1978 in jazz

Events

March

• 17 – The 5th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway.

  May

• 12 – The 7th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany.
• 24 – The 6th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway.

  July

• 1 – The 25th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island.
• 7 – The 12th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland.
• 14 – The 3rd North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands.
• 28 – The very first Jazz in Marciac started in Marciac, France.

  September

• 15 – The 21st Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California.

  Album releases

• Chick Corea: The Mad Hatter
• Chick Corea: Secret Agent
• Chick Corea: Friends
• Air: Open Air Suit
• Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela: Herb Alpert / Hugh Masekela
• Herb Alpert and Hugh Masekela: Main Event Live
• Fred Anderson: Another Place
• Art Ensemble of Chicago: Nice Guys
• Kenny Barron: Innocence
• Carla Bley: Musique Mecanique
• Arthur Blythe: Bush Baby
• Arthur Blythe: Lenox Avenue Breakdown
• Lester Bowie: African Children
• Anthony Braxton: For Four Orchestras
• Andrew Cyrille: Metamusicians' Stomp
• Anthony Davis: Of Blues and Dream
• Al Di Meola: Casino
• Michael Franks: Burchfield Nines
• Chico Freeman: The Outside Within
• Ganelin Trio: Concerto Grosso
• Egberto Gismondi: Solo
• Guenter Hampel: Freedom Of The Universe
• Guenter Hampel: Oasis
• Gerry Hemingway: Kwambe
• Ernie Krivda: The Alchemist
• Leroy Jenkins: The Legend of Ai Glatson
• John Klemmer: Arabesque
• Oliver Lake: Life Dance of Is
• George Lewis: The Imaginary Suite
• David Liebman: Pendulum
• John McLaughlin: Electric Guitarist
• Misha Mengelberg: Pech Onderweg
• Pat Metheny: Pat Metheny Group
• Roscoe Mitchell: LRG-Maze-S II Examples
• John Oswald: Improvised
• Evan Parker: Monoceros
• Marvin Peterson: The Light
• Jean-Luc Ponty: Cosmic Messenger
• Don Pullen: Warriors
• Dewey Redman: Soundsigns
• Sam Rivers: Waves
• Max Roach & Anthony Braxton: Birth and Rebirth
• Rova Saxophone Quartet: Cinema Rovate
• Leo Smith: Mass on the World
• Peter Sprague: Dance of the Universe
• Sun Ra: Lanquidity
• Cecil Taylor: 3 Phasis
• Cecil Taylor: Cecil Taylor Unit
• Ralph Towner: Batik
• James Blood Ulmer: Tales of Captain Black
• Weather Report: Mr. Gone
• Paul Winter: Common Ground
• World Saxophone Quartet: Steppin' with the World Saxophone Quartet

  Deaths

• 23 – Terry Kath, American guitarist and vocalist, Chicago.
• 31 – Gregory Herbert, American saxophonist and flautist, Blood, Sweat & Tears.

• 26
• * Frances Wayne, American vocalist.
• * Alix Combelle, French tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader.

• 4 – Joe Marsala, Italian-American clarinetist and songwriter.
• 21 – Louis Cottrell Jr., American clarinetist and tenor saxophonist.
• 25 – Richard Plunket Greene, English musician and author, Bright Young Things.
• 30 – Larry Young, American organist and occasional pianist.

• 3 – Ray Noble, English bandleader, composer, arranger, radio comedian, and actor.

• 19 – Teddy Hill, American big band leader and multi-instrumentalist.
• 28
• * Marlowe Morris, American jazz pianist and organist.
• * Money Johnson, American jazz trumpeter.

• Bud Brisbois, American trumpeter.

• 4 – Arne Hülphers, Swedish pianist and bandleader.
• 14 – Lennie Hastings, English drummer.
• 20 – Teddy Bunn, American guitarist, Spirits of Rhythm.

