1972 in jazz

Events

April

• 21
• * Grant Green records Live at [the Lighthouse (Grant Green)|Live at the Lighthouse] at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California.

June

• 10 – The very first Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany.
• 16 – The 6th Montreux [Jazz Festival] started in Montreux, Switzerland.
• 29 – The 19th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.

September

• 15 – The 15th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California.

Album releases

• Neil Ardley: Symphony of Amaranths
• Gato Barbieri: Bolivia (album)
• Paul Bley: Open, to Love
• Anthony Braxton
• *Donna Lee
• *Saxophone Improvisations
• *Town Hall 1972
• Gary Burton: Alone at Last
• Ornette Coleman: Skies of America
• Chick Corea: Return To Forever
• Miles Davis: On The Corner
• Bill Evans: Living Time
• Gunter Hampel
• *Angel (Gunter Hampel album)
• *Broadway
• *Familie (album)
• *Waltz For 11 Universes In A Corridor
• Herbie Hancock: Crossings (album)
• Julius Hemphill: Dogon AD
• Joe Henderson: Black Is The Color
• Keith Jarrett
• *Expectations (Keith Jarrett album)
• *Facing You
• Eric Kloss: One, Two, Free
• David Liebman: Open Sky (album)
• London Jazz Composers Orchestra: Ode (London [Jazz Composers' Orchestra album)|Ode (album)]
• Albert Mangelsdorff: Trombirds
• Nucleus: Belladonna (album)
• Oregon: Music Of Another Present Era
• Annette Peacock: I'm the One
• Jean-Luc Ponty: Sonata Erotica
• John Surman: Westering Home
• McCoy Tyner
• *Echoes of a Friend
• *Sahara (album)
• Weather Report: I Sing the [Body Electric (album)|I Sing the Body Electric]
• Randy Weston: Blue Moses
• Stanley CowellIllusion Suite
• Stanley ClarkeChildren of Forever
• Gary BartzJuju Street Songs
• Airto MoreiraFree
• Charles EarlandCharles III
• Stanley TurrentineCherry
• Bucky Pizzarelli''Green Guitar Blues''

Deaths

• 27 – Mahalia Jackson, American singer.

• 19 – Lee Morgan, American trumpeter, shot dead.

• 13 – Clancy Hayes, American vocalist, banjoist and guitarist.
• 27 – Sharkey Bonano, American trumpeter, band leader, and vocalist.

• 3 – Ferde Grofé, American composer, arranger, and pianist.

• 5 – Reverend Gary Davis, American singer, banjoist, guitarist, and harmonica player.

• 8 – Jimmy Rushing, American blues shouter, balladeer, singer, and pianist.

• 3 – Marty Flax, American saxophonist.
• 10 – Lovie Austin, 84, American pianist, composer, and bandleader.

• 5 – Mezz Mezzrow, American clarinetist and saxophonist.
• 9 – André Ekyan, French reedist.
• 20 – Mike Bryan, American guitarist.
• 24 – Don Byas, American tenor saxophonist.
• 31
• * Hideo Shiraki, Japanese drummer and bandleader.
• * Dalva de Oliveira, Brazilian singer .

• 13 – Phil Seamen, English drummer.
• 25 – Cal Massey, American trumpeter and composer.

• 24 – Hall Overton, American composer and pianist.

• 3 – Bill Johnson, African-American upright bassist.
• 5 – Kenny Dorham, American trumpeter, singer, and composer.
• 25 – Dud Bascomb, American trumpeter.
• 29 – Hayes Alvis, American upright bassist and tubist.

Births

• 6 – Mina Agossi, French singer-songwriter.

• 1 – Siri Gjære, Norwegian singer.
• 14 – Daniela Schaechter, Italian singer and pianist.

• 7 – Katrine Madsen, Danish singer.
• 12 – Lisa Werlinder, Swedish actress and singer.
• 14 – Noriko Ueda, Japanese upright bassist, pianist, singer, composer, and arranger.
• 21 – Jesse van Ruller, Dutch guitarist and composer.
• 25 – Mimi Jones, American bassist, vocalist, composer, bandleader, and label director.

• 9 – Christos Rafalides, Greek vibraphonist, composer, and educator.
• 15 – Christer Fredriksen, Norwegian guitarist.
• 16 – Øyvind Nypan, Norwegian guitarist.

• 31 – Christian McBride, American bassist.

• 1 – Alex Machacek, Austrian guitarist.
• 4 – Ketil Gutvik, Norwegian guitarist.
• 29 – Roger Johansen, Norwegian drummer.

• 13 – Oscar Peñas, Catalan-American guitarist and composer.
• 21 – Nino Katamadze, Georgian singer.

• 12 – Gerard Presencer, English trumpeter.
• 27 – Lindha Kallerdahl, Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer.

• 2 – John Daversa, American trumpeter and composer.
• 11 – Federico Ughi, Italian drummer and composer.
• 12 – Eugene Ball, Australian composer and trumpeter.
• 22 – Doug Wamble, American guitarist and vocalist.

• 5 – Neil Cowley, English pianist.

• 2 – Pasquale Stafano, Italian pianist, composer, and arranger.
• 5 – Stefano Bollani, Italian composer, pianist, and singer.
• 7 – Thomas Strønen, Norwegian drummer.
• 28 – Terreon Gully, American drummer.

• Anders Christensen, Danish upright bassist.
• Ari Poutiainen, Finnish violinist, violist, composer, and researcher.
• Jay Soto, American guitarist.
• Meriç Yurdatapan, Turkish singer.
• Morten Lund, Danish drummer.