JAZZ TIMELINE
1870 / 1900 / 1930 / 1945 / 1949 / 1956 / 1960 / 1969 / 1980Ragtime / Blues
Dixieland / Swing
Big Band / BeBop / Cool Jazz / Hard Bop / Free Jazz / Fusion / Contemporary
Early Jazz
Timeline/Information(dates, history of jazz, world history reference points)
DATEJazz HistoryWorld History
1817Congo Square in NOLA established for slave music and danceHarvard Law founded
1865Slavery abolished
1892Tommy Turpin writes “HARLEM RAG” – 1st ragtime composition
1895Scott Joplin publishes 2 ragsGE founded
Buddy Bolden forms his band
18971st Rag appears in print and popularity grows1st Subway created in Boston
1900Cutting contests begin at Tammany Hall1st Electric bus in NYC
1901Louis Armstrong is born
Charles Booth records “CREOLE BLUES” for Victor label. 1st recorded rag
1902Jelly Roll Morton claims to invent JazzCuba gains independence from US
1904Buddy Bolden fuses Blues and RagIce Cream Cone invented
1st NY Eve held in Times Square
1910Clef Club founded by James Reese Europe in NYC (for African American)Mark Twain dies
Marie Curie isolates radium
1913“JAZZ” 1st appears in print
1914WC HANDY “STLOUISBLUES”WWI begins
Panama Canal open to commercial traffic
1915King Oliver forms band with Sidney BechetAlbert Einstein “Theory of Relativity”
1921Zion, Illinois bans JAZZ labeling it “sinful”Hitler elected to Nazi party
1st Miss America is held
1922Kid Ory Band is 1st black band to record in NO styleGhandi is imprisoned
John Stark goes out of business to end ragtime eraMussolini seizes power in Italy
1923Bessie Smith 1st recording1st network radio broadcast
King Oliver (with Louis Armstrong) 1st recording
Sidney Bechet 1st recording
Fletcher Henderson Orchestra begins tenure at Club Alabama in NYC
Elmer Snowden’s Washingtonians tours NYC with Duke Ellington on piano
1924Duke 1st recording as leader of WashingtoniansStalin becomes Dictator of Russia
“RHAPSODY IN BLUE” by Gershwin, premieresFascist party wins in Italy
Louis Armstrong moves to NYC to join Fletcher Henderson. Coleman Hawkins soon joins
1925Electric recordings introduced1st classical music recording in US
Original Dixieland Jass Band disforms“THE GREAT GATSBY” published
Fats Waller gives lessons to Count BasieFrisbee played for 1st time using
pie plates from Frisbee Baking Co.
Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith record “ST. LOUIS BLUES” for Columbia Records
1927Duke Ellington begins tenure at Cotton ClubLindbergh Solo Flight across Atlantic
Inauguration of CBS
1sttalkie film“The Jazz Singer”
1928Benny Goodman 1st recording
1929Fats Waller does 1st mixed race recording. Forced to sit behind screen, away from whitesStock Market Crash
Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago
1st Academy Awards presented
1930Lionel Hampton records with Louis Armstrong (1st vibraphone)Pluto is discovered
Cab Calloway becomes regular at Cotton ClubJet engine is invented
1931Buddy Bolden diesEmpire State Building opens
RCA uses 1st 33 1/3 MP discJapan invades Manchuria
1932“Don’t Mean a Thing (if it ain’t got that swing)” 1st time SWING is in titleRadio City Music Hall opens
Benny Goodman joins Fletcher Henderson OrchestraJapan attacks Shenghai
1933Art Tatum records “TIGERRAG” thought by many to be a duetProhibition ends
Duke Ellington 1st European tour1st photos of Loch Ness “Nellie”
Billie Holiday 1st recordingAdolf Hitler named Chancellor
Dachau Concentration Camp opens
1934DOWN BEAT magazine founded in ChicagoBonnie and Clyde shot
Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (Jimmy on clarinet, Tommy on trombone)Italy invades Albania
1st Cheeseburger in Louisville, Kentucky
1935Ella Fitzgerald 1st recordingItaly invades Ethiopia
Benny Goodman with interracial trio (Gene Krupa and Teddy Wilson)Electric Guitar invented
“Porgy and Bess” opens on Broadway1st paperback books published
1936Nat King Cole 1st recordingJesse Owens wins 4 Gold in Olympics.
