1988 in jazz

Events

March

• 25 – The 15th Vossajazz started in Vossavangen, Norway (March 25 – 27).

April

• 6 – Jazz guitarist Larry Carlton is shot in a random gun shooting outside his Los Angeles studios.

May

• 20 – The 17th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany (May 20 – 23).
• 25 – The 16th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway (May 25 – June 8).

June

• 30 – The 22nd Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (June 30 – July 16).

July

• 1 – The 9th Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (July 1 – 10).
• 8 – The 13th North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands (July 8 – 10).

August

• 19 – The 5th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales (April 19 – 21).

September

• 16 – The 31st Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 16 – 18).

Album releases

• Bill Frisell: Before We Were Born
• Henry Threadgill: Rag, Bush and All
• Turtle Island String Quartet: Turtle Island String Quartet
• Lyle Mays: Street Dreams
• Dave Holland: Triplicate
• Jackie McLean: Dynasty
• John Carter: Fields
• Leni Stern: Secrets
• Microscopic Septet: Beauty Based on Science
• Music Revelation Ensemble: Music Revelation Ensemble
• Willem Breuker: Psalm 122
• Steve Turre: Fire and Ice
• Trilok Gurtu: Usfret
• Bobby Previte: Claude's Late Morning
• Bill Frisell: Lookout for Hope
• Misha Mengelberg: Impromptus
• Marcus Roberts: Truth is Spoken Here
• David Ware: Passage to Music
• David Liebman: Trio + One
• Freddie Hubbard: Stardust
• Gary Thomas: Code Violations
• Hilton Ruiz: El Camino
• Phil Woods: Evolution
• Ralph Moore: Rejuvenate
• Matthew Shipp & Rob Brown: Sonic Explorations

Deaths

; January

• 8 – Ray Bauduc, American drummer (born 1906).

; February

• 24 – Miff Görling, Swedish bandleader, trombonist, arranger, and composer (born 1909).

;March

• 1 – Tommy Potter, American upright-bassist (born 1918).
• 8 – Ken Colyer, English trumpeter and cornetist (born 1928).
• 20 – Gil Evans, Canadian pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader (born 1912).

; April

• 3 – Kai Ewans, Danish reedist (born 1906).
• 15 – Eliza Doolittle, British singer-songwriter.
• 19 – Ed Burke, American violinist and trombonist (born 1909).

;May

• 13 – Chet Baker, American trumpeter and singer (born 1929).
• 28 – Sy Oliver, American trumpeter, singer, composer, arranger and bandleader (born 1910).

;July

• 2 – Eddie Vinson, American alto saxophonist and blues shouter (born 1917).

; August

• 15 – Bill Beason, American drummer (born 1908).
• 27 – Irene Higginbotham, African American songwriter and concert pianist (born 1918).

; September

• 5 – Lawrence Brown, American trombonist (born 1907).
• 27 – J. C. Heard, American drummer (born 1917).

; October

• 8 – Edward Inge, American arranger and reedist (born 1906).

; November

• 30
  • Charlie Rouse, American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist (born 1924).
  • Pannonica de Koenigswarter, British-born jazz patron and writer (born 1913).

; December

• 8
  • Gene Quill, American alto saxophonist (born 1927).
  • Thore Swanerud, Swedish pianist, vibraphonist, arranger, conductor, and composer (born 1919).

; Unknown date

• Barney Josephson, founder of Café Society in Greenwich Village (born 1902).

Births

; January

• 28 – Casimir Liberski, Belgian pianist and keyboarder.

; February

• 5 – Fredrik Luhr Dietrichson, Norwegian upright bassist.
• 26 – Christian Meaas Svendsen, Norwegian upright bassist.

; April

• 1 – Sam Mtukudzi, Zimbabwean saxophonist and guitarist (died 2010).
• 22 – Nitcho Reinhardt, French guitarist.

; May

• 29 – Kelly Sweet, American singer and songwriter.

; May

• 2 – Guilherme Rodrigues, Portuguese composer, improviser, and sound artist.
• 7 – David Aleksander Sjølie, Norwegian guitarist.
• 17 – Brittany Anjou, American pianist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer.

; July

• 31 – Andreas Wildhagen, Norwegian drummer.

; August

• 17 – Natalie Sandtorv, Norwegian singer, percussionist, and electronica artist.
• 28 – Kjetil Jerve, Norwegian pianist and composer.

; September

• 1 – Martina Bárta, Czech singer and French hornist.

; October

• 19 – Pasquale Grasso, Italian guitarist.

; November

• 25 – Victoria Hart, California-born English singer.
• 27 – Sandra Nankoma, Ugandan singer, songwriter and actress.

; December

• 3 – Melissa Aldana, Chilean tenor saxophonist.
• 23 – Thomai Apergi, Greek singer and guitarist.

; Unknown date

• Jan Martin Gismervik, Norwegian drummer, Monkey Plot.
• Simon Gore, Welch guitarist, keyboarder, composer, and audio/visual artist.

References

References

1. "Vossajazz". [[Vossajazz]].
2. Heim, Chris. (1989-06-30). "Guitarist Larry Carlton Puts Tragic Shooting Behind Him". [[Chicago Tribune]].
3. "Moers Festival 1988". [[Moers Festival]].
4. "Nattjazz". [[Nattjazz]].
5. "Montreux Jazz Festival 1988 Setlists". Setlist.fm.
6. "Festival International de Jazz de Montréal Timeline". [[Montreal International Jazz Festival]].
7. "North Sea Jazz Festival 1988". [[North Sea Jazz Festival]].
8. (March 2025). "Brecon Jazz Festival 1988". FriendsOfBreconJazz.com.
9. "The Monterey Jazz Festival Poster". Etsy.com.
10. "Tommy Potter". [[BBC]].
11. Watrous, Peter. (1988-03-22). "Gil Evans, a Key Jazz Composer And Orchestrator, Is Dead at 75". [[The New York Times]].
12. Pareles, Jon. (1988-05-14). "Chet Baker, Jazz Trumpeter, Dies at 59 in a Fall". [[The New York Times]].
13. (1988-07-04). "Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson, 70, Alto Saxophonist and Blues Singer". [[The New York Times]].
14. (1988-05-28). "Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson, 70, Alto Saxophonist and Blues Singer". [[The New York Times]].
15. "Irene Higginbotham". RadioSwissJazz.ch.
16. (1988-09-30). "J.C. Heard Dies at 71; Long a Jazz Drummer". [[The New York Times]].