1957 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1957.

Events

25 – Ella Fitzgerald started recording the album The Irving Berlin Songbook.

; January9 – Cripple Clarence Lofton, American boogie-woogie pianist and singer.18 – George Girard, New Orleans trumpeter.20 – Dean Benedetti, Italian-American saxophonist.
; February7 – Sonny Parker, American singer, dancer, and drummer.
; March12 – Robert Graettinger, American composer.25 – Fud Livingston, American clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger and composer.
; June12 – Jimmy Dorsey, American clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, big-band leader.25 – Curtis Mosby, American jazz drummer, bandleader, and businessman.
; July16 – Serge Chaloff, American baritone saxophonist.
; August2 – Joe Shulman, American upright bassist.28 – Erik Tuxen, Danish big-band leader, composer, and arranger.
; September12 – Louis Mitchell, American drummer and bandleader.
; October9 – Carroll Dickerson, American violinist and bandleader.23 – Abe Lyman, American bandleader.
; November17 – Wooden Joe Nicholas, American trumpeter and cornetist.26 – Jack Gardner, American pianist.30 – Richard McPartland, American violin, banjo, and guitar player.
; December20 – Walter Page, American multi-instrumentalist and bandleader.29 – Ernie Henry, American saxophonist.
; Unknown date

; January1 – Issei Noro, Japanese guitarist and composer, Casiopea.5

* Maartin Allcock, British multi-instrumentalist, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull.
* Myra Melford, American pianist and composer.7 – Clarence Seay, American upright bassist and composer.18 – Bert Joris, Belgian trumpeter, composer, and arranger.20 – Andy Sheppard, British saxophonist and composer.25 – Sophia Domancich, French pianist and composer.

; February6

* Ferenc Snétberger, Hungarian guitarist.
* Faith Nolan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
* Simon Phillips, English drummer, songwriter, and producer.11 – Oddmund Finnseth, Norwegian upright bassist, composer, and music teacher.13 – Inger Marie Gundersen, Norwegian singer and composer.14 – Tommy Campbell, American drummer.15 – Herlin Riley, American drummer.25 – Aage Tanggaard, Danish drummer and record producer.26 – Ian Villafana, American guitarist and songwriter.

; March3 – Mike Smith, American saxophonist.8

* Billy Childs, American pianist.
* William Edward Childs, American composer and pianist.9 – Thomas Chapin, American composer, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist.10 – Mino Cinelu, French drummer.14 – Vanessa Rubin, American vocalist and composer.30 – Dave Stryker, American guitarist.

; April1 – Matt Kendrick, American upright bassist and composer.4 – Tom McClung, American pianist and composer.24 – Hanna Banaszak, Polish singer and poet.25 – Nestor Torres, Puerto Rican flautist.28 – Adrian Utley, English guitarist and producer, Portishead.
; May2 – Markus Stockhausen, German trumpet player.10 – Carleen Anderson, American singer.11 – Manfred Hausleitner, Austrian drummer.12 – Jason Kao Hwang, Chinese-American violinist and composer.14 – Martin Litton, British pianist.29 – Lynne Arriale, American pianist.
; June2 – Bobby Sanabria, American drummer, percussionist, composer, and producer.12 – Geri Allen, American pianist and composer.17 – Tom Varner, American hornist and composer.20 – Rick Lazaroff, Canadian bassist.24 – Luis Salinas, Argentine guitarist.28 – Annette A. Aguilar, American percussionist, bandleader, and music educator.
; July7 – Hayes Greenfield, American saxophonist, composer, producer, filmmaker, bandleader, and educator.12

* Eddie Allen, American trumpeter and flugel hornist.
* Fredrik Carl Størmer, Norwegian drummer.18 – Lynn Seaton, American upright bassist.21 – George Landress, American mixer, musical engineer, and producer.22 – Harri Stojka, Viennese guitarist.31 – Mamdouh Bahri, Tunisian guitarist.

; August4

* Arto Tunçboyacıyan, Turkish-Armenian percussionist, vocalist, and duduk, sazabo, and bular player, Night Ark.
* Jose Valdes, American pianist and bandleader.9 – Danilo Rea, American pianist.10 – Fred Ho, American baritone saxophonist, composer, bandleader.17 – Rabih Abou-Khalil, Lebanese oud player and composer.24 – Steve Berry, English upright bassist, cellist, and violinist, Mike Westbrook Orchestra.30 – Gerald Albright, American saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist.

; September 7 – Anders Jormin, Swedish upright bassist and composer.11 – James McBride, American writer and musician.16 – Anca Parghel, Romanian singer.18

* Emily Remler, American guitarist.
* John Fedchock, American trombonist, bandleader, and arranger.19 – Tatsu Aoki, Japanese upright bassist and record producer.24 – Sibongile Khumalo, South African singer.25 – Barbara Lahr, German singer, composer, bassist, guitarist, and producer, De Phazz.27 – Jerry Weldon, American tenor saxophonist.28 – Ernst-Wiggo Sandbakk, Norwegian drummer.

; October3 – Bogdan Holownia, Polish pianist.4

* Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass guitarist Dance with a Stranger.
* Wolter Wierbos, Dutch trombonist.5 – Clifton Anderson, American trombonist.7 – Morten Halle, Norwegian saxophonist.8 – Eerik Siikasaari, Finnish upright bassist, Trio Töykeät.8 – Andrés Boiarsky, Argentine alto and tenor saxophonist.10 – Pamela Fleming, American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer.11 – George Letellier, American pianist and composer.13 – Future Man, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and inventor, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.20 – Anouar Brahem, Tunisian oud player and composer.21 – Ted Gioia, American jazz critic and music historian.25 – Arthur Rhames, American guitarist, tenor saxophonist and pianist.27 – Manu Katché, French drummer and songwriter.

; November2 – Gebhard Ullmann, German flautist, saxophonist, and composer.4

* Éric Le Lann, French trumpeter.
* Najee, American saxophonist and flautist.13
* Roger Ingram, American trumpet player, educator, and author.
* Tetsuo Sakurai, Japanese bassist, Casiopea.15 – Kevin Eubanks, American guitarist and composer.27 – Judy Carmichael, American pianist and vocalist.29 – Jennifer Batten, American guitarist.

; December1 – Chris Poland, American guitarist.4 – Phillip Barham, American saxophonist.10 – Paul Hardcastle, British composer, musician, producer, songwriter, radio presenter, and multi-instrumentalist14 – Runar Tafjord, Norwegian French horn player.19 – Eric Marienthal, American saxophonist21 – Roberto Ottaviano, Italian saxophonist.26 – Guy Barker, English trumpeter and composer.
; Unknown date