Hitler refuses photo op
1937Billie Holiday debuts with Count BasieHindenberg crashes in New Jersey
Count Basie broadcasts from The Savoy
George Gershwin dies of brain tumor
Dizzy Gillespie 1st recording
1938Benny Goodman performs at Carnegie (1st jazz performance at Carnegie hall)Shopping carts introduced in Oklahoma
Savoy Competition – Webb vs. BasieOrsen Welles broadcast on radio
Benny Goodman records “Bach goes to town: Prelude and Fugue in Swing”
1939Glenn Miller gains radio playWWII begins
Coleman Hawkins records “BODYANDSOUL” – sophistication of sax improvisation“PACT OF STEEL” Germany and Italy
Blue Note Records is founded
Charlie Parker moves to NYC
1940Minton’s Playhouse opens in NYC as hot spot for JazzGermany takes Paris
ASCAP sets broadcast band, grows BMI because of itItaly declares war on Britain/France
1941“TAKE THE A TRAIN” recordedJapan bombs Pearl Harbor
Sidney Bechet – record playing 5 instruments. 1stexperiment of overdubbingUS Declares war on Japan/Germany/Italy
Charlie Parker 1st recording
Minton “jam sessions” where Be Bop is created
Dizzy Gillespie fired by Cab Calloway over knife altercation
1942Fats Waller performs at CarnegieUS bombs Germany
Leonard Bernstein performs as JAZZ pianist in BostonGermany invades Stalingrad
Sarah Vaughn wins talent show at Apollo Theater
Eddie Condon 1st integrated band on CBS TV
1943Duke Ellington at CarnegieJitterbug dance big in US
Glenn Miller textbook published on arrangingAllied forces land in Italy
Mussolini resigns after allied
forces land in Sicily
1944Cootie Williams records “ROUND MIDNIGHT” by Thelonius Monk. Most D-Day Allied Invasion
Recorded standard ever
Miles Davis accepted at Julliard. Withdraws soon after to play jazzUS reaches Germany
Lester Young is drafted – voted most popular sax by Down BeatAssassination on Hitler foiled
Glenn Miller disappears on flight from London to ParisUnited Negro College Fund begins
1945“BE BOP” recorded by Dizzy GillespieFranklin D. Roosevelt dies
Mussolini executed
Hitler suicide
US bombs Japan
1946Miles records “ORNITHOLOGY” and “NIGHT IN TUNISIA”Bikini is introduced in US
Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie perform in LAJuan Peron takes power in Argentina
1947Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday headline at Carnegie Hall
1949“BIRTH OF COOL” by Miles Davis1st passenger jet
1st International Jazz Festival in ParisMao Tse Tung forms Peoples Republic
Of China
1st Dave Brubeck recording in San FranciscoVietnam gains independence France
Charlie Parker releases “CHARLIE PARKER WITH STRINGS”
Birdland opens on Broadway
25 member Progressive Jazz performs at Carnegie with Stan Kenton
1950Thelonius Monk arrested for drugs in NYC, banned from playing in cityKorean War begins
Thelonius Monk and Charlie Parker record togetherChina invades Tibet
Russia declares 1st nuclear weapons
1951Dave Brubeck Quarter with Paul DesmondNATO is formed
Monk stripped of Cabaret Card for not selling out Bud Powell to police“Catcher in the Rye” published
1952CarnegieHall hosts “California Jazz Nite” w/Brubeck/Baker/Mulligan/Desmond“Waiting for Goddot” published
Modern Jazz Quartet founded
1953Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong on tour. This leads to fight and Josef Stalin dies
Goodman has a nervous breakdown
“Jazz at Massey Hall” recorded in TorontoKorean War ends
1954Brubeck appears on TIME Magazine coverUS tests Hydrogen bomb
1st American Jazz festival at Newport, RIVietnam War begins
Charlie Parker attempts suicideSupreme Court rules racial
Segregation in public school unconstitutional
Thelonius Monk tours Europe
Max Roach and Clifford Brown create Hard Bop Quartet
1955Charlie Parker DiesAlbert Einstein dies
Miles Davis 1st recording with John ColtraneDisneyland opens (California)
Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers record in Greenwich VillageKFC begins sales
Cannonball Adderley 1st NYC performance
Lennie Tristano experiments with true overdubbing
1956“PITHECANTHROPUS ERECTUS” – recorded using collective improvisationMarilyn Monroe marries Arthur Miller
Duke Ellington interest rekindled with TIME story and Newport Jazz FestivalElvis records “Heartbreak Hotel”
Art Tatum dies
Monk records with Sonny Rollins
