# 1997 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1997.

## Events
### March

* 21 – The 24th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway (March 21 – 23).

### May

* 16 – The 26th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany (May 16 – 19).
* 21 – The 25th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway (May 21 – 31).

### June

* 26 – The 18th Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (June 26 – July 6).

### July

* 2 – The 7th Jazz Fest Wien started in Wien, Austria (July 2 – 13).
* 4 – The 31st Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (July 4 – 19).
* 11
** The 22nd North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands (July 11 – 13).
** The 50th Nice Jazz Festival started in France (July 11 – 20).
* 12 – The 32nd Pori Jazz Festival started in Finland (July 12 – 20).
* 15 – The 38th Moldejazz started in Molde, Norway (July 15 – 20).

### August

* 8 – The 14th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales (August 8 – 10).

### September

* 19 – The 40th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 19 – 21).

### October

* 7 – Blue Note – A Story of Modern Jazz, by jazz documentarist and filmmaker Julian Benedikt, an award-winning documentary film.

## Album releases
### October

| Day | Album | Artist | Label | Notes | Ref. |
| 7 | Imaginary Day | Pat Metheny Group | Warner Bros. | Produced by Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays | |

### Unknown date

* Guillermo Gregorio: Ellipsis
* Matthew Shipp: Strata
* Steve Coleman: Genesis
* Marcus Roberts: Blues for the New Millennium
* ICP Orchestra: Jubilee Varia
* Vandermark 5: Single Piece Flow
* David Liebman: Time Immemorial
* Wynton Marsalis: Blood on the Fields
* Franz Koglmann: O Moon My Pin Up
* Courtney Pine: Underground
* Leo Smith: Golden Hearts Remembrance
* Keith Tippett: Colours Fulfilled
* Joe Lovano: Trio Fascination
* David Liebman: The Elements - Water
* Fred Anderson: Fred Anderson / DKV Trio

## Deaths
### January

* 8 – George Handy, American arranger, composer, and pianist (born 1920).
* 12 – Wally Rose, American pianist (born 1913).
* 16 – Beverly Peer, American upright bassist (born 1912).
* 25 – Seldon Powell, American tenor saxophonist and flautist (born 1928).

### February

* 10 – Lou Bennett, American organist (born 1926).
* 14 – Charles Moffett, American drummer (born 1929).
* 20 – Zachary Breaux, American guitarist (born 1960).
* 23 – Tony Williams, American drummer (born 1945).

### March

* 11 – Hugh Lawson, American pianist (born 1935).

### May

* 10 – Bernard Anderson, American trumpeter (born 1919).
* 12 – Louis Barbarin, American drummer (born 1902).
* 14 – Thelma Carpenter, American singer and actress (born 1922).
* 15 – Tommy Turrentine, American trumpeter (born 1928).
* 18 – Horst Lippmann, German drummer, concert promoter, writer, and television director (born 1927).
* 31 – Eddie Jones, American upright bassist (born 1929).

### June

* 2 – Doc Cheatham, American trumpeter, singer and bandleader (born 1905).
* 4
** Anne Lenner, English singer (born 1912).
** Johnny "Hammond" Smith, American organist (born 1933).
* 12 – Chuck Andrus, American upright bassist (born 1928).
* 14 – Arthur Prysock, American singer (born 1924).
* 16 – Rolf Ericson, Swedish trumpeter and flugelhornist (born 1922).
* 19 – Thurman Green, American trombonist (born 1940).

### July

* 2 – Stan Barker, American pianist (born 1926).
* 29 – Chuck Wayne, American guitarist (born 1923).

### August

* 2 – Fela Kuti, Nigerian saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist (born 1938).
* 8
** Dardanelle Hadley, American singer, vibraphonist, pianist, composer, and arranger (born 1917).
** Duncan Swift, British pianist (born 1943).
* 12 – Dick Marx, American pianist and arranger (born 1924).
* 14 – Eric Von Essen, American bassist, pianist, and composer (born 1954).
* 24 – Tete Montoliu, American pianist (born 1933).

### September

* 18 – Jimmy Witherspoon, American singer (born 1920).
* 20 – Dick Shearer, American trombonist (born 1940).

### October

* 29 – Big Nick Nicholas, American saxophonist and vocalist (born 1922).

### November

* 2 – Carson Smith, American upright bassist (born 1931).
* 9 – Joe Roccisano, saxophonist and arranger (born 1939).
* 10 – Tommy Tedesco, American guitarist (born 1930).
* 11 – Shake Keane, American trumpeter and poet (born 1927).
* 12 – Carola Standertskjöld, Finnish singer (born 1941).

### December

* 1 – Stéphane Grappelli, French violinist (born 1908).
* 6 – George Chisholm, American trombonist (born 1915).
* 12 – Mouse Randolph, American trumpeter (born 1909).
* 21 – Johnny Coles, American trumpeter (born 1926).
* 30 – Ray Crawford, American guitarist (born 1924).

### Unknown date

* Johnny Mince, American clarinetist (born 1912).

## Births
### Unknown date

* Barbra Lica, Canadian jazz singer and songwriter.