1988 in jazz

Events

March

• 25 – The 15th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway.

  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.
• 25 – The 16th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway.

  June

• 30 – The 22nd Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland.

  July

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

  August

• 19 – The 5th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales.

  September

• 16 – The 31st Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California.

  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

• 8 – Ray Bauduc, American drummer.

• 24 – Miff Görling, Swedish bandleader, trombonist, arranger, and composer.

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

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

• 13 – Chet Baker, American trumpeter and singer.
• 28 – Sy Oliver, American trumpeter, singer, composer, arranger and bandleader.

• 2 – Eddie Vinson, American alto saxophonist and blues shouter.

• 15 – Bill Beason, American drummer.
• 27 – Irene Higginbotham, African American songwriter and concert pianist.

• 5 – Lawrence Brown, American trombonist.
• 27 – J. C. Heard, American drummer.

• 8 – Edward Inge, American arranger and reedist.

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

• 8
• * Gene Quill, American alto saxophonist.
• * Thore Swanerud, Swedish pianist, vibraphonist, arranger, conductor, and composer.

• Barney Josephson, founder of Café Society in Greenwich Village.

  Births

• 28 – Casimir Liberski, Belgian pianist and keyboarder.

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

• 1 – Sam Mtukudzi, Zimbabwean saxophonist and guitarist.
• 22 – Nitcho Reinhardt, French guitarist.

• 29 – Kelly Sweet, American singer and songwriter.

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

• 31 – Andreas Wildhagen, Norwegian drummer.

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

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

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

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

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