2008 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 2008.

January

 * 30 – The 11th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (January 30 – February 2).

February

 * 21 – The 3rd Ice Music Festival Festival started in Geilo, Norway (February 21–24).

March

 * 7 – The 4th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia (March 7–9).
 * 11 – Jazz musician and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton announces his retirement from presenting BBC Radio 2's jazz programme after forty years.
 * 14
 * The 35th Vossajazz started at Voss, Norway (March 14–16).
 * Mads Berven was awarded Vossajazzprisen 2008.
 * 19 – Tord Gustavsen performs the commissioned work Restar av lukke – bitar av tru for Vossajazz 2008.
 * 31 – theJazz radio station stops broadcasting.

April

 * 18
 * The International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) ceased daily operations and filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the United States Federal Bankruptcy Law, ending 40 years of service.
 * 24 – The 14th SoddJazz started in Inderøy, Norway (April 24–28).

May

 * 9 – The 37th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany (May 9 – 12).
 * 21 – The 36th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway (May 21 – 31).

June

 * 26 – The 28th Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (June 26 - July 6).
 * 27 – The 20th Jazz Fest Wien started in Vienna, Austria (June 27 – July 17).
 * 29
 * The first annual International Jazz Awards, a global 2 hour television special celebrating over 100 years of Jazz music, took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

July

 * 2 – The 44th Kongsberg Jazzfestival started in Kongsberg, Norway (July 2 – 5).
 * 4
 * The 30th Copenhagen Jazz Festival started in Copenhagen, Denmark (July 4 – 13).
 * The 42nd Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (July 4 – 19).
 * 11 – The 33rd North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands (July 11 – 13).
 * 14
 * The 48th Moldejazz started in Molde, Norway (July 14 – 19).
 * The 43rd Pori Jazz Festival started in Pori, Finland (July 14 – 20).
 * 16 – The 25th Stockholm Jazz Festival started in Stockholm, Sweden (July 16 – 19).
 * 19 – The 61st Nice Jazz Festival started in Nice, France (July 19 – 25).
 * 22 – The 43rd San Sebastian Jazz Festival started in San Sebastian, Spain (July 22 – 27).

August

 * 6 – The 22nd Sildajazz started in Haugesund, Norway (August 6 – 10).
 * 8
 * The 52ndd Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (August 8 – 10).
 * The 24th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales (August 8 – 10).
 * 11 – The 23rd Oslo Jazzfestival started in Oslo, Norway (August 11 – 16).

September

 * 4 – The 4th Punktfestivalen started in Kristiansand, Norway (September 4 – 6).
 * 19 – The 51st Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 19 – 21).

November

 * 14 – The 17th London Jazz Festival started in England (November 14 – 23).

Deaths

 * January
 * 4
 * Irene Reid, American singer (born 1930).
 * Keith Smith, English trumpeter (born 1940).
 * 11
 * Pete Candoli, American trumpeter (prostate cancer) (born 1923).
 * Steve Harris, English drummer and composer (born 1948).
 * 20 – Tommy McQuater, British trumpeter (born 1914).
 * 30
 * Bill Saragih, Indonesian musician (born 1933).
 * Miles Kington, British journalist and upright bassist, Instant Sunshine (born 1941).


 * February
 * 3 – Jackie Orszaczky, Hungarian bass guitarist and composer (born 1948).
 * 4 – Chris Anderson, American pianist (born 1926).
 * 12 – John Brunious, American trumpeter and the bandleader, Preservation Hall Jazz Band (born 1940).
 * 13 – Henri Salvador, French Caribbean comedian and singer (born 1917).
 * 14 – Gene Allen, American jazz reedist (born 1928).
 * 19 – Teo Macero, American saxophonist, record producer and composer (born 1925).


 * March
 * 2 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer and guitarist (born 1966).
 * 10 – Dennis Irwin, American upright bassist (born 1951).
 * 16 – Pete Chilver, British guitarist and hotelier (born 1924).
 * 19 – Eivind Solberg, Norwegian trumpeter (born 1933).
 * 21 – Patti Bown, American jazz pianist, composer, and singer (born 1931).
 * 22 – Israel López Valdés or better known as Cachao, Cuban upright bassist and composer (born 1918).
 * 24 – Chalmers Alford, American guitarist (born 1955).
 * 29 – Allan Ganley, British drummer (born 1931).


