1956 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1956.

July

 * 5 – The 5th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 5 – 7).
 * 7 – Duke Ellington and his band performs at the Newport Jazz Festival. The album Ellington at Newport devises a landmark performance which is capped by an amazing tenor saxophone solo by Paul Gonsalves on "Diminuendo" and "Crescendo in Blue".

Unknown date
 * The guitarist Mundell Lowe brings pianist Bill Evans to the attention of Orin Keepnews and Bill Grauer of Riverside records.
 * Dizzy Gillespie meets Argentine pianist Lalo Schifrin and is impressed. Dizzy continues to gravitate to the Latin rhythms.
 * Miles Davis and his quintet record four records (Cookin' , Relaxin' , Workin' and Steamin' ) for Prestige, spending only two days in the studio to complete. Miles also records  'Round about Midnight on the Columbia label.

Album releases

 * Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: The Jazz Messengers
 * Kenny Burrell: All Night Long
 * Rosemary Clooney: Blue Rose
 * Chris Connor: Chris Connor
 * Miles Davis: Round About Midnight (released 1957 - recorded 1955 and 1956)
 * Jimmy Giuffre: The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet
 * Quincy Jones: This Is How I Feel About Jazz
 * Stan Kenton: Cuban Fire!
 * Peggy Lee: Black Coffee (Reissue)
 * John Lewis: Grand Encounter
 * Charles Mingus: Pithecanthropus Erectus
 * Modern Jazz Quartet: Fontessa
 * Phineas Newborn: Piano Artistry
 * Max Roach: Max Roach + 4
 * Sonny Rollins
 * "Sonny Rollins Plus 4"
 * "Tenor Madness"
 * "Work Time"
 * George Russell:The Jazz Workshop
 * John Serry Sr.: Squeeze Play
 * Horace Silver: Six Pieces of Silver
 * Zoot Sims: Tonite's Music Today
 * Jimmy Smith: A New Star A New Sound
 * Cecil Taylor: Jazz Advance
 * Lucky Thompson: Tricotism
 * Mel Torme: Touch
 * Lennie Tristano: Manhattan Studio/ New York Improvisations

Deaths
May
 * 13 – Don Kirkpatrick, American pianist and arranger (born 1905).
 * 15 – Adrian Rollini, American bass saxophonist (born 1903).
 * 30 – Valaida Snow, African-American jazz musician and entertainer (born 1904).

June
 * 11 – Frankie Trumbauer, American saxophonists (born 1901).
 * 26
 * Clifford Brown, American trumpeter (born 1930).
 * Richie Powell, American bebop pianist (born 1931).

July
 * 7 – Alex Hyde, American bandleader and violinist (born 1898).
 * 11 – Ernst Höllerhagen, German reedist (born 1912).

September
 * 8 – Fred Rich, Polish-born American bandleader and composer (born 1898).

October
 * 18 – Harry Parry, Welsh clarinetist and bandleader (born 1912).

November
 * 5 – Art Tatum, American pianist and virtuoso (born 1909).
 * 7 – Una Mae Carlisle, American singer, pianist, and songwriter (born 1915).
 * 20 – Achille Baquet, American clarinetist and saxophonist (born 1885).
 * 26 – Tommy Dorsey, American trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader (born 1905).

Unknown date
 * Joe Appleton, British saxophonist and clarinetist from the West Indies (born 1900).

Births


January
 * 1 – Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese composer, pianist, playwright, and political commentator.
 * 4
 * Alex Cline, American drummer.
 * Nels Cline, American guitarist and composer.
 * 7 – Steve Williams, American drummer.
 * 21 – Kevin Norton, American percussionist and composer.
 * 23 – Ralph Carney, American saxophonist and clarinetist, Tin Huey (died 2017).
 * 24 – Mitchel Forman, American keyboardist.
 * 26 – Steve Dobrogosz, American pianist and composer.

February
 * 5 – Vinnie Colaiuta, American drummer.
 * 11
 * Didier Lockwood, French violinist, Magma (died 2018).
 * Raoul Björkenheim, Finnish-American guitarist.
 * 15 – Nils Landgren, Swedish trombone player.
 * 20 – Riccardo Del Fra, Italian upright bassist, bandleader, composer, and arranger.
 * 28 – Jens Wendelboe, Norwegian trombonist and orchestra leader.

March
 * 2 – Danilo Terenzi, Italian trombonist and composer (died 1995).
 * 4 – Kermit Driscoll, American bassist.

