1966 in jazz

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 (Wayne Shorter album)|Speak No Evil]''

Deaths

• 10 – Osie Johnson, American drummer, arranger, and singer.
• 23 – Billy Kyle, American pianist.

• 28 – Kid Howard, American trumpeter.

• 11 – Isaiah Morgan, American trumpeter.
• 30 – Thelma Terry, American bandleader and upright bassist.

• 17 – Johnny St. Cyr, American banjoist and guitarist.

• 31 – Bud Powell, American pianist.

• 2 – Boyd Raeburn, American bandleader and bass saxophonist .
• 17 – Rolf Billberg, Swedish alto saxophonist.

• 2 – Darnell Howard, American clarinetist and violinist.
• 28 – Lucky Millinder, African-American bandleader.

• 3 – 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.

• 8 – Shorty Baker, American trumpeter.

• 17 – Sylvia Telles, Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer.

• Nikele Moyake, South African tenor saxophonist, The Blue Notes.

Births

• 10 – Kristin Sevaldsen, Norwegian saxophonist.
• 12 – Ingrid Jensen, Canadian trumpeter.
• 28 – Julian Argüelles, English saxophonist.

• 2 – 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.

• 5 – Ann Farholt, Danish singer.
• 14 – Raul Midón, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 22 – Jan Lundgren, Swedish pianist and composer.
• 25 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer and guitarist.

• 2 – 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.

• 11 – Julian Joseph, British pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and broadcaster.
• 13 – Julian Siegel, British saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and arranger.
• 20 – Sheryl Bailey, American guitarist and educator
• 28 – Theo Bleckmann, German vocalist and composer.

• 8 – John Rae, Scottish drummer, composer, and band leader.
• 19 – Silje Nergaard, Norwegian singer.

• 12 – Luciana Souza, Brazilian singer and composer.

• 5 – 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.

• 4 – Biréli Lagrène, French guitarist.
• 17 – Makiko Hirabayashi, Japanese pianist.

• 1 – 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.

• 5 – Øystein B. Blix, Norwegian trombonist.
• 12 – Anthony Joseph, British-Trinidadian poet, novelist, musician, and academic.
• 25 – Jacky Terrasson, American pianist.

• 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.