish pianist and composer.20 – Bob McHugh, American pianist, composer, and educator.23 – Khan Jamal, American vibraphone and marimba player.24 – Al Lowe, American video game designer, programmer, and musician.

August6 — Allan Holdsworth, English guitarist.14 – Bjørn Kruse, Norwegian saxophonist and composer.27 – Roland Prince, Antiguan guitarist.31

* Cooper-Moore, American pianist, composer, and instrument builder/designer.
* Su Cruickshank, Australian singer.

September4 — Dave Liebman, American saxophonist and flautist.18 – Benjamín Brea, Venezuelan woodwind player.23 – Duster Bennett, British singer and guitarist, Fleetwood Mac.26 – Ted Greene, American guitarist.28 – Helen Shapiro, English singer.
October1 — Dave Holland, English upright bassist, composer, and bandleader.3 — Mike Clark, American drummer.11 – Daryl Hall, American singer, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter, and producer.12 – Daryl Runswick, English composer, arranger, musician, producer, and educationalist.15

* Bo Stief, Danish bassist, composer and arranger.
* Palle Danielsson, Swedish upright bassist.22 – Jac Berrocal, French trumpeter, singer, and composer.

November4 — Billy Hancock, American singer, guitarist, bassist, and multiinstrumentalist.7 — Raymond Harry Brown, American composer, arranger, and trumpeter.18 – Bennie Wallace, American tenor saxophonist.20 – Bruno Tommaso, Italian upright bassist and composer.23 – Ray Drummond, American upright bassist and teacher.25 – Guilherme Franco, Brazilian percussionist.
December7

* Phil Treloar, Australian drummer, percussionist and composer.
* Trent Kynaston, American saxophonist, music educator and composer.12
*Bruce Ditmas, American drummer and percussionist.
* Denny Dias, American musician.14 – Jerome Cooper, American drummer.16 – René McLean, American saxophonist and flutist.

Unknown date

Atilla Engin, Turkish-American drummer.
Carter Jefferson, American tenor saxophonist.
Douglas Ewart, Jamaican multi-instrumentalist and instrument builder.
Frank Gibson, Jr., New Zealand drummer and drum tutor.
Peter Langston, American guitarist and computer programmer.
Riccardo Zegna, Italian pianist.
Roger Turner, English percussionist.

Deaths

January30 – Fred Beckett, American trombonist.
February15 Putney Dandridge, American bandleader, jazz pianist and vocalist.
July20 – Tricky Sam Nanton, American trombonist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
September16 Mamie Smith, American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist and actress.
October3 – James Tim Brymn, American conductor, arranger, composer, and pianist.
; Unknown date

Joseph Petit, American jazz trombonist.
Manuel Perez, New Orleans jazz cornetist and bandleader.