2018 in jazz

January

• 11
  • The 17th All Ears festival started in Oslo (January 11–14).^[1]
  • The 4th annual Tucson Jazz Festival started in Tucson, Arizona (January 11 – 21).^[2]
• 19 – The 37th annual Djangofestival started on Cosmopolite in Oslo, Norway (January 19 - 20).^[3]
• 28 – The Gustav Lundgren Trio performed a tribute to Django Reinhardt at Stockholm Concert Hall.^[4]
• 31
  • The 7th Bodø Jazz Open started in Bodø, Norway (January 31 – February 3).^[5]
  • The 13th Ice Music Festival started in Geilo, Norway (January 31 – February 4).^[6]

February

• 1 – The 20th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (February 1 – 4).^[7]
• 23 – Kirsti Huke received the 2017 Radka Toneff Memorial Award.^[8]
• 25 – The band Hegge was awarded the 2017 jazz Spellemannprisen.^[9]

March

• 2 – The 14th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia (March 2 – 4).^[10]
• 23
  • The 19th Cape Town International Jazz Festival started in Cape Town, South Africa (March 23 – 24).^[11]
  • The 45th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway (March 23 – 25). The opening was by Norwegian jazz poet Jan Erik Vold, warning about political maldirections of our time, followed by the opening consert signed Arild Andersen.^[12]

April

• 23 – The 7th Torino Jazz Festival started in Turin (April 23–30).^[13]
• 30 – The International Jazz Day.^[14]

May

• 4
  • The Balejazz started in Balestrand (May 4 – 6).^[15]
  • The 29th MaiJazz started in Stavanger, Norway (May 4 – 9).^[16]
• 9 – The 14th AnJazz, the Hamar Jazz Festival started at Hamar, Norway (May 9 – 13).^[17]
• 11 – The 17th All Ears festival started in Oslo (January 11–14).^[18]
• 24 – The 17th Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés started in Paris, France (May 24 – June 4).^[19]
• 25 – The 46th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway (May 26 – June 4).^[20]

June

• 12
  • The Bergenfest started in Bergen (June 12 – 16).^[21]
  • The Norwegian Wood music festival started in Oslo (June 12 – 16).^[22]

July

• 4 – The Kongsberg Jazzfestival opened at Kongsberg consert (July 4 – 7).^[23]
• 7 – The 40th Copenhagen Jazz Festival start in Copenhagen, Denmark (July 7 – 16).^[24]
• 12 – The 17th Stavernfestivalen started in Stavern, Norway (July 12 – 14).^[25]
• 13
  • The 43rd North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands ( July 7–9).^[26]
  • The 45th Umbria Jazz Festival start in Perugia, Italy (July 13 – 22).^[27]
• 14
  • The 30th Aarhus Jazz Festival started in Aarhus, Denmark (July 14 – 21).^[28]
  • The 53rd Pori Jazz Festival started in Pori, Finland (July 14 – 22).^[29]
• 16 – The Moldejazz start in Molde (July 16 – 21).^[30]
• 17
  • The 71st Nice Jazz Festival started in Nice, France (July 17 – 21).^[31]
  • The 42nd Jazz de Vitoria start in Gasteiz, Spain (July 17 – 21).^[32]
• 25 – The 23rd Canal Street started in Arendal, Norway (July 25 – 28).^[33]
• 27 – The 41st Jazz in Marciac started in Marciac, France (July 27 – August 15).^[34]

August

• 3 – The 62nd Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (August 3 – 5).^[35]
• 8
  • The 19th Øyafestivalen started in Oslo, Norway (August 8 – 11).^[36]
  • The 32nd Sildajazz started in Haugesund, Norway (August 8 – 12).^[37]
• 9
  • The Nišville International Jazz Festival started in Niš, Serbia (August 9 – 12).^[38]
  • The Tromsø Jazz Festival started in Tromsø (August 9 – 12).^[39]
• 10 – The 34th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales (August 10 – 12).^[40]
• 11 – The 33rd Oslo Jazzfestival start in Oslo, Norway (August 11 – 18).^[41]
• 17 – The Parkenfestivalen starts in Bodø (August 17–18).^[42]* The 14th Punktfestivalen opens in Kristiansand.
• 30 – The 14th Punktfestivalen opens in Kristiansand (August 30 - September 1|).

