1960 in jazz
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1960.
Events
October
16 – The Cannonball Adderley Quintet records At the Lighthouse at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California.June
30 – The 7th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.Album releases
- Art Blakey
- *The Big Beat
- *A Night in Tunisia
- Tina Brooks: True Blue
- Betty Carter: The Modern Sound
- June Christy
- *The Cool School
- *Off-Beat
- Ornette Coleman: Change of the Century
- John Coltrane: Giant Steps
- Eric Dolphy: Outward Bound
- Gil Evans: Out of the Cool
- Jimmy Giuffre: Piece for Clarinet and String Orchestra/Mobiles
- Joe Harriott: Southern Horizons
- the Jazztet
- *Big City Sounds
- *Meet the Jazztet
- Sam Jones: The Soul Society
- Duke Jordan: Flight to Jordan
- Stan Kenton: Road Show
- Herbie Mann: Flute, Brass, Vibes and Percussion
- Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus
- Hank Mobley: Soul Station
- Modern Jazz Quartet
- *Pyramid
- *European Concert
- Wes Montgomery
- *The Incredible Jazz Guitar
- *Movin' Along
- Oliver Nelson: Taking Care of Business
- David Newman & James Clay: The Sound of the Wide Open Spaces!!!!
- Art Pepper: Gettin' Together
- Max Roach: We Insist!
- Charlie Rouse: Takin' Care of Business
- George Russell
- *George Russell Sextet at the Five Spot
- *Jazz in the Space Age
- *Stratusphunk
- Gunther Schuller : Jazz Abstractions
- Horace Silver: Horace-Scope
- Jimmy Smith: Back at the Chicken Shack
- Cecil Taylor: The World of Cecil Taylor
- Clark Terry: Color Changes
- Mel Tormé: Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley
- Lennie Tristano: The New Tristano
- Fats Waller: Handful of Keys
- Randy Weston: Uhuru Afrika
- Phil Woods: Rights of Swing
- John Wright: ''South Side Soul''
Deaths
; April11 – Zilas Görling, Swedish saxophonist.13 – Beverly Kenney, American singer.; June12 – Isidore Barbarin, American cornet and alto horn player.
; July3 – Lee Collins, American trumpeter.5 – Bill Johnson, American saxophonist, clarinetist, and arranger.30 – Arv Garrison, American guitarist.
; August
- Jimmy Bertrand, American drummer.
; October10 – June Cole, American bassist, tubist, and singer.
; November24 – Edgar Meyer, American bassist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer.
; Unknown date
- Lawrence Duhé, clarinetist, and bandleader.
Births
; January1 – Liu Yuan, Chinese saxophonist.3 – Marla Glen, American singer.8- * Dave Weckl, American drummer.
- * Lee Tomboulian, American pianist.16
- * Richard Elliot, Scottish-American saxophonist.
- * Wilhelm Schröter, Brazilian composer and pianist.20 – Jeff "Tain" Watts, American drummer.26 – María Rivas, Venezuelan singer.29 – David Piltch, Canadian bassist and session musician.
; March2 – Lennart Ginman, Danish bassist, composer, and music producer.19 – Eliane Elias, Brazilian pianist and vocalist.21 – Dominic Miller, Argentinian guitarist and composer, Sting.25 – Chad Wackerman, American drummer.26 – Nelson Rangell, American saxophonist and composer.27 – Victor Bailey, American bassist.29 – Chano Domínguez, Spanish pianist.
; April1 – Banjo Mosele, Botswanan guitarist, singer and composer.3 – Erik Truffaz, French trumpeter.6 – John Pizzarelli, American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter.17 – Daniele Sepe, Italian saxophonist and flautist.20 – John Altenburgh, American pianist, composer and arranger.24 – Friðrik Karlsson, Icelandic guitarist and songwriter.25 – Mário Laginha, Portuguese piano player and composer.28 – Rolf Graf, Norwegian bassist.30
- * Paul Taylor, American saxophonist.
- * Rodney Kendrick, American pianist, bandleader, composer, and producer.
; June4 – Fred Thelonious Baker, English guitarist and bass guitarist.8
- * Povl Erik Carstensen, Danish comedian, actor, and upright bassist.
- * Terje Gewelt, Norwegian upright bassist.14 – Gary Husband, English drummer, pianist, and bandleader.19 – Carmen Bradford, American singer, Count Basie Orchestra.20 – Jeremy Monteiro, Singaporean pianist, singer, and composer.22 – Arturo O'Farrill, Mexican pianist and composer.23 – Donald Harrison, American saxophonist.26 – Zachary Breaux, American guitarist.
; August3 – Greg Osby, American saxophonist.12 – Andy Quin, British composer and pianist.14 – Lloyd Swanton, Australian upright bassist, bass guitarist, and composer.17 – Maria Pia De Vito, Italian singer, composer and arranger.21
- * Peter Apfelbaum, American pianist, tenor saxophonist, drummer and composer.
- * Tom Kennedy, American bassist.26
- * Branford Marsalis, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.
- * Jim Beard, American keyboardist.27 – Eldad Tarmu, American vibraphonist and composer.
; October2 – Django Bates, British composer, pianist, multi-instrumentalist and band leader.9 – Kenny Garrett, American saxophonist and flautist.10 – John Beasley, American pianist.13 – Orphy Robinson, British vibraphonist and multi-instrumentalist.15 – Henrik Bolberg Pedersen, Danish trumpeter and flugelhorn player16 – Leila Pinheiro, singer and pianist.25 – Michel Massot, Belgian tubist and trombonist.29 – Jens Winther, Danish trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.
; November4 – Adrián Iaies, Argentine pianist and composer.5 – Daryl Hayott, American drummer, bassist, percussionist, keyboardist, and trumpeter.15 – Sergio Cammariere, Italian singer-songwriter.23 – Jean-Paul Bourelly, American guitarist.27 – Maria Schneider, American arranger, composer, and big-band leader.
; December1 – Chris Standring, British guitarist.5 – Brian Bromberg, American bassist and producer.7 – Matthew Shipp, American pianist, composer, and bandleader.12 – Sebi Tramontana, Italian trombonist.16 – Mike Fahn, American trombonist.19 – Laurent de Wilde, French pianist, composer, and writer.28 – Ted Nash, American saxophonist and composer.
; Unknown date
- Lekan Babalola, Nigerian singer and percussionist.
- Mark Ledford, American trumpet player, vocalist and guitarist.
- Muriel Anderson, American composer, guitarist, and harp-guitarist.
- Paul Taylor (saxophonist), American saxophonist.
- Pharez Whitted, American trumpeter.
- Tino di Geraldo, French-Spanish percussionist, tabla player, drummer, and producer.
- Umberto Petrin, Italian pianist, composer, and poet.