# 1939 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1939.

## Events

* The earliest formal books on jazz begin to appear, including Wilder Hobson's American Jazz Music and Frederick Ramsey and Charles Edward Smith's Jazzmen.
* Fletcher Henderson becomes the first black musician who is a regular member of a white big band when he joins Benny Goodman, although he does not became a featured artist in the band.
* Charlie Christian makes some revolutionary electric guitar records which allow to the guitar to play lead with the trumpet and the saxophone for the first time.
* The Duke Ellington Band experiences major success. Django Reinhardt records "Montmartre", "Solid Old Man", "Low Cotton" and "Finesse" with the band.

## Deaths
### February

* 9 – Herschel Evans, tenor saxophonist (born 1909).

### May

* 19 – Louis Douglas, American dancer, choreographer, and music businessman (born 1889).

### June

* 4 – Tommy Ladnier, American jazz trumpeter (born 1900).
* 16 – Chick Webb, American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader (born 1905).

### December

* 22 – Ma Rainey, Blues singer (born 1882).

### Unknown date

* Charlie Irvis, American jazz trombonist (born 1899).
* John Robichaux, American jazz bandleader, drummer, and violinist (born 1866).

## Births
### January

* 3
** Brian Smith, American saxophonist.
** Dianne Brooks, American singer (died 2005).
* 15 – Hartmut Geerken, German musician and composer (died 2021).
* 19 – Sam Brown, guitarist (died 1977).
* 22 – Alan Silva, American upright bassist and keyboarder.
* 29 – Jeanne Lee, American singer (died 2000).

### February

* 1 – Joe Sample, American pianist, keyboarder and composer (died 2014).
* 5 – Derek Wadsworth, English trombonist, composer, and arranger (died 2008).
* 6 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian singer (died 2014).
* 11 – Okay Temiz, Turkish percussionist and drummer.
* 14 – Chris Pyne, English trombonist (died 1995).
* 15 – Csaba Deseo, Hungarian violinist.
* 17 – Bruce Cale, Australian upright bassist and composer.
* 24 – Abu Talib (musician), African-American guitarist, singer, and harmonica player (died 2009).
* 26 – Trevor Watts, English alto and soprano saxophonist.
* 28 – Charles Gayle, American saxophonist, pianist, bass clarinetist, bassist, and percussionist (died 2023).

### March

* 14 – Rosa King, American saxophonist/singer (died 2000).
* 19 – Mike Longo, American pianist and composer (died 2020).
* 20 – Larry Harlow, American pianist (died 2021).
* 21 – Christer Boustedt, Swedish saxophonist and actor (died 1986).

### April

* 4 – Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, singer, and composer (died 2018).
* 23 – Patrick Williams, American composer, arranger, and conductor (died 2018).

### May

* 19
** Sonny Fortune, American saxophonist (died 2018).
** Richard Teitelbaum, American keyboardist (died 2020).
* 22 – Dick Berk, American drummer and bandleader (died 2014).
* 23
** Marvin Stamm, American trumpeter.
** Michel Colombier, French keyboarder and composer (died 2004).
* 25 – Phil Ranelin, American trombonist.
* 28 – Wojciech Karolak, Polish-born organist (died 2021).

### June

* 8 – Bill Watrous, American trombonist (died 2018).
* 14 – Kent Carter, American upright bassist.
* 16
** Albert Dailey, American pianist (died 1984).
** Lou Gare, English saxophonist (died 2017).
* 22 – Heikki Sarmanto, Finnish jazz pianist, composer
* 26 – George Braith, American saxophonist.
* 30 – Tony Hatch, English composer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and producer.

### July

* 13 – György Szabados, Hungarian pianist (died 2011).
* 16 – Denise LaSalle, African-American blues and R&B/soul singer, songwriter and record producer (d. 2018)
* 18 – Brian Auger, English keyboardist.
* 21 – Jamey Aebersold, American saxophonist and music educator.
* 22 – Mario Rivera, Dominican saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist (died 2007).
* 24 – Charles McPherson, American alto saxophonist.

### August

* 9
** Butch Warren, American upright bassist (died 2013).
** Ove Stokstad, Norwegian printmaker, clarinetist and saxophonist (died 2018).
* 12 – Mike Cotton, English trumpeter.
* 16 – Mary Stallings, American vocalist.
* 18 – Harald Heide-Steen Jr., (lung cancer), Norwegian actor, comedian and jazz singer (died 2008).
* 19 – Ginger Baker, English drummer, Cream (died 2019).
* 20 – Enrico Rava, Italian trumpeter.
* 31
** Cleveland Eaton, American upright bassist (died 2020).
** Paul Winter, American saxophonist.

### September

* 9 – Zbigniew Namyslowski, Polish saxophonist, flautist, cellist, trombonist, and pianist (died 2022).
* 10 – Campbell Burnap, British trombonist and broadcaster (died 2008).
* 13 – Elaine Delmar, English singer.
* 18
** Kate Westbrook, English singer, English-horn player, and flautist.
** Steve Marcus, American saxophonist (died 2005).
* 24 – Wayne Henderson, American trombonist (died 2014).

### October

* 8 – Aladár Pege, Hungarian upright bassist (died 2006).
* 14 – Chris Karan, Australian percussionist.
* 15 – Joe Roccisano, American saxophonist and arranger (died 1997).
* 16 – Andrzej Jastrzebski, Polish tubist.
* 18 – Jan Erik Vold, Norwegian jazz poet.
* 19 – Masabumi Kikuchi, Japanese pianist and composer (died 2015).
* 28 – Andy Bey, American singer and pianist.
* 31 – John Guerin, American percussionist (died 2004).

### November

* 1 – Roger Kellaway, American composer, arranger and pianist.
* 3 – Joe McPhee, American multi-instrumentalist.
* 6 – Carlos Emilio Morales, Cuban guitarist (died 2014).
* 10
** Andrew Cyrille, American drummer.
** Hubert Laws, American flutist and saxophonist.
* 13 – Idris Muhammad, American drummer (died 2014).
* 16 – Henrik Otto Donner, Finnish composer and trumpeter (died 2013).
* 19 – Tommy Stewart, American trumpeter.
* 26
** Art Themen, British saxophonist.
** Greetje Kauffeld, Dutch singer.
* 29
** Claudio Fasoli, Italian tenor and soprano saxophonist, and composer
** Meco, American record producer and musician.

### December

* 10 – Pekka Pöyry, Finnish saxophonist and flutist (died 1980).
* 17 – James Booker, American keyboardist (died 1983).
* 22 – Nick Ceroli, American drummer (died 1985).
* 25
** Bob James, American pianist, keyboardist, arranger, and record producer.
** Don Alias, American percussionist (died 2006).