# 1956 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1956.

## Events
### July

* 5 – The 5th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 5 – 7).
* 7 – Duke Ellington and his band performs at the Newport Jazz Festival. The album Ellington at Newport devises a landmark performance which is capped by an amazing tenor saxophone solo by Paul Gonsalves on "Diminuendo" and "Crescendo in Blue".
Unknown date
* The guitarist Mundell Lowe brings pianist Bill Evans to the attention of Orin Keepnews and Bill Grauer of Riverside records.
* Dizzy Gillespie meets Argentine pianist Lalo Schifrin and is impressed. Dizzy continues to gravitate to the Latin rhythms.
* Miles Davis and his quintet record four records (Cookin' , Relaxin' , Workin' and Steamin' ) for Prestige, spending only two days in the studio to complete. Miles also records 'Round about Midnight on the Columbia label.

## Album releases

* Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: The Jazz Messengers
* Kenny Burrell: All Night Long
* Rosemary Clooney: Blue Rose
* Chris Connor: Chris Connor
* Miles Davis: Round About Midnight (released 1957 - recorded 1955 and 1956)
* Jimmy Giuffre: The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet
* Quincy Jones: This Is How I Feel About Jazz
* Stan Kenton: Cuban Fire!
* Peggy Lee: Black Coffee (Reissue)
* John Lewis: Grand Encounter
* Charles Mingus: Pithecanthropus Erectus
* Modern Jazz Quartet: Fontessa
* Phineas Newborn: Piano Artistry
* Max Roach: Max Roach + 4
* Sonny Rollins
** "Sonny Rollins Plus 4"
** "Tenor Madness"
** "Work Time"
* George Russell:The Jazz Workshop
* John Serry Sr.: Squeeze Play
* Horace Silver: Six Pieces of Silver
* Zoot Sims: Tonite's Music Today
* Jimmy Smith: A New Star A New Sound
* Cecil Taylor: Jazz Advance
* Lucky Thompson: Tricotism
* Mel Torme: Touch
* Lennie Tristano: Manhattan Studio/ New York Improvisations

## Deaths

May
* 13 – Don Kirkpatrick, American pianist and arranger (born 1905).
* 15 – Adrian Rollini, American bass saxophonist (born 1903).
* 30 – Valaida Snow, African-American jazz musician and entertainer (born 1904).
June
* 11 – Frankie Trumbauer, American saxophonists (born 1901).
* 26
** Clifford Brown, American trumpeter (born 1930).
** Richie Powell, American bebop pianist (born 1931).
July
* 7 – Alex Hyde, American bandleader and violinist (born 1898).
* 11 – Ernst Höllerhagen, German reedist (born 1912).
September
* 8 – Fred Rich, Polish-born American bandleader and composer (born 1898).
October
* 18 – Harry Parry, Welsh clarinetist and bandleader (born 1912).
November
* 5 – Art Tatum, American pianist and virtuoso (born 1909).
* 7 – Una Mae Carlisle, American singer, pianist, and songwriter (born 1915).
* 20 – Achille Baquet, American clarinetist and saxophonist (born 1885).
* 26 – Tommy Dorsey, American trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader (born 1905).
Unknown date
* Joe Appleton, British saxophonist and clarinetist from the West Indies (born 1900).