1957“MILESAHEAD” is recordedRussia launches 1st Sputnik satellite
Jimmy Dorsey dies“Cat in the Hat” bestseller
Mingus uses latin elements in “TIJUANA MOODS”
“West Side Story” opens in Washington, DC
“BLUE TRANE” is recorded by John Coltrane
Toshiko Akiyoshi wins Down Beat poll and Berklee Music Award
1958Brubeck in DenmarkBoeing 707 introduced
Modal Jazz introduced with “MILESTONES”Hovercraft invented
“MOANIN’” – definitive hard bop recordingSkateboard invented
1959Lester Young diesCastro assumes power in Cuba
“KIND OF BLUE” recorded by Miles Davis – modal jazzHawaii and Alaska join US
Sidney Bechet diesXerox is introduced
Ornette Coleman – 1st free jazz recordingUS sends 2 monkeys to space
Billie Holiday arrested and dies soon after
1960“SKETCHES OF SPAIN” by Miles DavisLaser beam 1st demonstrated
Modern Jazz Quarter recording with full orchestraBlack sit ins in North Carolina
“FAVORITE THINGS” and “GIANTSTEPS” recorded
“Fables of Faubus” and “We Insist: Freedom now Suite” recorded
1961Dizzy Gillespie at CarnegieHall“Catch 22” published
Down Beat articles attacks Free JazzBerlin Wall built
Newport Jazz relocated to NYC after riots break outBirth Control pill introduced
1962Bossa Nova is back with “DESAFIANDO” by Stan GetzMarilyn Monroe dies
Ellington records with Mingus/Roach and ColtraneCuban Missile Crisis
Joe Pass 1st recordingLincoln Center opens in NYC
1963Mingus introduced extended structure and free improve with MLK, JR speech in DC
“BLACK SAINT” and “SINNER LADY”JFK assassinated
Bill Evans “CONVERSATION WITH MYSELF” with overdubbing4 black girls killed in Alabama bombing
Basie tours Japan
1964“MY FUNNY VALENTINE” by Miles DavisNelson Mandela begins life sentence
Horace Silver records “SONG FOR MY FATHER”Civil Rights Bill passed
“A LOVE SUPREME” released by ColtraneGI JOE introduced
1965Modal tune “MAIDEN VOYAGE” with Herbie HancockTS Eliot dies
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra forms1st Space Walk by US
Coltrane releases “ASCENSION” as free jazz experimentMalcolm X assassinated
1966Ellington receives President’s GoldMedal of Honor“Star Trek” on TV premiere
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis debut at Village VanguardRace riots in CLE/NY/CHI
“MILES SMILES” is releasedBlack Power rises
1967Coltrane dies of liver diseaseApollo crew killed on Launchpad fire
Montreux Jazz debuts in Switzerland1st successful heart transplant
Down Beat does Rock as well as Jazz music genres
Herbie Hancock introduces electric piano with Miles Davis
1968Hancock quits Davis quartetMLK, JR. assassinated
Wes Montgomery diesRF Kennedy assassinated
Chick Corea joins Miles Davis Quartet“2001: A Space Odyssey” premieres
1969“BITCHES BREW” released as fusion albumArmstrong lands on moon
Coleman Hawkins diesGhadafi takes power in Libya
Woodstock music festival
“The Godfather” is published Mario Puzo
1970Sun Ra records in GermanyJimi Hendriz dies
Joshua Rifkin records Joplin RagsJanis Joplin dies
Chick Corea quits Miles Davis QuartetVoting age changed to 18
Roe V. Wade
1971Weather Report 1st recordingUS bombs North Vietnam
Louis Armstrong dies. Death reported worldwide as front page news“A Clockwork Orange” banned in UK
Mingus autobiography released “Beneath the Underdog”
1972Mingus performs at PhilharmonicHall in NYCUK kills 13 in Northern Ireland
Monk goes into retirementTerrorists kill 11 Israelis at Olympics
Ornette Coleman “SKIES OF AMERICA” performed by London Symphony1st Polaroid Camera introduced
1973Hancock “HEAD HUNTERS” fusion jazz breaks all jazz recording marksVietnam war ends
“The Sting” movie rekindles love of Ragtime musicPicasso dies
Comeback appearance of Chet Baker by Dizzy GillespieWatergate Break-in occurs
1974Thad Jones/Mel Lewis go to TokyoPatty Hearst kidnapped
Akiyoshi records in LANixon resigns
Lincoln Center farewell performance by Modern Jazz QuartetStreaking begins on college campuses
Duke Ellington dies
1st crossover hit, “Mr. Magic”, by Grover Washington
1975Brecker Brothers 1st recording (Michael and Randy)“Jaws” is released
Pat Methany 1st recordingNorth Vietnam invades South Vietnam
14 year old Wynton Marsalis debut performance with New Orleans Symphony Orchestra
