2022 in jazz
This is a timeline documenting events of jazz in the year 2022.
Events
April
- April 3 - The 64th Annual Grammy Awards occur. Jazz award winners include:
- *Esperanza Spalding wins Best Jazz Vocal Album for her 2021 album Songwrights Apothecary Lab
- *Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette & Gonzalo Rubalcaba win Best Jazz Instrumental Album for their 2021 album Skyline
- *Christian McBride Big Band wins Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for their 2021 album For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver
- *Eliane Elias, Chick Corea and Chucho Valdés win Best Latin Jazz Album for their 2021 album Mirror Mirror
- *Arooj Aftab was nominated for Best New Artist
- April 29 - After being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19, JazzFest reopens
- April 29 - Domi and JD Beck sign a contract with Anderson.Paak's label APESHIT in partnership with Blue Note Records and release their debut single "SMiLE"
- April 30 - International Jazz Day occurs with a concert at the United Nations directed by Herbie Hancock
May
- May 26 - Subgenre MUMBLE JAZZ is invented with Unc D's single HPHCPH.MMBL. MUMBLE JAZZ mixes jazz scatting with autotune modern hip hop flow.
June
- June 1 - Sons of Kemet announced the band would be dispanding after their final live tours this year, making Black To The Future from 2021 their final studio album
July
- July 26 - Geri Allen is inducted into the DownBeat hall of fame
- July 29 - July 31 - The 2022 Blue Note Jazz Festival occurs hosted by Dave Chappelle.
August
- Jon Batiste wins top Jazz Artist in the 70th Annual DownBeat critics poll, Charles Lloyd & The Marvels wins top Jazz group
September
- The 65th Monterey Jazz Festival Occurs
October
- October 1 to November 12 - Snarky Puppy set to go on tour in Europe to support their September 30 Album Empire Central
- October 6 to November 12 - French Kiwi Juice set to go on a North American tour
- October 10 - Domi and JD Beck start their first ever live tour in their hometown of Dallas, Texas and quickly sell out
- October 20 - Fergus McCreadie wins the Scottish Album of the Year Award for his album Forest Floor
- October 21 - Finding The Right Notes, a PBS documentary about the life of Ron Carter, releases
- October 28 - Black And Blues, a documentary about the life of Louis Armstrong, releases
November
- November 30 - The New York Times ranks Cécile McLorin Salvant's Ghost Song as the best jazz album of 2022, followed by Immanuel Wilkins' The 7th Hand in #2
December
- December 21 - NPR Music ranks Domi and JD Beck's NOT TiGHT in the top 10 albums of 2022 at #10
- December 30 - The Guardian ranks Charles Lloyd's Trios: Sacred Thread as the best jazz album of 2022, followed by Mary Halvorson's Amaryllis/Belladonna in #2
- December 30 - Jazzmeia Horn and Her Noble Force's 2021 album Dear Love ends off the year at the #1 spot with most radio airplay of the year as documented by JazzWeek.
Albums
Deaths
January
- January 13 – Fred Van Hove, 84, Belgian jazz musician
February
- February 21 – Ernie Andrews, Jazz and R&B singer
March
June
- June 3 – Grachan Moncur III, 85, American jazz musician
- June 14 – Meghan Stabile, 39, American jazz producer/marketer
July
- July 9 – Barbara Thompson, 77, British jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer
- July 19 – Michael Henderson, 71, American jazz fusion bassist
- July 25 – Milenko Stefanović, 92, Serbian classical and jazz clarinetist
August
- August 9 – Della Griffin, 100, American jazz vocalist and drummer
- August 10 – Abdul Wadud, 75, American jazz cellist
- August 18 – Rolf Kühn, 92, German jazz clarinetist and saxophonist
- August 22 – Fredy Studer, 74, Swiss percussionist
- August 22 – Jaimie Branch, 39, American jazz trumpeter
- August 25 - Joey DeFrancesco, 51, Jazz Organist and Multi Instrumentalist
Sebtember
- September 12 - Ramsey Lewis, 87, Jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality
- September 24 - Pharoah Sanders, 81, Tenor Saxophonist
October
- October 30 - Anthony Ortega, 94, clarinetist, saxophonist, and flautist.
November
- November 16 - Mick Goodrick, 77, jazz guitarist and music teacher