# 1970 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1970.

## Events
### June

* 17 – The 4th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (June 17 – 22).

### July

* 10
** Lee Morgan records Live at the Lighthouse (July 10 – 12), at the Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach, California.
** The 17th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 10 – 12).

### September

* 18 – The 13th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 18 – 20).

## Album releases

* Bill Evans: Montreux II
* Bill Evans: Bill Evans Alone
* Paul Bley: Improvisie
* Marion Brown: Afternoon of a Georgia Faun
* Alice Coltrane: Ptah, the El Daoud
* McCoy Tyner: Extensions
* Art Ensemble of Chicago: Les Stances a Sophie
* Sonny Sharrock: Monkey-Pockie-Boo
* Freddie Hubbard: Straight Life
* Jan Garbarek: Afric Pepperbird
* Evan Parker: The Topography of the Lungs
* Spontaneous Music Ensemble: So What Do You Think
* Alice Coltrane: Journey in Satchidananda
* Pharoah Sanders: Deaf Dumb Blind (Summun Bukmun Umyun)
* Stanley Turrentine: Sugar
* Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra: My Brother the Wind
* Woody Shaw: Blackstone Legacy
* Freddie Hubbard: Red Clay
* McCoy Tyner: Asante
* Miles Davis: Bitches' Brew
* Leon Thomas: The Leon Thomas Album
* Hubert Laws: Afro-Classic
* John McLaughlin: My Goal's Beyond
* ICP Orchestra: Groupcomposing
* Gunter Hampel: People Symphony
* Keith Tippett: Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening
* Misha Mengelberg: Instant Composers Pool 005
* Gunter Hampel: Ballet-Symphony
* Chris McGregor: And the Brotherhood of Breath
* Joe McPhee: Nation Time
* Hugh Masekela: Reconstruction

## Deaths
### January

* 16 – Lem Davis, American alto saxophonist (born 1914).
* 17 – Billy Stewart, American singer, drummer, and pianist (born 1937).

### March

* 2 – Emile Barnes, American clarinetist (born 1892).
* 21 – Jack Sels, Belgian saxophonist and composer (born 1922).

### April

* 10 – Ralph Escudero, Puerto Rican bassist and tubist (born 1898).
* 20 – Perry Bradford, African-American composer, songwriter, and vaudeville performer (born 1893).

### May

* 10 – Frankie Lee Sims, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1917).
* 11 – Johnny Hodges, American alto saxophonist (born 1906).
* 24 – Cliff Jackson, American pianist (born 1902).

### June

* 16 – Lonnie Johnson, American singer and guitarist (born 1899).

### July

* 26 – Fernando Arbello, Puerto Rican trombonist (born 1907).
* 31 – Booker Ervin, American saxophonist (born 1930).

### August

* 4 – Scoops Carry, American saxophonist and clarinetist (born 1915).
* 5 – Otto Hardwick, American saxophonist (born 1904).

### September

* 18 – Maxwell Davis, American saxophonist, arranger, and record producer (born 1916).

### October

* 11 – Phil Spitalny, American bandleader (born 1890).
* 12 – Barney Rapp, American drummer and orchestra leader (born 1900).

### November

* 20 – Don Stovall, American alto saxophonist (born 1913).
* 25 – Albert Ayler, American saxophonist and singer (born 1936).

### December

* 14 – Elmer Schoebel, American pianist and composer (born 1896).

## Births
### January

* 1 – Karen Souza, Argentin singer.
* 4 – Michel Bisceglia, Belgian pianist.
* 5 – Jesper Bodilsen, Danish upright bassist.
* 19 – Iiro Rantala, Finnish pianist, Trio Töykeät.
* 24 – Adam Pierończyk, Polish saxophonist and composer.

### February

* 9 – Eldbjørg Raknes, Norwegian singer.
* 13 – Adam Cruz, American drummer.
* 20
** Craig Taborn, American pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer.
** Éric Legnini, Belgian pianist and bandleader.
* 27 – Lina Nyberg, Swedish singer and composer.

