1972 in jazz
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1972.
Events
April
21- * Grant Green records 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 (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
- 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
; January27 – Mahalia Jackson, American singer.; February19 – Lee Morgan, American trumpeter, shot dead.
; March13 – Clancy Hayes, American vocalist, banjoist and guitarist.27 – Sharkey Bonano, American trumpeter, band leader, and vocalist.
; April3 – Ferde Grofé, American composer, arranger, and pianist.
; May5 – Reverend Gary Davis, American singer, banjoist, guitarist, and harmonica player.
; June8 – Jimmy Rushing, American blues shouter, balladeer, singer, and pianist.
; July3 – Marty Flax, American saxophonist.10 – Lovie Austin, 84, American pianist, composer, and bandleader.
; August5 – 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 .
; November24 – Hall Overton, American composer and pianist.
; December3 – 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
; January6 – Mina Agossi, French singer-songwriter.; February1 – Siri Gjære, Norwegian singer.14 – Daniela Schaechter, Italian singer and pianist.
; March7 – 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.
; April9 – Christos Rafalides, Greek vibraphonist, composer, and educator.15 – Christer Fredriksen, Norwegian guitarist.16 – Øyvind Nypan, Norwegian guitarist.
; May31 – Christian McBride, American bassist.
; July1 – Alex Machacek, Austrian guitarist.4 – Ketil Gutvik, Norwegian guitarist.29 – Roger Johansen, Norwegian drummer.
; August13 – Oscar Peñas, Catalan-American guitarist and composer.21 – Nino Katamadze, Georgian singer.
; September12 – Gerard Presencer, English trumpeter.27 – Lindha Kallerdahl, Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer.
; October2 – 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.
; November5 – Neil Cowley, English pianist.
; December2 – 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.
; Unknown date
- 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.