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 (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
; January- 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
; January- 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.