1953 in jazz
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1953.
Events
- The musical Porgy and Bess was revived, playing in many European cities.
Album releases
- Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie: Jazz at Massey Hall
- Duke Ellington: Piano Reflections
- Ben Webster: King of the Tenors
- Modern Jazz Quartet: Django
- Shorty Rogers: Cool and Crazy
- Jay Jay Johnson: Four Trombones
- Stan Kenton: Sketches on Standards
- Miles Davis: Blue Period
- Miles Davis: Young Man with a Horn
- Thelonious Monk: Thelonious
- Oscar Pettiford: ''The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet''
Deaths
; April23 – Peter DeRose, American Hall of Fame composer of jazz and pop music during the Tin Pan Alley era.; May16 – Django Reinhardt, French virtuoso guitarist and composer.
; June3 – Mike Mosiello, Italian-born American trumpeter.26 – Julius Foss, Danish composer, organist, and guitarist.
; August19 – Tiny Kahn, American drummer, arranger, and composer.
; November21 – Larry Shields, American clarinetist.
; Unknown date
- Jimmy "Jammin'" Smith, American trumpet player.
Births
; January1 – Greg Carmichael, American guitarist, Acoustic Alchemy.5 – Paul Wertico, American drummer.6 – Jon Eberson, Norwegian guitarist and composer.10 – Mike Stern, American guitarist.17 – Jeff Berlin, American bassist.20 – Andrew Bisset, Australian author, music educator, and singer.27 – Bob Mintzer, American saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader.31 – Big Time Sarah, American singer.; February2 – Louis Sclavis, French clarinetist, bass clarinetist, and soprano saxophonist.7 – T. K. Blue, American saxophonist.18 – Erling Aksdal, Norwegian pianist.24 – Rob Burns, English-New Zealand bass guitarist, author, and academic. 25 – Reggie Lucas, American guitarist and songwriter.
; March1 – Gary Braith, French guitarist and composer.4 – John Esposito, American pianist.11 – Andy Dickens, English jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader.16 – Kei Akagi, Japanese-American pianist.19 – Michele Rosewoman, American pianist.21 – Taborah Johnson, Canadian singer and actor.22 – John Shifflett, American bassist.23 – Chaka Khan, American singer-songwriter.27 – Masayoshi Takanaka, Japanese guitarist.29 – Jørgen Emborg, Danish pianist.
; April1 – Randy Crouch, American fiddle player and multi-instrumentalist.2
- *Dick Oatts, American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator.13
- * Charles Foster Johnson, American blogger, software developer, and guitarist.
- * Grant Geissman, American guitarist and composer.
- * Tom Olstad, Norwegian drummer.16 – Kurt Maloo, Swiss singer-songwriter, composer and record producer.18 – Danny Gottlieb, American drummer, Lt. Dan Band and Pat Metheny Group.20 – James Chance, American saxophonist, keyboard player, songwriter, and singer.24 – Trudy Silver, American pianist and composer.25 – Per Kolstad, Norwegian pianist, Lava.
- * James Newton, American flautist.
- * Randy Halberstadt, American pianist, composer, recording artist, author, and teacher.2 – James Chirillo, American guitarist, banjoist, and composer.4
- * Michael Di Pasqua, American drummer and percussionist.
- * Oleta Adams, American singer and pianist.6 – Paul Dunmall, British saxophonist.8 – Mike Miller, American guitarist.10 – Alex Foster, American saxophonist.12 – Odd Riisnæs, Norwegian saxophonist.21 – Joanie Bartels, American singer.22 – Jon Burr, American upright bassist and author.26 – David Torn, American guitarist, composer, and producer.
; July3 – Bruce Kapler, American saxophonist, singer and multi-instrumentalist, CBS Orchestra.8 – Ignacio Berroa, Cuban drummer.10 – Attila László, Hungarian guitarist and composer.13 – Sigurd Ulveseth, Norwegian upright bassist.22 – Jimmy Bruno, American guitarist.24 – Jon Faddis, American trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator.27 – Edward Wilkerson, American composer, arranger, saxophonist, pianist, and clarinetist.
; August4 – Jeff Hamilton, American drummer, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.10 – Jennifer Leitham or Lefty, American upright bassist.18 – David Benoit, American pianist, composer and producer.23 – Bobby Watson, American saxophonist, composer, and educator.28 – Michael Gregory, American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.
; September1 – Don Blackman, American pianist, singer, and songwriter.2 – John Zorn, American composer, arranger, producer, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist.10 – Craig S. Harris, American trombonist.11 – Renée Geyer, Australian singer.14 – Tom Cora, American cellist and composer.16 – Earl Klugh, American guitarist and composer.26
- * Dan Knight, American pianist, composer, educator, and author.
- * Vic Juris, American guitarist.28 – Keni Burke, American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist.
- * Big Al Carson, American singer.
- * Stein Erik Tafjord, Norwegian tubist.7 – Yoshiaki Miyanoue, Japanese guitarist.14 – Kazumi Watanabe, Japanese guitarist.17 – Joseph Bowie, American trombonist.21 – Marc Johnson American upright bassist.27 – Robert Irving III, American pianist, composer, arranger and music educator.
- * Alex Coke, American saxophonist and flutist.
- * Dennis Taylor, American saxophonist and clarinetist.17 – Federico Ramos, Uruguayan guitarist, arranger, producer, and composer.18 – Alan Murphy, English guitarist .27 – Lyle Mays, American pianist and composer.
- * Diane Schuur, American singer and pianist.
- * Eugenio Colombo, Italian saxophonist and flautist, Italian Instabile Orchestra.17
- * Ikue Mori, American drummer, composer, and graphic designer.
- * John Doheny, American tenor saxophonist and band leader.25 – Steve Barta, American-Brazilian jazz pianist.28 – Gilberto "Pulpo" Colón Jr., American pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and band leader.
- Darol Anger, American violinist.
- Hilario Durán, Cuban pianist.
- Kevin Toney, American pianist and composer.
- Paolo Rustichelli, Italian-American pianist, composer, and producer.