1970 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1970.

June

 * 17 – The 4th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (June 17 – 22).

July

 * 10
 * Lee Morgan records Live at the Lighthouse (July 10 – 12), at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California.
 * The 17th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 10 – 12).

September

 * 18 – The 13th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 18 – 20).

Album releases

 * Bill Evans: Montreux II
 * Bill Evans: Bill Evans Alone
 * Paul Bley: Improvisie
 * Marion Brown: Afternoon of a Georgia Faun
 * Alice Coltrane: Ptah, the El Daoud
 * McCoy Tyner: Extensions
 * Art Ensemble of Chicago: Les Stances a Sophie
 * Sonny Sharrock: Monkey-Pockie-Boo
 * Freddie Hubbard: Straight Life
 * Jan Garbarek: Afric Pepperbird
 * Evan Parker: The Topography of the Lungs
 * Spontaneous Music Ensemble: So What Do You Think
 * Alice Coltrane: Journey in Satchidananda
 * Pharoah Sanders: Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)
 * Stanley Turrentine: Sugar
 * Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra: My Brother the Wind
 * Woody Shaw: Blackstone Legacy
 * Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay
 * McCoy Tyner: Asante
 * Miles Davis: Bitches' Brew
 * Leon Thomas: The Leon Thomas Album
 * Hubert Laws: Afro-Classic
 * John McLaughlin: My Goal's Beyond
 * ICP Orchestra: Groupcomposing
 * Gunter Hampel: People Symphony
 * Keith Tippett: Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening
 * Misha Mengelberg: Instant Composers Pool 005
 * Gunter Hampel: Ballet-Symphony
 * Chris McGregor: And the Brotherhood of Breath
 * Joe McPhee: Nation Time
 * Hugh Masekela: Reconstruction

Deaths

 * January
 * 16 – Lem Davis, American alto saxophonist (born 1914).
 * 17 – Billy Stewart, American singer, drummer, and pianist (born 1937).


 * March
 * 2 – Emile Barnes, American clarinetist (born 1892).
 * 21 – Jack Sels, Belgian saxophonist and composer (born 1922).


 * April
 * 10 – Ralph Escudero, Puerto Rican bassist and tubist (born 1898).
 * 20 – Perry Bradford, African-American composer, songwriter, and vaudeville performer (born 1893).


 * May
 * 10 – Frankie Lee Sims, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1917).
 * 11 – Johnny Hodges, American alto saxophonist (born 1906).
 * 24 – Cliff Jackson, American pianist (born 1902).


 * June
 * 16 – Lonnie Johnson, American singer and guitarist (born 1899).


 * July
 * 26 – Fernando Arbello, Puerto Rican trombonist (born 1907).
 * 31 – Booker Ervin, American saxophonist (born 1930).


 * August
 * 4 – Scoops Carry, American saxophonist and clarinetist (born 1915).
 * 5 – Otto Hardwick, American saxophonist (born 1904).


 * September
 * 18 – Maxwell Davis, American saxophonist, arranger, and record producer (born 1916).


 * October
 * 11 – Phil Spitalny, American bandleader (born 1890).
 * 12 – Barney Rapp, American drummer and orchestra leader (born 1900).


 * November
 * 20 – Don Stovall, American alto saxophonist (born 1913).
 * 25 – Albert Ayler, American saxophonist and singer (born 1936).


 * December
 * 14 – Elmer Schoebel, American pianist and composer (born 1896).

Births



 * January
 * 1 – Karen Souza, Argentin singer.
 * 4 – Michel Bisceglia, Belgian pianist.
 * 5 – Jesper Bodilsen, Danish upright bassist.
 * 19 – Iiro Rantala, Finnish pianist, Trio Töykeät.
 * 24 – Adam Pierończyk, Polish saxophonist and composer.


 * February
 * 9 – Eldbjørg Raknes, Norwegian singer.
 * 13 – Adam Cruz, American drummer.
 * 20
 * Craig Taborn, American pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer.
 * Éric Legnini, Belgian pianist and bandleader.
 * 27 – Lina Nyberg, Swedish singer and composer.


