1956 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1956.

Events

July

• 5 – The 5th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 5 – 7).
• 7 – Duke Ellington and his band performs at the Newport Jazz Festival. The album Ellington at Newport devises a landmark performance which is capped by an amazing tenor saxophone solo by Paul Gonsalves on "Diminuendo" and "Crescendo in Blue".

Unknown date

• The guitarist Mundell Lowe brings pianist Bill Evans to the attention of Orin Keepnews and Bill Grauer of Riverside records.
• Dizzy Gillespie meets Argentine pianist Lalo Schifrin and is impressed. Dizzy continues to gravitate to the Latin rhythms.
• Miles Davis and his quintet record four records (Cookin' , Relaxin' , Workin' and Steamin' ) for Prestige, spending only two days in the studio to complete. Miles also records 'Round about Midnight on the Columbia label.

Album releases

• Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: The Jazz Messengers
• Kenny Burrell: All Night Long
• Anita O'Day: Anita
• Rosemary Clooney: Blue Rose
• Chris Connor: Chris Connor
• Miles Davis: Round About Midnight (released 1957 - recorded 1955 and 1956)
• Jimmy Giuffre: The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet
• Quincy Jones: This Is How I Feel About Jazz
• Stan Kenton: Cuban Fire!
• Peggy Lee: Black Coffee (Reissue)
• John Lewis: Grand Encounter
• Charles Mingus: Pithecanthropus Erectus
• Modern Jazz Quartet: Fontessa
• Phineas Newborn: Piano Artistry
• Max Roach: Max Roach + 4
• Sonny Rollins
• "Sonny Rollins Plus 4"
• "Tenor Madness"
• "Work Time"
• George Russell:The Jazz Workshop
• John Serry Sr.: Squeeze Play
• Horace Silver: Six Pieces of Silver
• Zoot Sims: Tonite's Music Today
• Jimmy Smith: A New Star A New Sound
• Cecil Taylor: Jazz Advance
• Lucky Thompson: Tricotism
• Mel Torme: Touch
• Lennie Tristano: Manhattan Studio/ New York Improvisations

Standards

Deaths

May

• 13 – Don Kirkpatrick, American pianist and arranger (born 1905).
• 15 – Adrian Rollini, American bass saxophonist (born 1903).
• 30 – Valaida Snow, African-American jazz musician and entertainer (born 1904).

June

• 11 – Frankie Trumbauer, American saxophonists (born 1901).
• 26
• Clifford Brown, American trumpeter (born 1930).
• Richie Powell, American bebop pianist (born 1931).

July

• 7 – Alex Hyde, American bandleader and violinist (born 1898).
• 11 – Ernst Höllerhagen, German reedist (born 1912).

September

• 8 – Fred Rich, Polish-born American bandleader and composer (born 1898).

October

• 11 – Harry Parry, Welsh clarinetist and bandleader (born 1912).

November

• 5 – Art Tatum, American pianist and virtuoso (born 1909).
• 7 – Una Mae Carlisle, American singer, pianist, and songwriter (born 1915).
• 20 – Achille Baquet, American clarinetist and saxophonist (born 1885).
• 26 – Tommy Dorsey, American trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader (born 1905).

Unknown date

• Joe Appleton, British saxophonist and clarinetist from the West Indies (born 1900).

Births

January

• 1 – Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese composer, pianist, playwright, and political commentator.
• 4
• Alex Cline, American drummer.
• Nels Cline, American guitarist and composer.
• 7 – Steve Williams, American drummer.
• 21 – Kevin Norton, American percussionist and composer.
• 23 – Ralph Carney, American saxophonist and clarinetist, Tin Huey (died 2017).
• 24 – Mitchel Forman, American keyboardist.
• 26 – Steve Dobrogosz, American pianist and composer.

February

• 5 – Vinnie Colaiuta, American drummer.
• 11
• Didier Lockwood, French violinist, Magma (died 2018).
• Raoul Björkenheim, Finnish-American guitarist.
• 15 – Nils Landgren, Swedish trombone player.
• 20 – Riccardo Del Fra, Italian upright bassist, bandleader, composer, and arranger.
• 28 – Jens Wendelboe, Norwegian trombonist and orchestra leader.

March

• 2 – Danilo Terenzi, Italian trombonist and composer (died 1995).
• 4 – Kermit Driscoll, American bassist.

April

• 2 – Károly Binder, Hungarian pianist.
• 3 – Tessa Souter, English singer, songwriter, and writer.
• 4 – Gary Smulyan, American baritone saxophonist.
• 9 – Michael Hashim, American jazz alto saxophonist.
• 16 – T Lavitz, American keyboardist, composer and producer (died 2010).
• 19 – Denardo Coleman, American drummer.
• 27 – Anna Lyman, Canadian Jazz, Latin Vocalist composer, and recording artist of Mexican American extraction.