## Births

January
* 1 – Ziad Rahbani, Lebanese composer, pianist, playwright, and political commentator.
* 4
** Alex Cline, American drummer.
** Nels Cline, American guitarist and composer.
* 7 – Steve Williams, American drummer.
* 21 – Kevin Norton, American percussionist and composer.
* 23 – Ralph Carney, American saxophonist and clarinetist, Tin Huey (died 2017).
* 24 – Mitchel Forman, American keyboardist.
* 26 – Steve Dobrogosz, American pianist and composer.
February
* 5 – Vinnie Colaiuta, American drummer.
* 11
** Didier Lockwood, French violinist, Magma (died 2018).
** Raoul Björkenheim, Finnish-American guitarist.
* 15 – Nils Landgren, Swedish trombone player.
* 20 – Riccardo Del Fra, Italian upright bassist, bandleader, composer, and arranger.
* 28 – Jens Wendelboe, Norwegian trombonist and orchestra leader.
March
* 2 – Danilo Terenzi, Italian trombonist and composer (died 1995).
* 4 – Kermit Driscoll, American bassist.
April
* 2 – Károly Binder, Hungarian pianist.
* 3 – Tessa Souter, English singer, songwriter, and writer.
* 4 – Gary Smulyan, American baritone saxophonist.
* 9 – Michael Hashim, American jazz alto saxophonist.
* 16 – T Lavitz, American keyboardist, composer and producer (died 2010).
* 19 – Denardo Coleman, American drummer.
* 27 – Anna Lyman, Canadian Jazz, Latin Vocalist composer, and recording artist of Mexican American extraction.
May
* 5 – Mary Coughlan, Irish jazz and folk singer, and actress.
* 8 – Jean-Marc Jafet, French bassist and guitarist.
* 13 – Oskar Aichinger, Austrian pianist.
* 14 – Bruce Forman, American guitarist.
* 15 – Mathias Claus, German jazz pianist and composer.
* 21 – Wolfgang Puschnig, Austrian saxophonist.
* 26 – Quanti Bomani, Afro-Caribbean multi-instrumentalist and composer.
June
* 5 – Kenny G, American saxophonist.
* 8 – Uri Caine, American pianist and composer.
* 11 – Jamaaladeen Tacuma, American bassist.
* 19 – Aaron Scott, American composer and drummer.
* 26 – Bill Cunliffe, American jazz pianist and composer.
* 27 – Maria João, Portuguese singer.
July
* 5 – Billy Jenkins, English guitarist, composer, and bandleader.
* 6 – John Jorgenson, American guitarist and banjo player, Desert Rose Band and Hellecasters.
* 17 – Lucien Barbarin, American trombonist.
* 18 – Hein van de Geyn, Dutch upright bassist, composer and band leader.
* 19 – Marit Sandvik, Norwegian singer.
* 21 – Franklin Kiermyer, Canadian drummer, composer and bandleader.
* 24 – Denis Colin, French bass clarinettist and composer.
* 26 – Wayne Krantz, American guitarist.
August
* 13 – Gast Waltzing, Luxembourgian trumpeter and composer.
* 15 – Lorraine Desmarais, French-Canadian jazz pianist and composer.
* 24 – Mimi Fox, American guitarist and educator.
* 29 – Doug Raney, American guitarist (died 2016).
* 30 - Rodney Jones, American guitarist and educator.
September
* 1 – Hilde Hefte, Norwegian singer.
* 8 – Eivin One Pedersen, Norwegian accordionist and pianist (died 2012).
* 12 – Brian Lynch, American trumpeter.
* 15 –
** Ned Rothenberg, American multi-instrumentalist and composer.
** George Howard, American saxophonist (died 1998).
* 19 – Wolfgang Lackerschmid, German vibraphonist, bandleader, and composer.
* 20 – Steve Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.
October
* 9 – Geir Langslet, Norwegian pianist.
* 10 – Johnny O'Neal, American pianist and vocalist.
* 20 – Martin Taylor, British guitarist.
* 22 – Jane Bunnett, Canadian soprano saxophonist, flautist, and bandleader.
* 23
** Dianne Reeves, American singer.
** Svein Dag Hauge, Norwegian guitarist.
* 26 – Mike LeDonne, American pianist and organist.
* 27 – Ben Besiakov, Danish pianist and keyboardist.
* 28 – Liz Story, American pianist and composer.
* 29 – David Chesky, American pianist, composer, producer, arranger, and co-founder of the label Chesky Records.
* 31 – Bob Belden, American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and producer (died 2015).
November
* 1 – Tim Landers, American bass guitarist, composer and record producer.
* 2 – Frank Kimbrough, American pianist.
* 7
** Denise Jannah, Dutch vocalist.
** Iro Haarla, Finnish pianist and composer.
** Mikhail Alperin, Ukrainian born jazz pianist, member of the Moscow Art Trio, professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music (died 2018).
* 10 – Louis Mhlanga, Zimbabwean guitarist.
* 12 – Satoshi Inoue, Japanese guitarist.
* 18 – Tiziano Tononi, Italian percussionist and composer.
December
* 3 – Rob Waring, American-Norwegian vibraphonist.
* 5 – Randy Johnston, American guitarist.
* 12 – Geir Holmsen, Norwegian bassist.
* 18 – Chris Murrell, American singer (died 2017).
* 21 – Zeena Parkins, American harpist.
* 24 – Ralph Moore, English saxophonist.
* 27 – Karl Denson, American saxophonist, flutist, and vocalist.
Unknown date
* Chris Wilson, Australian singer and guitarist (died 2019).
* Gregg Karukas, smooth jazz pianist.
* Lee Pui Ming, Hong Kong-born American pianist, vocalist, and composer.
* Nicola Stilo, Italian flautist, guitarist, and pianist.
* Raymond Strid, Swedish drummer.
* Reiner Michalke, German musician and artistic director of the Moers Festival.