# 1976 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1976.

## Events
### April

* 9 – The 3rd Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway (April 9 – 11).

### May

* 19 – The 4th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway (May 19 – June 2).

### June

* 4 – The 5th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany (June 4 – 7).
* 25
** The 23rd Newport Jazz Festival started in New York, New York (June 25 – July 5).
** The 10th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (June 25 – July 11).

### July

* 16 – The very first North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands (July 16 – 18).

### September

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

## Album releases

* Keith Jarrett: The Survivors' Suite
* George Lewis: Solo Trombone Record
* Air: Air Raid
* David Murray: Flowers for Albert
* Derek Bailey: Company 1
* Jan Garbarek: Dis
* Irene Schweizer: Wilde Señoritas
* Toshiko Akiyoshi: Road Time
* Albert Mangelsdorff: Tromboneliness
* Leo Smith: Song of Humanity
* Tony Coe: Zeitgeist
* Ornette Coleman: Dancing in Your Head
* Jaco Pastorius: Jaco Pastorius
* Martial Solal: Movability
* George Finola: New Orleans After Hours
* Hamiet Bluiett: Endangered Species
* Art Lande: Rubisa Patrol
* Return to Forever: Romantic Warrior
* George Adams: Suite For Swingers
* Jean-Luc Ponty: Imaginary Voyage
* David Friesen: Star Dance
* Dexter Gordon: Biting the Apple
* Joachim Kuhn: Springfever
* Eberhard Weber: The Following Morning
* Lew Tabackin: Dual Nature
* Chico Freeman: Morning Prayer
* Weather Report: Black Market
* Charles Tyler: Saga of the Outlaws
* Al Di Meola: Land of The Midnight Sun
* Woody Shaw: Little Red's Fantasy
* Stanley Clarke: School Days
* Yosuke Yamashita: Banslikana
* Ran Blake: Wende
* Guenter Christmann: Solomusiken Fuer Posaune und Kontrabasse
* Egberto Gismondi: Dança Das Cabeças
* Michael Franks: The Art of Tea
* Hugh Masekela: Colonial Man
* Hugh Masekela: Melody Maker
* Ryo Fukui: Scenery

## Deaths
### January

* 14 – Juan d'Arienzo, Argentine tango violinist, band leader, and composer (born 1900).
* 24 – Gösta Theselius, Swedish arranger, composer, film scorer, pianist, and saxophonist (born 1922).
* 28 – Ray Nance, American trumpeter, violinist and singer (born 1913).

### February

* 5 – Rudy Pompilli, American tenor saxophonist, Bill Haley and His Comets (born 1924).
* 6 – Vince Guaraldi, American pianist (born 1928).
* 12 – Skip Martin, American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and music arranger (born 1916).

### March

* 14 – Junior Collins, American French horn player (born 1927).
* 18 – Jim McCartney, English trumpeter and pianist (born 1902).
* 19 – Paul Kossoff, English guitarist (cerebral and pulmonary oedema), Free (born 1950).
* 26 – Duster Bennett, British singer and guitarist (car accident), Fleetwood Mac (born 1946).

### May

* 14 – Keith Relf, English singer (cardiac arrest due to electrocution), The Yardbirds (born 1940).
* 17 – Lars Gullin, Swedish saxophonist (born 1928).
* 29 – Willie Maiden, American saxophonist and arranger (born 1928).
* 30 – Rube Bloom, Jewish-American songwriter, pianist, arranger, band leader, singer, and author (born 1902).

### April

* 7 – Jimmy Garrison, American upright bassist (born 1934).
* 12 – Ted Buckner, American saxophonist (born 1913).

### June

* 7 – Bobby Hackett, American trumpeter, cornetist, and guitarist (born 1915).

### July

* 10 – Mike Pratt, English actor, musician, songwriter, and screenwriter (born 1931).
* 12 – Buddy Featherstonhaugh, English saxophonist (born 1909).

### September

* 8 – August Agbola O'Browne, Nigerian-Polish drummer (born 1895).

### October

* 3
** Victoria Spivey, American singer and songwriter (born 1906).
** Herb Flemming, American trombonist and vocalist (born 1898).
* 11 – Connee Boswell, American singer (born 1907).

### December

* 4 – Tommy Bolin, American guitarist (drug-induced suffocation), Deep Purple (born 1951).
* 28 – Freddie King, American guitarist and singer (born 1934).

## Births
### January

* 10 – Freddy Wike, Norwegian drummer.
* 23 – Harmen Fraanje, Dutch pianist and composer.

### February

* 11 – Gretchen Parlato, American singer.
* 20 – Ben Wendel, Canadian-American saxophonist, composer, bassoonist, and pianist, Kneebody.
* 22 – Julia Biel, British singer, songwriter, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist.
* 26 – Karl Strømme, Norwegian trumpeter.

### March

* 1 – Andreas Mjøs, Norwegian vibraphonist, percussionist, guitarist, record producer, and composer, Jaga Jazzist.
* 10 – Ane Brun, singer and songwriter.
* 16 – Erlend Jentoft, Norwegian saxophonist and composer.
* 27 – Tia Fuller, American saxophonist, composer, and educator.

### April

* 10 – Jan Werner Danielsen, Norwegian singer (died 2006).
* 17 – Kjetil Steensnæs, Norwegian guitarist.
* 30 – Radek Nowicki, Polish saxophonist.

### May

* 10 – Torbjörn Zetterberg, Swedish upright bassist and composer.
* 20 – Ferenc Nemeth, Hungarian drummer and composer.

### June

* 3
** Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen, Norwegian singer, songwriter, cabaret artist.
** Roger Arntzen, Norwegian upright bassist, In The Country.
* 6 – Emilie-Claire Barlow, Canadian singer and voice actress.
* 10 – Kinan Azmeh, Syrian clarinetist.
* 17 – Kjetil Møster, Norwegian reedist and composer, The Core and Ultralyd.
* 21 – Jarle Bernhoft, Norwegian singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and lyricist.

### July

* 7
** Erja Lyytinen, Finnish guitarist and singer-songwriter.
** Orlando le Fleming, English upright bassist, composer and former cricketer, OWL Trio.

### August

* 6 – Jonas Westergaard, Danish upright bassist.

### September

* 4 – Alex Pangman, Canadian singer.
* 15 – Femi Temowo, Nigerian-born British jazz guitarist, musical director, producer and broadcaster.

### October

* 1 – Ivar Grydeland, Norwegian guitarist and composer.
* 7 – Pekka Kuusisto, Finnish violinist.
* 19 – Jostein Gulbrandsen, Norwegian guitarist and composer.
* 28 – Emma Salokoski, Finnish singer, composer, and writer.

### November

* 8 – Eric Harland, American drummer.

### December

* 6 – Ole Børud, Norwegian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
* 7 – Kresten Osgood, Danish drummer.
* 17 – Andreas Schaerer, Swiss vocalist and composer.
* 30 – Miguel Zenón, Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, band leader, music producer, and educator.

### Unknown date

* Daniel Fredriksson, Swedish drummer.
* Jakob Høyer, Danish drummer.
* Tamar Halperin, Israeli harpsichordist, pianist, and musicologist.
* Yasuyuki "Yaz" Takagi, Japanese saxophonist.