1966 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1966.

January

 * 14 – The Jazz Crusaders record Live at the Lighthouse '66 at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California (January 14 – 16).

July

 * 1 – The 13th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 1 – 4).

Album releases

 * Alex Schlippenbach: Globe Unity
 * Archie Shepp: Mama Too Tight
 * Bill Evans: Bill Evans at Town Hall
 * Bobby Hutcherson: Happenings
 * Bobby Hutcherson: Stick-Up!
 * Cecil Taylor: Unit Structures
 * Cecil Taylor: Conquistador!
 * Charles Lloyd: Dream Weaver
 * Charles Tyler: Charles Tyler Ensemble
 * Chick Corea: Tones For Joan's Bones
 * Denny Zeitlin: Zeitgeist
 * Dewey Redman: Look for the Black Star
 * Don Cherry: Symphony For Improvisers
 * Duke Ellington: The Far East Suite
 * Guenter Hampel: Assemblage
 * Hank Mobley: Straight No Filter
 * Horace Silver: The Jody Grind
 * Hugh Masekela: Grrr
 * Hugh Masekela: The Americanization of Ooga Booga
 * Hugh Masekela: The Emancipation of Hugh Masekela
 * Jaki Byard: Sunshine of My Soul
 * Joe Harriott: Indo-Jazz Suite
 * Joe Harriott: Indo-Jazz Fusions
 * John Coltrane: Ascension
 * John Coltrane: Meditations
 * Joseph Jarman: Song For
 * Larry Young: Of Love And Peace
 * Lee Morgan: Delightfulee
 * Patty Waters: College Tour
 * Roscoe Mitchell: Sound
 * Sonny Simmons: Music from the Spheres
 * Steve Lacy: Sortie
 * Steve Lacy: The Forest And The Zoo
 * Sun Ra: Strange Strings
 * Sunny Murray: Sunny Murray Quintet
 * Wayne Shorter: Adam's Apple
 * Wayne Shorter: Speak No Evil

Deaths

 * February
 * 10 – Osie Johnson, American drummer, arranger, and singer (born 1923).
 * 23 – Billy Kyle, American pianist (born 1914).


 * March
 * 28 – Kid Howard, American trumpeter (born 1908).


 * May
 * 11 – Isaiah Morgan, American trumpeter (born 1897).
 * 30 – Thelma Terry, American bandleader and upright bassist (born 1901).


 * June
 * 17 – Johnny St. Cyr, American banjoist and guitarist (born 1890).


 * July
 * 31 – Bud Powell, American pianist (born 1924).


 * August
 * 2 – Boyd Raeburn, American bandleader and bass saxophonist (heart attack) (born 1913).
 * 17 – Rolf Billberg, Swedish alto saxophonist (born 1930).


 * September
 * 2 – Darnell Howard, American clarinetist and violinist (born 1895).
 * 28 – Lucky Millinder, African-American bandleader (born 1910).


 * October
 * 3 – Dave Lambert, American lyricist and singer (born 1917).
 * 7 – Smiley Lewis, American singer and guitarist (born 1913).
 * 10 – Colette Bonheur, Canadian singer (born 1927).
 * 15 – Lee Blair, American banjoist and guitarist (born 1903).
 * 29 – Wellman Braud, American upright bassist (born 1891).


 * November
 * 8 – Shorty Baker, American trumpeter (born 1914).


 * December
 * 17 – Sylvia Telles, Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer (born 1934).


 * Unknown date
 * Nikele Moyake, South African tenor saxophonist, The Blue Notes (born 1933).

Births

 * January
 * 10 – Kristin Sevaldsen, Norwegian saxophonist.
 * 12 – Ingrid Jensen, Canadian trumpeter.
 * 28 – Julian Argüelles, English saxophonist.


 * February
 * 2 – Greg Gisbert, American trumpeter and flugelhornist.
 * 6
 * Larry Grenadier, American upright bassist.
 * Michael Mondesir, English bass guitarist and composer.
 * 7 – Henrik Andersen, Danish guitarist, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and vocal percussionist.
 * 21 – Margareta Bengtson, Swedish soprano singer, The Real Group.


 * March
 * 5 – Ann Farholt, Danish singer.
 * 14 – Raul Midón, American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
 * 22 – Jan Lundgren, Swedish pianist and composer.
 * 25 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer and guitarist (died 2008).


 * April
 * 2 – Michael Cain, American pianist and composer.
 * 12
 * Nils-Olav Johansen, Norwegian guitarist.
 * Rigmor Gustafsson, Swedish singer.
 * 15 – Warren Hill, Canadian alto saxaphonist.
 * 16 – Jarle Vespestad, Norwegian drummer.
 * 22 – Nina Shatskaya, Russian singer and actress.
 * 25 – Karen Mantler, American singer, composer, piano, organ, and chromatic harmonica player.


 * May
 * 11 – Julian Joseph, British pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and broadcaster.
 * 13 – Julian Siegel, British saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and arranger.
 * 20 – Sheryl Bailey, American guitarist and educator
 * 28 – Theo Bleckmann, German vocalist and composer.


 * June
 * 8 – John Rae, Scottish drummer, composer, and band leader.
 * 19 – Silje Nergaard, Norwegian singer.


 * July
 * 12 – Luciana Souza, Brazilian singer and composer.


 * August
 * 5 – Roberto Tola, Italian guitarist and composer.
 * 6 – Regina Carter, American violinist.
 * 7 – Torstein Ellingsen, Norwegian drummer.
 * 11 – Donny McCaslin, American saxophonist.
 * 30 – John Gunther, American saxophonist.


 * September
 * 4 – Biréli Lagrène, French guitarist.
 * 17 – Makiko Hirabayashi, Japanese pianist.


 * October
 * 1 – Siri Gellein, Norwegian singer.
 * 6 – Mark Whitfield, American guitarist.
 * 12 – Harry Allen, American tenor saxophonist.
 * 15 – Bill Charlap, American pianist.
 * 18 – Bill Stewart, American drummer.
 * 27 – Nathalie Loriers, Belgian pianist and composer.


 * November
 * 5 – Øystein B. Blix, Norwegian trombonist.
 * 12 – Anthony Joseph, British-Trinidadian poet, novelist, musician, and academic.
 * 25 – Jacky Terrasson, American pianist.


 * Unknown date
 * Carl Ludwig Hübsch, German tubist and composer.
 * Hilmar Jensson, Icelandic guitarist and composer.
 * Lars Møller, Danish saxophonist.
 * Nils Davidsen, Danish bassist.
 * Ricardo Garcia, Spanish guitarist and bandleader.
 * Tony Kofi, British saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist.
 * Toshimaru Nakamura, Japanese guitarist and electronica artist.
 * Wessell Anderson, American alto and sopranino saxophonist.