# 1971 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1971.

## Events
### May

* 2 – The 5th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (May 2 – June 24).

### July

* 2 – The 18th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 2 – 5).

### September

* 17 – The 14th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 17 – 19).

## Album releases

* Art Ensemble of Chicago: Phase One
* Derek Bailey: Solo Guitar
* Gato Barbieri: Fenix
* Carla Bley: Escalator Over The Hill
* Willem Breuker: Instant Composers Pool 008
* Gary Burton: Live in Tokyo
* Alice Coltrane
** Universal Consciousness
** Journey in Satchidananda
* Compost: Compost
* Chick Corea
** Circle 2: Gathering
** Piano Improvisations
** The Song of Singing
* Don Ellis: Tears of Joy
* Bill Evans
** The Bill Evans Album
** From Left to Right
* Jan Garbarek: Sart
* Freddie Hubbard
** First Light
** Sing Me a Song of Songmy
** Straight Life
* Keith Jarrett
** Birth
** Gary Burton & Keith Jarrett
** The Mourning of a Star
* Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Inner Mounting Flame
* Joe McPhee: Trinity
* Oliver Nelson: Swiss Suite
* Jean-Luc Ponty: Open Strings
* Terje Rypdal: Terje Rypdal
* Pharoah Sanders: Black Unity
* Spontaneous Music Ensemble: So What Do You Think
* Keith Tippett: Septober Energy
* Stanley Turrentine: Salt Song
* Weather Report: Weather Report
* Tim Weisberg: Tim Weisberg
* Mike Westbrook: Metropolis
* Paul Winter
** Icarus
** Road
* Joe Zawinul: Zawinul

## Deaths
### January

* 10 – Ernie Caceres, American saxophonist (born 1911).
* 19 – Harry Shields, American clarinetist (born 1899).

### February

* 1 – Harry Roy, British clarinettist and bandleader (born 1900).
* 5 – Chas Remue, Belgian reedist (born 1903).
* 11 – Harry Arnold, Swedish saxophonist and bandleader (born 1920).
* 22 – Derek Humble, English alto saxophonist (born 1930).

### March

* 26 – Harold McNair, Jamaican-born saxophonist and flute player (lung cancer) (born 1931).
* 28 – Morey Feld, American drummer (born 1915).

### April

* 1 – Baby Face Willette, American Hammond organist (born 1933).
* 12 – Wynton Kelly, Jamaican pianist and composer (born 1931).
* 28 – Sonny White, American pianist (born 1917).

### May

* 8 – Gus Deloof, Belgian trumpeter, composer, and arranger (born 1909).

### June

* 11 – Bert Ambrose, English bandleader and violinist (born 1896).

### July

* 2 – Bobby Donaldson, American drummer (born 1922).
* 6 – Louis Armstrong, American singer and trumpeter (born 1901).
* 8 – Charlie Shavers, American trumpeter (born 1920).

### August

* 13 – King Curtis, American saxophonist (born 1934).
* 17 – Tab Smith, American saxophonist (born 1909).
* 27 – Lil Hardin Armstrong, American pianist, singer, and band leader (born 1898).
* 28 – Lou McGarity, American trombonist, violinist, and vocalist (born 1917).

### November

* 1 – Irene Daye, American singer (born 1918).
* 3 – Gary McFarland, American composer, arranger, vibraphonist, and vocalist (born 1933).

### Unknown date

* Gregor or Krikor Kélékian, Armenian-French bandleader (born 1898).

## Births
### January

* 1
** Chris Potter, American saxophonist.
** Kenya Hathaway, American singer.
* 4 – Nigel Hitchcock, English saxophonist.
* 5 – Stian Carstensen, Norwegian multi-instrumentalist.
* 20 – Zoe Rahman, English pianist and composer.

### February

* 16 – Øyvind Brandtsegg, Norwegian percussionist.
* 26 – Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, activist, and actress.

### March

* 23 – Leszek Możdżer, Polish pianist, music producer, and film music composer.

### April

* 2 – Solveig Slettahjell, Norwegian singer.
* 10 – Joey Defrancesco, American organist, trumpeter, and vocalist.
* 16 – Max Beesley, English actor, singer, and pianist.
* 25 – Trygve Seim, Norwegian saxophonist.Arun Luthra performing at the 2018 Tramonto Festival in Croatia
* 26 – Christian Wallumrød, Norwegian pianist and composer.

### May

* 6 – Till Brönner, German trumpeter, singer, composer, arranger, and producer.
* 12 – Kristin Asbjørnsen, Norwegian singer and composer.
* 15 – Erland Dahlen, Norwegian drummer and percussionist.
* 31 – Arun Luthra, Indo-Anglo-American saxophonist, konnakol artist, composer, arranger, and band leader.

### June

* 4 – Shoji Meguro, Japanese composer, guitarist, and director.
* 7
** Håvard Fossum, Norwegian saxophonistand flautist.
** Jesse Green, American pianist, composer, arranger, and record producer.
* 9 – Gerald Preinfalk, Austrian saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.
* 15 – Nasheet Waits, American drummer.
* 29 – Ingar Zach, Norwegian percussionist.

### July

* 17 – Liberty Ellman, American guitarist.
* 29 – Lisa Ekdahl, Swedish singer and songwriter.

### August

* 14 – Walter Blanding, American saxophonist and clarinetist.
* 17 – Ed Motta, Brazilian singer and keyboardist.

### September

* 15 – Graham Wood, Australian jazz pianist (died 2017).
* 20 – Sean J. Kennedy, American drummer.
* 23 – Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Norwegian bassist.

### October

* 19 – Helén Eriksen, Norwegian saxophonist and singer.
* 20 – Russell Gunn, American trumpeter.
* 24 – Frode Berg, Norwegian bassist.
* 26 – Vijay Iyer, American pianist and composer.

### November

* 1 – Antonio Sánchez, Mexican-American drummer and composer.
* 4 – Gregory Porter, American vocalist.
* 28 – Robert Mitchell, British pianist, composer, and teacher.

### December

* 1 – Mika Pohjola, Finnish pianist and composer.
* 11 – Mattias Ståhl, Swedish vibraphonist, clarinetist, and composer.
* 18 – Noriko Matsueda, Japanese pianist and composer.

### Unknown date

* Carla Kihlstedt, American composer, violinist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist.
* Dominique Atkins, British singer, Grace.
* Kasper Tranberg, Danish trumpeter and flugelhornist.
* Marcus Johnson, American keyboardist.
* Tom Norris, English musician, composer, ensemble leader, and songwriter.
* Vellu Halkosalmi, Finnish trombonist and composer.