2011 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 2011.

Events

January

20 – The 6th Ice Music Festival started in Geilo, Norway.26 – The first Bodø Jazz Open started in Bodø, Norway.

February

3 – The 13th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard.

March

4 – The 7th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia.

April

15 – The 38th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway.16

* Mari Kvien Brunvoll was awarded Vossajazzprisen 2011.
* Mathias Eick performed the commissioned work Voss at Vossajazz27 – The 17th SoddJazz started in Inderøy, Norway.30 – The International Jazz Day.

Deaths

; January1 – Charles Fambrough, American bassist, composer, and record producer.27 – Charlie Callas, American drummer, comedian, and actor.29 – Milton Babbitt, American composer, music theorist, and teacher.
; February3 – Tony Levin, English jazz drummer.8 – Eugenio Toussaint, Mexican composer, arranger, and musician.14 – George Shearing, British jazz pianist.24 – Jens Winther, Danish jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.
; March4 – Tom Vaughn, American pianist.11 – Billy Bang, American violinist and composer.12 – Joe Morello, American drummer.15 – Melvin Sparks, American guitarist.
; April26 – Phoebe Snow, American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
; May8 – Cornell Dupree, American guitarist.10 – Norma Zimmer, American singer.11 – Snooky Young, American trumpeter.12 – Ted Nash, American saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist.15 – Bob Flanigan, American tenor vocalist and founding member of The Four Freshmen.28 – Alys Robi, French-Canadian singer.
; June2 – Ray Bryant, American pianist and composer.3 – Jack Kevorkian, American flautist, composer, pathologist, and euthanasia proponent.10 – György Szabados, Hungarian jazz pianist.20 – Ottilie Patterson, Northern Irish singer.
; July2 – Paul Weeden, American-born Norwegian jazz guitarist 17 – Joe Lee Wilson, American singer.23 – Amy Winehouse, English singer and songwriter.24 – Harald Johnsen, Norwegian bassist .26 – Frank Foster, American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer.
; August7 – Jiří Traxler, Czech-Canadian pianist, composer, lyricist, and arranger.
; September7 – Eddie Marshall, American drummer.9 – Graham Collier, English bassist, bandleader, and composer.12 – Dinah Kaye, Scottish singer.19 – Johnny Răducanu, Romanian pianist.
; October1 – Butch Ballard, American drummer.8 – Roger Williams, American pianist.10 – Lucy Ann Polk, American singer.19 – Lars Sjösten, Swedish pianist and composer.28 – Beryl Davis, English singer.29 – Walter Norris, American pianist and composer.
; November1

* André Hodeir, French violinist, composer, arranger, and musicologist.
* Christiane Legrand, French soprano, The Swingle Singers.2 – Papa Bue, Danish trombonist and bandleader.6 – Gordon Beck, English pianist and composer.11 – Michael Garrick, English pianist and composer.19 – Russell Garcia, American composer and music arranger.22 – Paul Motian, American drummer.24 – Ross McManus, Irish-English trumpeter.

; December2 – Bill Tapia, American guitarist.15 – Bob Brookmeyer, American valve trombonist, pianist, and composer.17 – Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean singer.18 – Ralph MacDonald, Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, and steelpan virtuoso.26 – Sam Rivers, American saxophonist, bass clarinetist, flautist, harmonica player and pianist, and composer.