April
 * 2 – Károly Binder, Hungarian pianist.
 * 3 – Tessa Souter, English singer, songwriter, and writer.
 * 4 – Gary Smulyan, American baritone saxophonist.
 * 9 – Michael Hashim, American jazz alto saxophonist.
 * 16 – T Lavitz, American keyboardist, composer and producer (died 2010).
 * 19 – Denardo Coleman, American drummer.
 * 27 – Anna Lyman, Canadian Jazz, Latin Vocalist composer, and recording artist of Mexican American extraction.

May
 * 5 – Mary Coughlan, Irish jazz and folk singer, and actress.
 * 8 – Jean-Marc Jafet, French bassist and guitarist.
 * 13 – Oskar Aichinger, Austrian pianist.
 * 14 – Bruce Forman, American guitarist.
 * 15 – Mathias Claus, German jazz pianist and composer.
 * 21 – Wolfgang Puschnig, Austrian saxophonist.
 * 26 – Quanti Bomani, Afro-Caribbean multi-instrumentalist and composer.

June
 * 5 – Kenny G, American saxophonist.
 * 8 – Uri Caine, American pianist and composer.
 * 11 – Jamaaladeen Tacuma, American bassist.
 * 19 – Aaron Scott, American composer and drummer.
 * 26 – Bill Cunliffe, American jazz pianist and composer.
 * 27 – Maria João, Portuguese singer.

July
 * 5 – Billy Jenkins, English guitarist, composer, and bandleader.
 * 6 – John Jorgenson, American guitarist and banjo player, Desert Rose Band and Hellecasters.
 * 17 – Lucien Barbarin, American trombonist.
 * 18 – Hein van de Geyn, Dutch upright bassist, composer and band leader.
 * 19 – Marit Sandvik, Norwegian singer.
 * 21 – Franklin Kiermyer, Canadian drummer, composer and bandleader.
 * 24 – Denis Colin, French bass clarinettist and composer.
 * 26 – Wayne Krantz, American guitarist.

August
 * 13 – Gast Waltzing, Luxembourgian trumpeter and composer.
 * 15 – Lorraine Desmarais, French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer.
 * 24 – Mimi Fox, American guitarist and educator.
 * 29 – Doug Raney, American guitarist (died 2016).

September
 * 1 – Hilde Hefte, Norwegian singer.
 * 8 – Eivin One Pedersen, Norwegian accordionist and pianist (died 2012).
 * 12 – Brian Lynch, American trumpeter.
 * 15 –
 * Ned Rothenberg, American multi-instrumentalist and composer.
 * George Howard, American saxophonist (died 1998).
 * 19 – Wolfgang Lackerschmid, German vibraphonist, bandleader, and composer.
 * 20 – Steve Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.

October
 * 9 – Geir Langslet, Norwegian pianist.
 * 10 – Johnny O'Neal, American pianist and vocalist.
 * 20 – Martin Taylor, British guitarist.
 * 22 – Jane Bunnett, Canadian soprano saxophonist, flautist, and bandleader.
 * 23
 * Dianne Reeves, American singer.
 * Svein Dag Hauge, Norwegian guitarist.
 * 26 – Mike LeDonne, American pianist and organist.
 * 27 – Ben Besiakov, Danish pianist and keyboardist.
 * 28 – Liz Story, American pianist and composer.
 * 29 – David Chesky, American pianist, composer, producer, arranger, and co-founder of the label Chesky Records.
 * 31 – Bob Belden, American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and producer (died 2015).

November
 * 1 – Tim Landers, American bass guitarist, composer and record producer.
 * 2 – Frank Kimbrough, American pianist.
 * 7
 * Denise Jannah, Dutch vocalist.
 * Iro Haarla, Finnish pianist and composer.
 * Mikhail Alperin, Ukrainian born jazz pianist, member of the Moscow Art Trio, professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music (died 2018).
 * 10 – Louis Mhlanga, Zimbabwean guitarist.
 * 12 – Satoshi Inoue, Japanese guitarist.
 * 18 – Tiziano Tononi, Italian percussionist and composer.

December
 * 3 – Rob Waring, American-Norwegian vibraphonist.
 * 5 – Randy Johnston, American guitarist.
 * 12 – Geir Holmsen, Norwegian bassist.
 * 18 – Chris Murrell, American singer (died 2017).
 * 21 – Zeena Parkins, American harpist.
 * 24 – Ralph Moore, English saxophonist.
 * 27 – Karl Denson, American saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist.

Unknown date
 * Chris Wilson, Australian singer and guitarist (died 2019).
 * Gregg Karukas, smooth jazz pianist.
 * Lee Pui Ming, Hong Kong-born American pianist, vocalist, and composer.
 * Nicola Stilo, Italian flautist, guitarist, and pianist.
 * Raymond Strid, Swedish drummer.
 * Reiner Michalke, German musician and artistic director of the Moers Festival.