1972 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1972.

April

 * 21
 * Grant Green records Live at the Lighthouse at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California.

June

 * 10 – The very first Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany (June 10 – 11).
 * 16 – The 6th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (June 16 – August 20).
 * 29 – The 19th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (June 29 – July 8).

September

 * 15 – The 15th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 15 – 17).

Album releases

 * Neil Ardley: Symphony of Amaranths
 * Gato Barbieri: Bolivia (album)
 * Paul Bley: Open, to Love
 * Anthony Braxton
 * Donna Lee
 * Saxophone Improvisations
 * Town Hall 1972
 * Gary Burton: Alone at Last
 * Ornette Coleman: Skies of America
 * Chick Corea: Return To Forever
 * Miles Davis: On The Corner
 * Bill Evans: Living Time (with George Russell)
 * Gunter Hampel
 * Angel (Gunter Hampel album)
 * Broadway
 * Familie (album)
 * Waltz For 11 Universes In A Corridor
 * Herbie Hancock: Crossings (album)
 * Julius Hemphill: Dogon AD
 * Joe Henderson: Black Is The Color
 * Keith Jarrett
 * Expectations (Keith Jarrett album)
 * Facing You
 * Eric Kloss: One, Two, Free
 * David Liebman: Open Sky (album)
 * London Jazz Composers Orchestra: Ode (album)
 * Albert Mangelsdorff: Trombirds
 * Nucleus: Belladonna (album)
 * Oregon: Music Of Another Present Era
 * Annette Peacock: I'm the One
 * Jean-Luc Ponty: Sonata Erotica
 * John Surman: Westering Home
 * McCoy Tyner
 * Echoes of a Friend
 * Sahara (album)
 * Weather Report: I Sing the Body Electric
 * Randy Weston: Blue Moses
 * Stanley Cowell – Illusion Suite
 * Stanley Clarke – Children of Forever
 * Gary Bartz – Juju Street Songs
 * Airto Moreira – Free
 * Charles Earland – Charles III
 * Stanley Turrentine – Cherry
 * Bucky Pizzarelli – Green Guitar Blues

Deaths

 * January
 * 27 – Mahalia Jackson, American singer (born 1911).


 * February
 * 19 – Lee Morgan, American trumpeter, shot dead (born 1938).


 * March
 * 13 – Clancy Hayes, American vocalist, banjoist and guitarist (born 1908).
 * 27 – Sharkey Bonano, American trumpeter, band leader, and vocalist (born 1904).


 * April
 * 3 – Ferde Grofé, American composer, arranger, and pianist (born 1892).


 * May
 * 5 – Reverend Gary Davis, American singer, banjoist, guitarist, and harmonica player (born 1896).


 * June
 * 8 – Jimmy Rushing, American blues shouter, balladeer, singer, and pianist (born 1901).


 * July
 * 3 – Marty Flax, American saxophonist (born 1924).
 * 10 – Lovie Austin, 84, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (born 1887).


 * August
 * 5 – Mezz Mezzrow, American clarinetist and saxophonist (born 1899).
 * 9 – André Ekyan, French reedist (born 1907).
 * 20 – Mike Bryan, American guitarist (born 1916).
 * 24 – Don Byas, American tenor saxophonist (born 1912).
 * 31
 * Hideo Shiraki, Japanese drummer and bandleader (born 1933).
 * Dalva de Oliveira, Brazilian singer (internal bleeding) (born 1917).


 * October
 * 13 – Phil Seamen, English drummer (born 1926).
 * 25 – Cal Massey, American trumpeter and composer (born 1928).


 * November
 * 24 – Hall Overton, American composer and pianist (born 1920).


 * December
 * 3 – Bill Johnson, African-American upright bassist (born 1872).
 * 5 – Kenny Dorham, American trumpeter, singer, and composer (born 1924).
 * 25 – Dud Bascomb, American trumpeter (born 1916).
 * 29 – Hayes Alvis, American upright bassist and tubist (born 1907).

Births

 * January
 * 6 – Mina Agossi, French singer-songwriter.


 * February
 * 1 – Siri Gjære, Norwegian singer.
 * 14 – Daniela Schaechter, Italian singer and pianist.


 * March
 * 7 – Katrine Madsen, Danish singer.
 * 12 – Lisa Werlinder, Swedish actress and singer.
 * 14 – Noriko Ueda, Japanese upright bassist, pianist, singer, composer, and arranger.
 * 21 – Jesse van Ruller, Dutch guitarist and composer.
 * 25 – Mimi Jones, American bassist, vocalist, composer, bandleader, and label director.


 * April
 * 9 – Christos Rafalides, Greek vibraphonist, composer, and educator.
 * 15 – Christer Fredriksen, Norwegian guitarist.
 * 16 – Øyvind Nypan, Norwegian guitarist.


 * May
 * 31 – Christian McBride, American bassist.


 * July
 * 1 – Alex Machacek, Austrian guitarist.
 * 4 – Ketil Gutvik, Norwegian guitarist.
 * 29 – Roger Johansen, Norwegian drummer.


 * August
 * 13 – Oscar Peñas, Catalan-American guitarist and composer.
 * 21 – Nino Katamadze, Georgian singer.


 * September
 * 12 – Gerard Presencer, English trumpeter.
 * 27 – Lindha Kallerdahl, Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer.


 * October
 * 2 – John Daversa, American trumpeter and composer.
 * 11 – Federico Ughi, Italian drummer and composer.
 * 12 – Eugene Ball, Australian composer and trumpeter.
 * 22 – Doug Wamble, American guitarist and vocalist.


 * November
 * 5 – Neil Cowley, English pianist.


 * December
 * 2 – Pasquale Stafano, Italian pianist, composer, and arranger.
 * 5 – Stefano Bollani, Italian composer, pianist, and singer.
 * 7 – Thomas Strønen, Norwegian drummer.
 * 28 – Terreon Gully, American drummer.


 * Unknown date
 * Anders Christensen, Danish upright bassist.
 * Ari Poutiainen, Finnish violinist, violist, composer, and researcher.
 * Jay Soto, American guitarist.
 * Meriç Yurdatapan, Turkish singer.
 * Morten Lund, Danish drummer.