 * April
 * 7 – Phil Urso, American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer (born 1925).
 * 12 – Bobby Tucker, American pianist and arranger (born 1923).
 * 15 – Dick Charlesworth, English clarinettist, saxophonist, and bandleader (born 1932).
 * 24 – Jimmy Giuffre, American musician (pneumonia) (born 1921).
 * 25 – Humphrey Lyttelton, British jazz musician (born 1921).
 * 27 – Hal Stein, American saxophonist (born 1928).


 * May
 * 6 – Franz Jackson, American saxophonist (born 1912).
 * 10 – Mario Schiano, Italian alto and soprano saxophonist (born 1933).
 * 15
 * Bob Florence, American pianist (born 1932).
 * Walt Dickerson, American vibraphonist (born 1928).
 * 24 – Jimmy McGriff, (multiple sclerosis), American organist (born 1936).
 * 28 – Danny Moss, British jazz saxophonist (born 1927).
 * 30
 * Campbell Burnap, British trombonist and broadcaster (cancer) (born 1939).
 * Nat Temple, British big band leader (born 1913).


 * June
 * 4 – Bill Finegan, American pianist and arranger (born 1917).
 * 14 – Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish pianist (Scuba diving accident) (born 1964).
 * 28 – Ronnie Mathews, American pianist (born 1935).


 * July
 * 3
 * Harald Heide-Steen Jr., (lung cancer), Norwegian actor, comedian and jazz singer (born 1939).
 * Salah Ragab, Egyptian drummer and called the founder Egyptian jazz (born 1936).
 * 6 – Bobby Durham, American drummer (born 1937).
 * 13 – Gerald Wiggins, American pianist (born 1922).
 * 22 – Joe Beck, American guitarist (lung cancer) (born 1945).
 * 25
 * Hiram Bullock, American fusion guitarist (throat cancer) (born 1955).
 * Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist (heart attack) (born 1928).
 * 31
 * Lee Young, American drummer and singer (born 1914).
 * Yusuf Salim, American jazz pianist and composer (born 1929).


 * August
 * 15 – Jerry Wexler, American music journalist and music producer (born 1917).
 * 19 – LeRoi Moore, American saxophonist (Dave Matthews Band) (born 1961).
 * 23 – Jimmy Cleveland, American trombonist (born 1926).


 * September
 * 2 – Arne Domnérus, Swedish saxophonist (born 1924).
 * 3
 * Géo Voumard, Swiss jazz pianist and composer (born 1920).
 * Pierre Van Dormael, Belgian musician and composer (born 1952).
 * 8 – Bheki Mseleku, South African musician (piano, saxophone, guitar) and composer (diabetes-related) (born 1955).
 * 15 – Richard Wright, English keyboardist, composer, singer and songwriter (born 1943).
 * 16 – Jim Aton, American bassist (born 1925).
 * 19
 * Dick Sudhalter, American trumpeter and critic (born 1938).
 * Earl Palmer, American rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues drummer (born 1924).
 * 22 – Connie Haines, American singer (born 1921).
 * 30 – Henry Adler, American drummer and percussionist (born 1915).


 * October
 * 4 – Alfred Gallodoro, American musician (born 1913).
 * 11 – Neal Hefti, American trumpeter and composer (born 1922).
 * 18 – Dave McKenna, American pianist (born 1930).
 * 24 – Merl Saunders, American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards (born 1934).
 * 26 – Marc Moulin, Belgian musician and journalist (born 1942).
 * 27 – Ray Ellis, American record producer, arranger, and conductor (born 1923).


 * November
 * 1 – Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer of The Mothers of Invention (born 1938).
 * 9 – Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer and civil rights activist (born 1932).
 * 16 – Tony Reedus, American drummer (born 1959).
 * 27 – Pekka Pohjola, Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer (born 1952).


 * December
 * 3 – Derek Wadsworth, English trombonist, composer, and arranger (born 1939).
 * 5 – Anca Parghel, Romanian jazz singer, composer, arranger, pianist, and choir conductor (born 1957).
 * 7 – Jimmy Gourley, American guitarist (born 1926).
 * 12 – Prince Lasha, American alto saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist (born 1929).
 * 19
 * Kenny Cox, American pianist (born 1940).
 * Page Cavanaugh, American pianist, vocalist, and arranger (born 1922).
 * Verne Byers, American bandleader, bassist, and concert promoter (born 1918).
 * 22 – Guy Warren, Ghanaian singer-songwriter (born 1923).
 * 23 – Monty Waters, American saxophonist, flautist, and singer (born 1938).
 * 25 – Eartha Kitt, American singer, actress, dancer, activist, and comedian (born 1927).
 * 29 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpeter (born 1938).


 * Unknown date
 * Byrdie Green, American singer (born 1936).