1966 in jazz
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1966.
Events
January
14 – The Jazz Crusaders record Live at the Lighthouse '66 at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California.July
1 – The 13th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.Album releases
- Alex Schlippenbach: Globe Unity
- Archie Shepp: Mama Too Tight
- Bill Evans: Bill Evans at Town Hall
- Bobby Hutcherson: Happenings
- Bobby Hutcherson: Stick-Up!
- Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures
- Cecil Taylor: Conquistador!
- Charles Lloyd: Dream Weaver
- Charles Tyler: Charles Tyler Ensemble
- Chick Corea: Tones For Joan's Bones
- Denny Zeitlin: Zeitgeist
- Dewey Redman: Look for the Black Star
- Don Cherry: Symphony For Improvisers
- Duke Ellington: The Far East Suite
- Guenter Hampel: Assemblage
- Hank Mobley: Straight No Filter
- Horace Silver: The Jody Grind
- Hugh Masekela: Grrr
- Hugh Masekela: The Americanization of Ooga Booga
- Hugh Masekela: The Emancipation of Hugh Masekela
- Jaki Byard: Sunshine of My Soul
- Joe Harriott: Indo-Jazz Suite
- Joe Harriott: Indo-Jazz Fusions
- John Coltrane: Ascension
- John Coltrane: Meditations
- Joseph Jarman: Song For
- Larry Young: Of Love And Peace
- Lee Morgan: Delightfulee
- Patty Waters: College Tour
- Roscoe Mitchell: Sound
- Sonny Simmons: Music from the Spheres
- Steve Lacy: Sortie
- Steve Lacy: The Forest And The Zoo
- Sun Ra: Strange Strings
- Sunny Murray: Sunny Murray Quintet
- Wayne Shorter: Adam's Apple
- Wayne Shorter: ''Speak No Evil''
Deaths
; February10 – Osie Johnson, American drummer, arranger, and singer.23 – Billy Kyle, American pianist.; March28 – Kid Howard, American trumpeter.
; May11 – Isaiah Morgan, American trumpeter.30 – Thelma Terry, American bandleader and upright bassist.
; June17 – Johnny St. Cyr, American banjoist and guitarist.
; July31 – Bud Powell, American pianist.
; August2 – Boyd Raeburn, American bandleader and bass saxophonist .17 – Rolf Billberg, Swedish alto saxophonist.
; September2 – Darnell Howard, American clarinetist and violinist.28 – Lucky Millinder, African-American bandleader.
; October3 – Dave Lambert, American lyricist and singer.7 – Smiley Lewis, American singer and guitarist.10 – Colette Bonheur, Canadian singer.15 – Lee Blair, American banjoist and guitarist.29 – Wellman Braud, American upright bassist.
; November8 – Shorty Baker, American trumpeter.
; December17 – Sylvia Telles, Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer.
; Unknown date
Births
; January10 – Kristin Sevaldsen, Norwegian saxophonist.12 – Ingrid Jensen, Canadian trumpeter.28 – Julian Argüelles, English saxophonist.; February2 – Greg Gisbert, American trumpeter and flugelhornist.6
- * Larry Grenadier, American upright bassist.
- * Michael Mondesir, English bass guitarist and composer.7 – Henrik Andersen, Danish guitarist, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and vocal percussionist.21 – Margareta Bengtson, Swedish soprano singer, The Real Group.
; April2 – Michael Cain, American pianist and composer.12
- * Nils-Olav Johansen, Norwegian guitarist.
- * Rigmor Gustafsson, Swedish singer.15 – Warren Hill, Canadian alto saxaphonist.16 – Jarle Vespestad, Norwegian drummer.22 – Nina Shatskaya, Russian singer and actress.25 – Karen Mantler, American singer, composer, piano, organ, and chromatic harmonica player.
; June8 – John Rae, Scottish drummer, composer, and band leader.19 – Silje Nergaard, Norwegian singer.
; July12 – Luciana Souza, Brazilian singer and composer.
; August5 – Roberto Tola, Italian guitarist and composer.6 – Regina Carter, American violinist.7 – Torstein Ellingsen, Norwegian drummer.11 – Donny McCaslin, American saxophonist.30 – John Gunther, American saxophonist.
; September4 – Biréli Lagrène, French guitarist.17 – Makiko Hirabayashi, Japanese pianist.
; October1 – Siri Gellein, Norwegian singer.6 – Mark Whitfield, American guitarist.12 – Harry Allen, American tenor saxophonist.15 – Bill Charlap, American pianist.18 – Bill Stewart, American drummer.27 – Nathalie Loriers, Belgian pianist and composer.
; November5 – Øystein B. Blix, Norwegian trombonist.12 – Anthony Joseph, British-Trinidadian poet, novelist, musician, and academic.25 – Jacky Terrasson, American pianist.
; Unknown date
- Carl Ludwig Hübsch, German tubist and composer.
- Hilmar Jensson, Icelandic guitarist and composer.
- Lars Møller, Danish saxophonist.
- Nils Davidsen, Danish bassist.
- Ricardo Garcia, Spanish guitarist and bandleader.
- Tony Kofi, British saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist.
- Toshimaru Nakamura, Japanese guitarist and electronica artist.
- Wessell Anderson, American alto and sopranino saxophonist.