### March

* 11 – Justin Hayford, American singer and pianist.
* 19 – Harald Johnsen, Norwegian upright bassist (died 2011).
* 22 – Live Maria Roggen, Norwegian singer and composer, Come Shine.

### April

* 1 – Tone Lise Moberg, Norwegian singer.
* 15 – Michael Schiefel, German singer.
* 20 – Avishai Cohen, Israeli bassist, composer, singer and arranger.
* 25 – Kjersti Stubø, Norwegian singer.

### May

* 1 – Sacha Perry, American pianist and composer.
* 4
** Giovanni Mirabassi, Italian pianist.
** Jeremy Davenport, American trumpeter and singer.
* 6 – Juliet Kelly, British singer and songwriter.
* 22 – Jimmy Bennington, American drummer.

### June

* 2 – Matt Garrison, American bassist.
* 10 – Dwayne Burno, American upright bassist (died 2013).
* 12 – Dave Maric, British composer and musician.
* 13 – Ron Westray, American trombonist, composer and educator.
* 16 – Gregory Hutchinson, American drummer.
* 21 – Eric Reed, American pianist and composer.
* 22 – Goran Kajfeš, Swedish trumpeter.
* 24 – Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese pianist and film composer (died 2012).

### July

* 6
** Médéric Collignon, French vocalist, cornettist and saxhorn player.
** Roger Cicero, German singer (died 2016).
* 13 – Glenn Corneille, Dutch pianist (died 2005).
* 14 – Jacob Young, Norwegian guitarist.
* 15 – Frank McComb, American soul singer and pianist.
* 16 – Yinka Davies, Nigerian vocalist, dancer, and lyricist.
* 17 – Alvester Garnett, American drummer.
* 25 – Brian Blade, American drummer, composer and singer-songwriter.
* 30 – Susanne Abbuehl, Swiss-Dutch singer.

### August

* 1 – Kishon Khan, Bangladeshi-British pianist, composer, arranger, and music producer.
* 21
** Marlon Jordan, American trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.
** Simone Eriksrud, Norwegian singer and composer.
* 22 – Erik van der Luijt, Dutch pianist, composer, and band leader.
* 23 – Brad Mehldau, American pianist, composer, and arranger.
* 24 – Chris Tarry, Canadian bass guitarist.
, September
* 3 – Haydain Neale, Canadian singer-songwriter (died 2009).
* 24 – Ingrid Laubrock, German soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophonist.
* 28 – Neil Yates, British trumpeter.

### October

* 5 – Tord Gustavsen (October 5), Norwegian pianist and composer.
* 8 – Maria Kannegaard, Danish-born Norwegian pianist.
* 16 – Heine Totland, Norwegian singer.
* 19 – Jacob Karlzon, Swedish pianist and composer.
* 20 – Håvard Lund, Norwegian clarinetist and saxophonist.
* 22 – Manuel Mota, Portuguese guitarist.
* 23 – Tobias Sjögren, Swedish guitarist and composer.
* 24 – Jesse Harris, American singer-songwriter.
* 28 – Kurt Rosenwinkel, American guitarist, composer and keyboardist.
* 29 – Toby Smith, British keyboardist and songwriter for Jamiroquai (died 2017).

### November

* 15 – Susie Ibarra, American composer and percussionist.
* 20 – Geoffrey Keezer, American pianist.
* 22 – Chris Fryar, American drummer.

### December

* 14 – Anna Maria Jopek, Polish singer.
* 18 – Norman Brown, American guitarist.
* 24 – Marco Minnemann, German drummer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist.

### Unknown date

* Andreas Paolo Perger, Austrian guitarist, improviser, and composer.
* Anna Mjöll, Icelandic singer and songwriter.
* Dominic Green, British writer and guitarist.
* Kate McGarry, American singer.
* Keith Anderson, American saxophonist.
* Lullaby Baxter, Canadian singer.
* Matt Lavelle, American trumpet, flugelhorn and bass clarinet player.
* Peter Martin, American pianist.
* Tom Brantley, American trombonist.