1959 in jazz


This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1959.

Events

May

4 – 1st Annual Grammy Awards

July

2 – The 6th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.

August

7-9 - Playboy Jazz Festival - First indoor Jazz Festival. Chicago, Illinois. 25 – Between sets at Birdland in New York City, Miles Davis was beaten by police and jailed.

October

30 – Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club opens in the Soho district of London.

November

29 – 2nd Annual Grammy Awards

Album releases

By Artist Name

Deaths

; January3 – Ed Cuffee, American trombonist.30 – Boyce Brown, American dixieland alto saxophonist.
; February14 – Baby Dodds, American drummer.
; March15 – Lester Young, American tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and bandleader.
; May5 – Hal McIntyre, American saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader.14 – Sidney Bechet, American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.
; June5 – Lawrence Marrero, American banjoist.23 – Boris Vian, French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer.
; July11 – Shadow Wilson, American drummer.17 – Billie Holiday, American singer nicknamed "Lady Day".
; September17 – Omer Simeon, American clarinetist.
; October14 – Alphonse Trent, American jazz pianist and territory band leader.16 – Minor Hall, American drummer.
; December2 – Sidney Desvigne, American trumpeter.10 – Avery Parrish, American jazz pianist, composer and arranger.13 – Charlie Johnson, American bandleader and pianist.

Births

; January11 – Simon Nabatov, Russian pianist.14 – Nguyên Lê, French-Vietnamese guitarist.16 – Sade Adu, British singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer.20 – Antoine Hervé, French composer and pianist.24 – Nils Mathisen, Norwegian keyboardist.28 – Bill Ware, American vibraphonist.
; February1 – Ottmar Liebert, German guitarist, songwriter and producer9 – Russel Walder, American oboist.12 – Omar Hakim, American drummer.27
; March10 – Rita Marcotulli, Italian pianist and composer.16 – John Lindberg, American upright bassist.18 – Joe Locke, American vibraphonist, composer, and educator.21 – Renato D'Aiello, Italian saxophonist.25 – Per Hillestad, Norwegian drummer.30 – Nils Jansen, Norwegian saxophonist and clarinetist.
; April5
; May9 – Dennis Chambers, American drummer.14 – Virginia Mayhew, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.23 – Ken Peplowski, American clarinetist and tenor saxophonist.28 – Eddie Parker, English flautist and composer.
; June9 – Gregg Bissonette, American drummer.14 – Marcus Miller, American bassist.15 – Vicki Genfan, American American singer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist.19
; July10 – Anjani, American singer-songwriter and pianist.16 – Joanna MacGregor, British concert pianist, conductor, composer, and festival curator.23 – Alan Barnes, English clarinettist and saxophonist.27 – Jeff Harnar, American singer.31 – Stanley Jordan, American guitarist and pianist.
; August1 – Otomo Yoshihide, Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. 6 – Sigurd Køhn, Norwegian saxophonist.7 – Patrick Defossez, Belgian composer, pianist and improviser.9 – Frank Lacy, American trombonist, Mingus Big Band.11 – Russ Gershon, American saxophonist and composer.14 – Tony Monaco, American organist.16 – Ellery Eskelin, American tenor saxophonist.20 – Gaute Storaas, Norwegian bass guitarist and composer.27 – Frode Fjellheim, Norwegian keyboardist and joker.29 – Ernesto Rodrigues, Portuguese composer, violinist, violist and electronic musician.
; September5 – Patrick Yandall, American guitarist. 13 – Sheldon Reynolds, American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter.21 – Corinne Drewery, English singer-songwriter.22 – Tony Reedus, American drummer.26 – François Bourassa, Canadian pianist.
; October12 – Michael Philip Mossman, trumpeter.15 – Erik Vermeulen, Belgian pianist.18 – Jimmy Bosch, Puerto Rican-American trombonist composer and bandleader.19 – Ronnie Burrage, American drummer.20 – Ole Hamre, Norwegian drummer.21 – Cleveland Watkiss, British virtuoso vocalist, actor, and composer.
; November1 – Conrad Herwig, American trombonist.3 – Mary Ann Redmond, American singer.18 – Cindy Blackman Santana, American drummer.20 – Drew Gress, American upright bassist and composer.30 – Kris Defoort, Belgian pianist and composer.
; December13 – Staffan William-Olsson, Swedish guitarist and composer.16 – Graham Clark, English violinist.22
; Unknown date

Awards