September

• 21 – The 61st Monterey Jazz Festival starts in Monterey, California (September 21 – 23).^[43]

October

• 18 – The 36th DølaJazz starts in Lillehammer (October 18 – 21).^[44]
• 17 – The 54th Prague International Jazz Festival starts in Prague (March 17 – October 6).^[45]

November

• 1 – The 55th JazzFest Berlin, also known as the Berlin Jazz Festival starts in Berlin (November 1 – 4).^[46]

December

• The 26th Umbria Jazz Winter starts in Orvieto, Italy.

January

February

March

April

January

• 4 – Ray Thomas, British flautist and singer, The Moody Blues (born 1941).^[91]
• 14
  • Bill Hughes, American trombonist and bandleader (born 1930).^[92]
  • Marlene VerPlanck, American singer (born 1933).^[93]
• 20 – Terry Evans, American singer and guitarist (born 1937).^[94]
• 23 – Hugh Masekela, South African trumpeter, singer, and composer (born 1939).^[95]
• 25 – Tommy Banks, Canadian pianist (born 1936).^[96]
• 28
  • Eddie Shaw, American saxophonist (born 1937).^[97]
  • Coco Schumann, German guitarist (born 1924).^[98]
• 29 – Asmund Bjørken, Norwegian accordionist and saxophonist (born 1933).^[99]

February

• 3 – Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, American drummer (born 1952).^[100]
• 5 – Ove Stokstad, Norwegian printmaker, clarinetist and saxophonist (born 1939).^[101]
• 7 – John Perry Barlow, American lyricist, poet, and essayist (born 1925).^[102]
• 9 – Wesla Whitfield, American singer (born 1947).^[103]
• 11 – Vic Damone, American singer, songwriter, and actor (born 1928).^[104]
• 22 – Errol Buddle, Australian bassoonist and saxophonist (born 1928).^[105]

March

• 4 – Russell Solomon, American entrepreneur, art collector, and founder of the Tower Records (born 1925).^[106]
• 7 – Jerzy Milian, Polish vibraphonist (born 1935).^[107]
• 16 – Buell Neidlinger, American upright bassist and cellist (born 1936).^[108]

April

• 1 – Audrey Morris, American singer and pianist (born 1928).^[109]
• 3 – Lill-Babs or Barbro Svensson, Swedish singer and actress (born 1938).^[110]
• 5 – Cecil Taylor, American pianist and poet (born 1929).^[111]
• 8 – Nathan Davis, American saxophonist, flautist, and multi-instrumentalist (born 1937).^[112]
• 16 – Dona Ivone Lara, Brazilian samba singer (born 1921).^[113]
• 23 – Bob Dorough, American pianist, composer, and vocalese singer (born 1923).^[114]
• 26 – Charles Neville, American R&B saxophonist, The Neville Brothers (born 1938).^[115]

Mikhail Alperin in 2017.

May

• 11 – Mikhail Alperin, Ukrainian born pianist, Moscow Art Trio (born 1956).^[116]
• 18 – Jack Reilly, American pianist (born 1932)^[117].
• 19 – Reggie Lucas, American guitarist and songwriter (born 1953).^[118]

June

• 9 – Lorraine Gordon, American jazz music advocate, Village Vanguard jazz club (born 1922).^[119]
• 11 – Wayne Dockery, American bassist (born 1941).
• 12 – Jon Hiseman, British drummer, recording engineer, and record producer, Colosseum, Colosseum II, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers (born 1944).
• 17 – Rebecca Parris, American singer (born 1951).

July

• 2
  • Henry Butler, American pianist (born 1948).^[120]
  • Bill Watrous, American trombonist (born 1939).^[121]
• 15 – Theryl DeClouet, American singer, Galactic (born 1951).^[122]
• 23 – Duke Carl Gregor of Mecklenburg, member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a music and art historian (born 1933).
• 25 – Patrick Williams, American composer, arranger, and conductor (born 1939).^[123]

August

• 10 – Ken Pickering, Canadian jazz promotor, Vancouver Jazz Festival co-founder (born 1952).^[124]
• 16 – Aretha Franklin, American singer and songwriter (born 1942).
• 22 – Lazy Lester, American singer and guitarist (born 1933).

September

• 1 – Randy Weston, American pianist and composer (born 1926).
• 14 – Max Bennett, American bassist, L.A. Express, The Wrecking Crew (born 1928).
• 16
  • Maartin Allcock, British multi-instrumentalist, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull (born 1957).
  • Big Jay McNeely, American saxophonist (born 1927).