 * March
 * 11 – Justin Hayford, American singer and pianist.
 * 19 – Harald Johnsen, Norwegian upright bassist (died 2011).
 * 22 – Live Maria Roggen, Norwegian singer and composer, Come Shine.


 * April
 * 1 – Tone Lise Moberg, Norwegian singer.
 * 15 – Michael Schiefel, German singer.
 * 20 – Avishai Cohen, Israeli bassist, composer, singer and arranger.
 * 25 – Kjersti Stubø, Norwegian singer.


 * May
 * 1 – Sacha Perry, American pianist and composer.
 * 4
 * Giovanni Mirabassi, Italian pianist.
 * Jeremy Davenport, American trumpeter and singer.
 * 6 – Juliet Kelly, British singer and songwriter.
 * 22 – Jimmy Bennington, American drummer.


 * June
 * 2 – Matt Garrison, American bassist.
 * 10 – Dwayne Burno, American upright bassist (died 2013).
 * 12 – Dave Maric, British composer and musician.
 * 13 – Ron Westray, American trombonist, composer and educator.
 * 16 – Gregory Hutchinson, American drummer.
 * 21 – Eric Reed, American pianist and composer.
 * 22 – Goran Kajfeš, Swedish trumpeter.
 * 24 – Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese pianist and film composer (died 2012).


 * July
 * 6
 * Médéric Collignon, French vocalist, cornettist and saxhorn player.
 * Roger Cicero, German singer (died 2016).
 * 13 – Glenn Corneille, Dutch pianist (died 2005).
 * 14 – Jacob Young, Norwegian guitarist.
 * 15 – Frank McComb, American soul singer and pianist.
 * 16 – Yinka Davies, Nigerian vocalist, dancer, and lyricist.
 * 17 – Alvester Garnett, American drummer.
 * 25 – Brian Blade, American drummer, composer and singer-songwriter.
 * 30 – Susanne Abbuehl, Swiss-Dutch singer.


 * August
 * 1 – Kishon Khan, Bangladeshi-British pianist, composer, arranger, and music producer.
 * 21
 * Marlon Jordan, American trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.
 * Simone Eriksrud, Norwegian singer and composer.
 * 22 – Erik van der Luijt, Dutch pianist, composer, and band leader.
 * 23 – Brad Mehldau, American pianist, composer, and arranger.
 * 24 – Chris Tarry, Canadian bass guitarist.

, September
 * 3 – Haydain Neale, Canadian singer-songwriter (died 2009).
 * 24 – Ingrid Laubrock, German soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophonist.
 * 28 – Neil Yates, British trumpeter.


 * October
 * 5 – Tord Gustavsen (October 5), Norwegian pianist and composer.
 * 8 – Maria Kannegaard, Danish-born Norwegian pianist.
 * 16 – Heine Totland, Norwegian singer.
 * 19 – Jacob Karlzon, Swedish pianist and composer.
 * 20 – Håvard Lund, Norwegian clarinetist and saxophonist.
 * 22 – Manuel Mota, Portuguese guitarist.
 * 23 – Tobias Sjögren, Swedish guitarist and composer.
 * 24 – Jesse Harris, American singer-songwriter.
 * 28 – Kurt Rosenwinkel, American guitarist, composer and keyboardist.
 * 29 – Toby Smith, British keyboardist and songwriter for Jamiroquai (died 2017).


 * November
 * 15 – Susie Ibarra, American composer and percussionist.
 * 20 – Geoffrey Keezer, American pianist.
 * 22 – Chris Fryar, American drummer.


 * December
 * 14 – Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer.
 * 18 – Norman Brown, American guitarist.
 * 24 – Marco Minnemann, German drummer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist.


 * Unknown date
 * Andreas Paolo Perger, Austrian guitarist, improviser, and composer.
 * Anna Mjöll, Icelandic singer and songwriter.
 * Dominic Green, British writer and guitarist.
 * Kate McGarry, American singer.
 * Keith Anderson, American saxophonist.
 * Lullaby Baxter, Canadian singer.
 * Matt Lavelle, American trumpet, flugelhorn and bass clarinet player.
 * Peter Martin, American pianist.
 * Tom Brantley, American trombonist.