# 1953 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1953.

## Events

* The musical Porgy and Bess was revived, playing in many European cities.

## Album releases

* Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie: Jazz at Massey Hall
* Duke Ellington: Piano Reflections
* Ben Webster: King of the Tenors
* Modern Jazz Quartet: Django
* Shorty Rogers: Cool and Crazy
* Jay Jay Johnson: Four Trombones
* Stan Kenton: Sketches on Standards
* Miles Davis: Blue Period
* Miles Davis: Young Man with a Horn (also known as Miles Davis, Vol. 1)
* Thelonious Monk: Thelonious
* Oscar Pettiford: The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet

## Deaths
### April

* 23 – Peter DeRose, American Hall of Fame composer of jazz and pop music during the Tin Pan Alley era (born 1900).

### May

* 16 – Django Reinhardt, French virtuoso guitarist and composer (born 1910).

### June

* 3 – Mike Mosiello, Italian-born American trumpeter (born 1896).
* 26 – Julius Foss, Danish composer, organist, and guitarist (born 1879).

### August

* 19 – Tiny Kahn, American drummer, arranger, and composer (born 1923).

### November

* 21 – Larry Shields, American clarinetist (born 1893).

### Unknown date

* Jimmy "Jammin'" Smith, American trumpet player (born 1926).

## Births
### January

* 1 – Greg Carmichael, American guitarist, Acoustic Alchemy.
* 5 – Paul Wertico, American drummer.
* 6 – Jon Eberson, Norwegian guitarist and composer.
* 10 – Mike Stern, American guitarist.
* 17 – Jeff Berlin, American bassist.
* 20 – Andrew Bisset, Australian author, music educator, and singer (died 2005).
* 27 – Bob Mintzer, American saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader.
* 31 – Big Time Sarah, American singer (died 2015).

### February

* 2 – Louis Sclavis, French clarinetist, bass clarinetist, and soprano saxophonist.
* 7 – T. K. Blue, American saxophonist.
* 18 – Erling Aksdal, Norwegian pianist.
* 24 – Rob Burns, English-New Zealand bass guitarist, author, and academic.
* 25 – Reggie Lucas, American guitarist and songwriter (died 2018).

### March

* 1 – Gary Braith, French guitarist and composer.
* 4 – John Esposito, American pianist.
* 11 – Andy Dickens, English jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader.
* 16 – Kei Akagi, Japanese-American pianist.
* 19 – Michele Rosewoman, American pianist.
* 21 – Taborah Johnson, Canadian singer and actor.
* 22 – John Shifflett, American bassist (died 2017).
* 23 – Chaka Khan, American singer-songwriter.
* 27 – Masayoshi Takanaka, Japanese guitarist.
* 29 – Jørgen Emborg, Danish pianist.

### April

* 1 – Randy Crouch, American fiddle player and multi-instrumentalist.
* 2
** Dick Oatts, American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator.
* 13
** Charles Foster Johnson, American blogger, software developer, and guitarist.
** Grant Geissman, American guitarist and composer.
** Tom Olstad, Norwegian drummer.
* 16 – Kurt Maloo, Swiss singer-songwriter, composer and record producer.
* 18 – Danny Gottlieb, American drummer, Lt. Dan Band and Pat Metheny Group.
* 20 – James Chance, American saxophonist, keyboard player, songwriter, and singer.
* 24 – Trudy Silver, American pianist and composer.
* 25 – Per Kolstad, Norwegian pianist, Lava.

### May

* 1
** James Newton, American flautist.
** Randy Halberstadt, American pianist, composer, recording artist, author, and teacher.
* 2 – James Chirillo, American guitarist, banjoist, and composer.
* 4
** Michael Di Pasqua, American drummer and percussionist (died 2016).
** Oleta Adams, American singer and pianist.
* 6 – Paul Dunmall, British saxophonist.
* 8 – Mike Miller, American guitarist.
* 10 – Alex Foster, American saxophonist.
* 12 – Odd Riisnæs, Norwegian saxophonist.
* 21 – Joanie Bartels, American singer.
* 22 – Jon Burr, American upright bassist and author.
* 26 – David Torn, American guitarist, composer, and producer.

### June

* 2 – Vidar Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist.
* 9 – Ken Navarro, Italian-American guitarist and composer
* 26 – Gary Valente, American trombonist

### July

* 3 – Bruce Kapler, American saxophonist, singer and multi-instrumentalist, CBS Orchestra.
* 8 – Ignacio Berroa, Cuban drummer.
* 10 – Attila László, Hungarian guitarist and composer.
* 13 – Sigurd Ulveseth, Norwegian upright bassist.
* 22 – Jimmy Bruno, American guitarist.
* 24 – Jon Faddis, American trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator.
* 27 – Edward Wilkerson, American composer, arranger, saxophonist, pianist, and clarinetist.

### August

* 4 – Jeff Hamilton, American drummer, Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.
* 10 – Jennifer Leitham or Lefty, American upright bassist.
* 18 – David Benoit, American pianist, composer and producer.
* 23 – Bobby Watson, American saxophonist, composer, and educator.
* 28 – Michael Gregory, American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

### September

* 1 – Don Blackman, American pianist, singer, and songwriter (died 2013).
* 2 – John Zorn, American composer, arranger, producer, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist.
* 10 – Craig S. Harris, American trombonist.
* 11 – Renée Geyer, Australian singer (died 2023).
* 14 – Tom Cora, American cellist and composer (died 1998).
* 16 – Earl Klugh, American guitarist and composer.
* 26
** Dan Knight, American pianist, composer, educator, and author.
** Vic Juris, American guitarist (died 2019).
* 28 – Keni Burke, American singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist.

### October

* 2
** Big Al Carson, American singer.
** Stein Erik Tafjord, Norwegian tubist.
* 7 – Yoshiaki Miyanoue, Japanese guitarist.
* 14 – Kazumi Watanabe, Japanese guitarist.
* 17 – Joseph Bowie, American trombonist.
* 21 – Marc Johnson American upright bassist.
* 27 – Robert Irving III, American pianist, composer, arranger and music educator.

### November

* 2 – Ernest Dawkins, American saxophonist, Ethnic Heritage Ensemble.
* 3 – Azar Lawrence, American saxophonist.
* 7 – Erik Balke, Norwegian saxophonist.
* 11 – Kahil El'Zabar, American percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer.
* 13
** Alex Coke, American saxophonist and flutist.
** Dennis Taylor, American saxophonist and clarinetist (died 2010).
* 17 – Federico Ramos, Uruguayan guitarist, arranger, producer, and composer.
* 18 – Alan Murphy, English guitarist (died 1989).
* 27 – Lyle Mays, American pianist and composer.

### December

* 5 – John Molo, American drummer and percussionist.
* 9 – Jill Saward, British singer, musician, and composer, Shakatak.
* 10
** Diane Schuur, American singer and pianist.
** Eugenio Colombo, Italian saxophonist and flautist, Italian Instabile Orchestra.
* 17
** Ikue Mori, American drummer, composer, and graphic designer.
** John Doheny, American tenor saxophonist and band leader.
* 25 – Steve Barta, American-Brazilian jazz pianist.
* 28 – Gilberto "Pulpo" Colón Jr., American pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and band leader.

### Unknown date

* Darol Anger, American violinist.
* Hilario Durán, Cuban pianist.
* Kevin Toney, American pianist and composer.
* Paolo Rustichelli, Italian-American pianist, composer, and producer.
* Suzanne Davis, American pianist.