2008 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 2008.

Events

January

30 – The 11th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

February

21 – The 3rd Ice Music Festival Festival started in Geilo, Norway.

March

7 – The 4th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia.11 – Jazz musician and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton announces his retirement from presenting BBC Radio 2's jazz programme after forty years.14

* The 35th Vossajazz started at Voss, Norway.
* Mads Berven was awarded Vossajazzprisen 2008.19 – Tord Gustavsen performs the commissioned work Restar av lukke – bitar av tru for Vossajazz 2008.31 – theJazz radio station stops broadcasting.

April

* The International Association for Jazz Education ceased daily operations and filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the United States Federal Bankruptcy Law, ending 40 years of service.24 – The 14th SoddJazz started in Inderøy, Norway.

May

9 – The 37th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany.21 – The 36th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway.

June

26 – The 28th Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.27 – The 20th Jazz Fest Wien started in Vienna, Austria.29

* The first annual International Jazz Awards, a global 2 hour television special celebrating over 100 years of Jazz music, took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

July

2 – The 44th Kongsberg Jazzfestival started in Kongsberg, Norway.4

* The 30th Copenhagen Jazz Festival started in Copenhagen, Denmark.
* The 42nd Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland.11 – The 33rd North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands.14
* The 48th Moldejazz started in Molde, Norway.
* The 43rd Pori Jazz Festival started in Pori, Finland.16 – The 25th Stockholm Jazz Festival started in Stockholm, Sweden.19 – The 61st Nice Jazz Festival started in Nice, France.22 – The 43rd San Sebastian Jazz Festival started in San Sebastian, Spain.

August

6 – The 22nd Sildajazz started in Haugesund, Norway.8

* The 52ndd Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.
* The 24th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales.11 – The 23rd Oslo Jazzfestival started in Oslo, Norway.

September

4 – The 4th Punktfestivalen started in Kristiansand, Norway.19 – The 51st Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California.

November

14 – The 17th London Jazz Festival started in England.

Album released

August

Deaths

; January4

* Irene Reid, American singer.
* Keith Smith, English trumpeter.11
* Pete Candoli, American trumpeter .
* Steve Harris, English drummer and composer.20 – Tommy McQuater, British trumpeter.30
* Bill Saragih, Indonesian musician.
* Miles Kington, British journalist and upright bassist, Instant Sunshine.

; February3 – Jackie Orszaczky, Hungarian bass guitarist and composer.4 – Chris Anderson, American pianist.12 – John Brunious, American trumpeter and the bandleader, Preservation Hall Jazz Band.13 – Henri Salvador, French Caribbean comedian and singer.14 – Gene Allen, American jazz reedist.19 – Teo Macero, American saxophonist, record producer and composer.
; March2 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer and guitarist.10 – Dennis Irwin, American upright bassist.16 – Pete Chilver, British guitarist and hotelier.19 – Eivind Solberg, Norwegian trumpeter.21 – Patti Bown, American jazz pianist, composer, and singer.22 – Israel López Valdés or better known as Cachao, Cuban upright bassist and composer.24 – Chalmers Alford, American guitarist.29 – Allan Ganley, British drummer.
; April7 – Phil Urso, American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer.12 – Bobby Tucker, American pianist and arranger.15 – Dick Charlesworth, English clarinettist, saxophonist, and bandleader.24 – Jimmy Giuffre, American musician .25 – Humphrey Lyttelton, British jazz musician.27 – Hal Stein, American saxophonist.
; May6 – Franz Jackson, American saxophonist.10 – Mario Schiano, Italian alto and soprano saxophonist.15

* Bob Florence, American pianist.
* Walt Dickerson, American vibraphonist.24 – Jimmy McGriff,, American organist.28 – Danny Moss, British jazz saxophonist.30
* Campbell Burnap, British trombonist and broadcaster .
* Nat Temple, British big band leader.

; June4 – Bill Finegan, American pianist and arranger.14 – Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish pianist .28 – Ronnie Mathews, American pianist.
; July3

* Harald Heide-Steen Jr.,, Norwegian actor, comedian and jazz singer.
* Salah Ragab, Egyptian drummer and called the founder Egyptian jazz.6 – Bobby Durham, American drummer.13 – Gerald Wiggins, American pianist.22 – Joe Beck, American guitarist .25
* Hiram Bullock, American fusion guitarist .
* Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist .31
* Lee Young, American drummer and singer.
* Yusuf Salim, American jazz pianist and composer.

; August15 – Jerry Wexler, American music journalist and music producer.19 – LeRoi Moore, American saxophonist .23 – Jimmy Cleveland, American trombonist.
; September2 – Arne Domnérus, Swedish saxophonist.3

* Géo Voumard, Swiss jazz pianist and composer.
* Pierre Van Dormael, Belgian musician and composer.8 – Bheki Mseleku, South African musician and composer .15 – Richard Wright, English keyboardist, composer, singer and songwriter.16 – Jim Aton, American bassist.19
* Dick Sudhalter, American trumpeter and critic.
* Earl Palmer, American rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues drummer.22 – Connie Haines, American singer.30 – Henry Adler, American drummer and percussionist.

; October4 – Alfred Gallodoro, American musician.11 – Neal Hefti, American trumpeter and composer.18 – Dave McKenna, American pianist.24 – Merl Saunders, American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards.26 – Marc Moulin, Belgian musician and journalist.27 – Ray Ellis, American record producer, arranger, and conductor.
; November1 – Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer of The Mothers of Invention.9 – Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer and civil rights activist.16 – Tony Reedus, American drummer.27 – Pekka Pohjola, Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer.
; December3 – Derek Wadsworth, English trombonist, composer, and arranger.5 – Anca Parghel, Romanian jazz singer, composer, arranger, pianist, and choir conductor.7 – Jimmy Gourley, American guitarist.12 – Prince Lasha, American alto saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist.19

* Kenny Cox, American pianist.
* Page Cavanaugh, American pianist, vocalist, and arranger.
* Verne Byers, American bandleader, bassist, and concert promoter.22 – Guy Warren, Ghanaian singer-songwriter.23 – Monty Waters, American saxophonist, flautist, and singer.25 – Eartha Kitt, American singer, actress, dancer, activist, and comedian.29 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpeter.

; Unknown date

Byrdie Green, American singer.