2011 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 2011.

January

 * 20 – The 6th Ice Music Festival started in Geilo, Norway (January 20 – 23).
 * 26 – The first Bodø Jazz Open started in Bodø, Norway (January 26 – 29).

February

 * 3 – The 13th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (February 3 – 7).

March

 * 4 – The 7th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia (March 4 – 6).

April

 * 15 – The 38th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway (April 15 – 17).
 * 16
 * Mari Kvien Brunvoll was awarded Vossajazzprisen 2011.
 * Mathias Eick performed the commissioned work Voss at Vossajazz
 * 27 – The 17th SoddJazz started in Inderøy, Norway (April 27 – May 1).
 * 30 – The International Jazz Day.

May

 * Sons of Kemet is formed by members Shabaka Hutchings, Seb Rochford, Tom Skinner, Theon Cross, and Eddie Hick
 * 25 – The 39th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway (May 25 – June 4).

June

 * 10 – The 40th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany (June 10 – 11).
 * 15 – The 23rd Jazz Fest Wien started in Vienna, Austria (June 15 – July 17).
 * 17 – The 28th Stockholm Jazz Festival started in Stockholm, Sweden (June 17 – 19).
 * 25 – The 31st Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (June 25 – July 4).

July

 * 1
 * The 33rd Copenhagen Jazz Festival started in Copenhagen, Denmark (July 1 – 10).
 * The 45th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (July 1 – 16).
 * 6 – The 47th Kongsberg Jazzfestival started in Kongsberg, Norway (July 6 – 9).
 * 8
 * The 36th North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands (July 8 – 10).
 * The 64th Nice Jazz Festival started in Nice, France (July 8 – 12).
 * 9 – The 46th Pori Jazz Festival started in Pori, Finland (July 9 – 17).
 * 18 – The 51st Moldejazz started in Molde, Norway (July 18 – 23).
 * 21 – The 46th San Sebastian Jazz Festival started in San Sebastian, Spain (July 21 – 25).

August

 * 5 – The 55th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (August 5 – 7).
 * 10 – The 25th Sildajazz started in Haugesund, Norway (August 10–14).
 * 12
 * Marius Neset is awarded the Sildajazzprisen 2011.
 * The 27th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales (August 12 – 14).
 * 15 – The 26th Oslo Jazzfestival started in Oslo, Norway (August 15 – 20).

September

 * 1 – The 7th Punktfestivalen started in Kristiansand, Norway (September 1 – 3).
 * 16 – The 54th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 16 – 18).

November

 * 11 – 20th London Jazz Festival started in London, England (November 11 – 20).

December

 * 18 – Eldbjørg Raknes was awarded the Norwegian jazz award Buddyprisen 2011.

Deaths

 * January
 * 1 – Charles Fambrough, American bassist, composer, and record producer (born 1950).
 * 27 – Charlie Callas, American drummer, comedian, and actor (born 1924).
 * 29 – Milton Babbitt, American composer, music theorist, and teacher (born 1916).


 * February
 * 3 – Tony Levin, English jazz drummer (born 1940).
 * 8 – Eugenio Toussaint, Mexican composer, arranger, and musician (born 1954).
 * 14 – George Shearing, British jazz pianist (born 1919).
 * 24 – Jens Winther, Danish jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader (born 1960).


 * March
 * 4 – Tom Vaughn, American pianist (born 1936).
 * 11 – Billy Bang, American violinist and composer (born 1947).
 * 12 – Joe Morello, American drummer (born 1928).
 * 15 – Melvin Sparks, American guitarist (born 1946).


 * April
 * 26 – Phoebe Snow, American singer, songwriter, and guitarist (born 1950).


 * May
 * 8 – Cornell Dupree, American guitarist (born 1942).
 * 10 – Norma Zimmer, American singer (born 1923).
 * 11 – Snooky Young, American trumpeter (born 1919).
 * 12 – Ted Nash, American saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist (born 1922).
 * 15 – Bob Flanigan, American tenor vocalist and founding member of The Four Freshmen (born 1926).
 * 28 – Alys Robi, French-Canadian singer (born 1923).


 * June
 * 2 – Ray Bryant, American pianist and composer (born 1931).
 * 3 – Jack Kevorkian, American flautist, composer, pathologist, and euthanasia proponent (born 1928).
 * 10 – György Szabados, Hungarian jazz pianist (born 1939).
 * 20 – Ottilie Patterson, Northern Irish singer (born 1932).


 * July
 * 2 – Paul Weeden, American-born Norwegian jazz guitarist (born 1923)
 * 17 – Joe Lee Wilson, American singer (born 1935).
 * 23 – Amy Winehouse, English singer and songwriter (born 1983).
 * 24 – Harald Johnsen, Norwegian bassist (heart attack) (born 1970).
 * 26 – Frank Foster, American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer (born 1928).


 * August
 * 7 – Jiří Traxler, Czech-Canadian pianist, composer, lyricist, and arranger (born 1912).


 * September
 * 7 – Eddie Marshall, American drummer (born 1938).
 * 9 – Graham Collier, English bassist, bandleader, and composer (born 1937).
 * 12 – Dinah Kaye, Scottish singer (born 1924).
 * 19 – Johnny Răducanu, Romanian pianist (born 1931).


 * October
 * 1 – Butch Ballard, American drummer (born 1918).
 * 8 – Roger Williams, American pianist (born 1924).
 * 10 – Lucy Ann Polk, American singer (born 1927).
 * 19 – Lars Sjösten, Swedish pianist and composer (born 1941).
 * 28 – Beryl Davis, English singer (born 1924).
 * 29 – Walter Norris, American pianist and composer (born 1931).


 * November
 * 1
 * André Hodeir, French violinist, composer, arranger, and musicologist (born 1921).
 * Christiane Legrand, French soprano, The Swingle Singers (born 1930).
 * 2 – Papa Bue, Danish trombonist and bandleader (born 1930).
 * 6 – Gordon Beck, English pianist and composer (born 1935).
 * 11 – Michael Garrick, English pianist and composerr (born 1933).
 * 19 – Russell Garcia, American composer and music arranger (born 1916).
 * 22 – Paul Motian, American drummer (born 1931).
 * 24 – Ross McManus, Irish-English trumpeter (born 1927).


 * December
 * 2 – Bill Tapia, American guitarist (born 1908).
 * 15 – Bob Brookmeyer, American valve trombonist, pianist, and composer (born 1929).
 * 17 – Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean singer (born 1941).
 * 18 – Ralph MacDonald, Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, and steelpan virtuoso (born 1941).
 * 26 – Sam Rivers, American saxophonist, bass clarinetist, flautist, harmonica player and pianist, and composer (born 1923).