• 14 – Joe Venuti, Italian-American jazz violinist.
• 15 – Irene Kral, American jazz singer.
• 24 – Louis Prima, Italian-American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter.

• 9 – Kaoru Abe, Japanese avant-garde alto saxophonist.
• 30 – Beryl Booker, American pianist.

• 16 – Jimmy Nottingham, American jazz trumpeter.
• 18 – Lennie Tristano, American pianist, composer, and arranger.
• 26 – Frank Rosolino, American trombonist.

• 17 – Don Ellis, American big-bandleader, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and film composer.
• 29 – Happy Caldwell, American clarinetist and tenor saxophonist.

• Bill Jennings, American guitarist and composer.

  Births

• 3 – Susana Santos Silva, Portuguese trumpeter, flugelhornist, and flautist.
• 9 – China Moses, American singer.
• 10
• * Kekko Fornarelli, Italian pianist and composer.
• * Soweto Kinch, British saxophonist.

• 9 – Clarice Assad, Brazilian-American composer, pianist, and singer.
• 12 – Masayuki Hiizumi, Japanese keyboardist and producer.
• 14 – Cem Tuncer, Turkish guitarist, composer, arranger, and producer.

• 5 – Søren Kjærgaard, Danish pianist, composer, and bandleader.
• 18 – Videlina Mircheva, Bulgarian singer and songwriter.
• 24 – Andrew McCormack, British pianist.

• 6 – Robert Glasper, American pianist and record producer.
• 11 – Jakob Bro, Danish guitarist.
• 15 – Susanne Alt, Dutch saxophonist and composer.

• 7 – Antal Pusztai, Hungarian guitarist.
• 10 – Nils Janson, Swedish composer and trumpeter.
• 25 – Michael Wollny, German pianist.
• 29 – Sean Jones, American trumpeter and composer.

• 10 – Jukka Eskola, Finnish trumpeter and flugelhornist.

• 6 – Andreas Öberg, Swedish guitarist, songwriter, and music producer.
• 12 – Chris Jennings, Canadian upright bassist, composer, arranger, and educator.
• 27 – Susy Kane, English actress, comedy writer and musician.
• 31
• * Morten Qvenild, Norwegian jazz pianist, band leader and producer, Susanna and the Magical Orchestra.
• * Tineke Postma, Dutch saxophonist.

• 17 – Esben Selvig, Norwegian rapper and singer.

• 2 – Jonas Kullhammar, Swedish composer and saxophonist.
• 16
• * Ane Carmen Roggen, Norwegian singer, conductor, and arranger, Pitsj.
• * Ida Roggen, Norwegian singer, Pitsj.
• 23 – Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen, Finnish guitarist, pianist, composer, bandleader and producer.
• 29 – Luca Gianquitto, Italian guitarist and composer.

• 5 – Steinar Nickelsen, Norwegian Hammond organist, pianist, and composer.
• 8 – Mike Moreno, American guitarist and composer.
• 12 – Børge-Are Halvorsen, Norwegian saxophonist and flautist.
• 16 – Eva Kruse, German upright bassist and composer.

• 1 – Rozina Pátkai, Hungarian singer, songwriter, and visual artist.
• 3 – Jonas Howden Sjøvaag, Norwegian jazz drummer.
• 5 – Marita Røstad, Norwegian singer-songwriter.
• 9 – Even Ormestad, Norwegian bass guitarist and music producer, Jaga Jazzist.
• 19
• * Matt Dusk, Canadian vocalist.
• * Janek Gwizdala, English bassist.

• 12 – Lage Lund, Norwegian guitarist.
• 30
• * Daniel Heløy Davidsen, Danish-Norwegian guitarist.
• * Julie Dahle Aagård, Norwegian vocalist, composer, and band leader.

• Marc Demuth, Luxembourgian upright bassist, bass guitarist, and composer.
• Mikkel Ploug, Danish guitarist and composer.
• Niels Klein, German saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.
• Robi Botos, Hungarian-Canadian pianist and composer.