May

• 5 – Mary Coughlan, Irish jazz and folk singer, and actress.
• 8 – Jean-Marc Jafet, French bassist and guitarist.
• 13 – Oskar Aichinger, Austrian pianist.
• 14 – Bruce Forman, American guitarist.
• 15 – Mathias Claus, German jazz pianist and composer.
• 21 – Wolfgang Puschnig, Austrian saxophonist.
• 26 – Quanti Bomani, Afro-Caribbean multi-instrumentalist and composer.

June

• 5 – Kenny G, American saxophonist.
• 8 – Uri Caine, American pianist and composer.
• 11 – Jamaaladeen Tacuma, American bassist.
• 19 – Aaron Scott, American composer and drummer.
• 26 – Bill Cunliffe, American jazz pianist and composer.
• 27 – Maria João, Portuguese singer.

July

• 5 – Billy Jenkins, English guitarist, composer, and bandleader.
• 6 – John Jorgenson, American guitarist and banjo player, Desert Rose Band and Hellecasters.
• 17 – Lucien Barbarin, American trombonist.
• 18 – Hein van de Geyn, Dutch upright bassist, composer and band leader.
• 19 – Marit Sandvik, Norwegian singer.
• 21 – Franklin Kiermyer, Canadian drummer, composer and bandleader.
• 24 – Denis Colin, French bass clarinettist and composer.
• 26 – Wayne Krantz, American guitarist.

August

• 13 – Gast Waltzing, Luxembourgian trumpeter and composer.
• 15 – Lorraine Desmarais, French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer.
• 24 – Mimi Fox, American guitarist and educator.
• 29 – Doug Raney, American guitarist (died 2016).
• 30 - Rodney Jones, American guitarist and educator.

September

• 1 – Hilde Hefte, Norwegian singer.
• 8 – Eivin One Pedersen, Norwegian accordionist and pianist (died 2012).
• 12 – Brian Lynch, American trumpeter.
• 15 –
• Ned Rothenberg, American multi-instrumentalist and composer.
• George Howard, American saxophonist (died 1998).
• 19 – Wolfgang Lackerschmid, German vibraphonist, bandleader, and composer.
• 20 – Steve Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.

October

• 9 – Geir Langslet, Norwegian pianist.
• 10 – Johnny O'Neal, American pianist and vocalist.
• 20 – Martin Taylor, British guitarist.
• 22 – Jane Bunnett, Canadian soprano saxophonist, flautist, and bandleader.
• 23
• Dianne Reeves, American singer.
• Svein Dag Hauge, Norwegian guitarist.
• 26 – Mike LeDonne, American pianist and organist.
• 27 – Ben Besiakov, Danish pianist and keyboardist.
• 28 – Liz Story, American pianist and composer.
• 29 – David Chesky, American pianist, composer, producer, arranger, and co-founder of the label Chesky Records.
• 31 – Bob Belden, American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and producer (died 2015).

November

• 1 – Tim Landers, American bass guitarist, composer and record producer.
• 2 – Frank Kimbrough, American pianist.
• 7
• Denise Jannah, Dutch vocalist.
• Iro Haarla, Finnish pianist and composer.
• Mikhail Alperin, Ukrainian born jazz pianist, member of the Moscow Art Trio, professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music (died 2018).
• 10 – Louis Mhlanga, Zimbabwean guitarist.
• 12 – Satoshi Inoue, Japanese guitarist.
• 18 – Tiziano Tononi, Italian percussionist and composer.

December

• 3 – Rob Waring, American-Norwegian vibraphonist.
• 5 – Randy Johnston, American guitarist.
• 12 – Geir Holmsen, Norwegian bassist.
• 18 – Chris Murrell, American singer (died 2017).
• 21 – Zeena Parkins, American harpist.
• 24 – Ralph Moore, English saxophonist.
• 27 – Karl Denson, American saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist.

Unknown date

• Chris Wilson, Australian singer and guitarist (died 2019).
• Gregg Karukas, smooth jazz pianist.
• Lee Pui Ming, Hong Kong-born American pianist, vocalist, and composer.
• Nicola Stilo, Italian flautist, guitarist, and pianist.
• Raymond Strid, Swedish drummer.
• Reiner Michalke, German musician and artistic director of the Moers Festival.

See also

• 1950s in jazz
• List of years in jazz
• 1956 in music

References

Bibliography

External links

• History Of Jazz Timeline: 1956 at All About Jazz