1976Brubeck Quarter reunites for concertViking probe sends pictures of Mars
Monk last performance at Newport Jazz Festival“Roots” is published
Weather Report releases “HEAVY WEATHER” and “BLACK MARKET”
Scott Joplin awarded Pulitzer posthumously
1977Paul Desmond dies“Star Wars” released
World Sax Quartet formedElvis Presley dies
Spyro Gyra 1st recordingSpace Shuttle test flight begins
1978President Carter hosts 1stJazz at White House with Charles MingusAfghanistan revolution begins
Pat Methany Group formed1st black News Anchor Max Robinson
1979Charles Mingus dies“Apocolypse Now” released
Stan Kenton dies3 Mile Island Nuclear disaster
Bill Evans final recordingSony Walkman released
Dizzy Gillespie book “To Be or Not to Bop” releasedMargaret Thatcher female PM of Britain
1980Grover Washington releases crossover “JUST THE 2 OF US”John Lennon killed
“THE MAN WITH THE HORN” Miles Davis – funk/rock base10,000 Cuban refugees enter US
Wynton Marsalis records at Montreux with The Jazz MessengersMt. St. Helens erupts
Bill Evans diesIran Hostage Crisis
1981Miles Davis 1st live performance in years at Avery Fisher Hall1st space shuttle mission
Branford Marsalis and Wynton Marsalis join Jazz MessengersAnwar Sadat assassinated
Dave Sanborn 1st recordingAids epidemic
Assassination attempt on RonaldReagan
Assassination attempt on Pope Paul II
1982Thelonius Monk dies“GHANDI” wins 8 academy awards
Jaco Pastorius leaves Weather Report“ET” wins 3 academy awards
Wynton Marsalis and Bobby McFewrein introduced at Kool Jazz Festival
1983Wynton Marsalis wins Classical and Jazz GrammyUS invades Grenada
Scott Joplin appears on US Postage Stamp1st CD marketed
Herbie Hancock “ROCKIT” jumps to #1 on Pop ChartSchool Prayer Amendment rejected
Vanessa Williams 1st black Miss USA
Harold Washington 1st black mayor (chi)
1984Count Basie diesIndira Ghandi assassinated
“YOU’RE UNDER ARREST” last Columbia recording by Miles Davis1st Macintosh computer
Miles Davis signs 7 figure deal with Warner Brothers
1985Kenny Clark diesLive Aid premieres
Miles records “AURA” in DenmarkTitanic is found
Branford Marsalis tours with STING
1986Wynton Marsalis considered pure traditionalistChallenger shuttle explosion
Kenny G releases “SONGBIRD”US bombs Libya
Benny Goodman diesAffirmative Action upheld by Supreme
Herbie Hancock wins Academy Award from “RoundMidnight” movie score
1987Jaco Pastorius dies, beat up by bouncer at barAndy Warhol dies
Michael Brecker 1st solo recordingStock Market crash
Massive reissue of many Bop and Hard Bop recordingsWhitney Houston debut album #1
“Classically Jazz” premieres at Alice Tully Hall in NYC
1988Gil Evans diesLockerbie (Scotland) Explosion of jet
Chet Baker dies
“Bird” premieres directed by Clint Eastwood
1989Roy Eldridge and Woody Shaw dieSalvatore Dali dies
Roy Hargrove 1st recordingBerlin Wall torn down
Quincy Jones releases “BACK ON THE BLOCK” with jazz and rap genreExxon Valdez Oil spill
Salmon Rushdie sentenced to death
For “The Satanic Verses” book
1990Sarah Vaughn and Mel Lewis dieGulf War begins
Dexter Gordon diesLeonard Bernstein dies
Miles Davis autobiography “Miles the Autobiography” releasedRussia falls
1991Stan Getz diesDr. Seuss dies
Miles Davis diesGulf War ends
Wynton Marsalis becomes 1st director for Jazz at Lincoln Center
Joshua Redman wins Jazz Sax Competition signs with Warner Brothers
1992“DOOBOP” released (miles Davis album with rap)LA Race riots
Branford Marsalis becomes bandleader of Tonight Show with Jay LenoMae Jemison 1st black astronaut in spac
Hip Hop group US3 samples Herbie Hancock music
1993Sun Ra diesMaya Angelou delivers poem at
Clinton inauguration
Chick Corea is refused a performance in Germany for ties to ScientologyToni Morrison wins Nobel Prize
Dizzy Gillespie dies
Joshua Redman deemed “NEW YOUNG LION” of Jazz
1994Joe Pass diesPaula Jones sex assault v. Clinton
1995Roy Hargrove ousts Wynton Marsalis as best jazz artist in Down BeatOJ Simpson trial
Impulse Records is revised after 19 yearsOklahoma City bombing
Million Man March in DC
1996Jazz At Lincoln Center becomes full constituent, even par with Opera, Ballet and NY PhilOlympic bombing in Atlanta
1997Wayne Shorter Grammy for electric jazz “HIGH LIFE”“Dolly the Sheep” is cloned
$26 Million Jazz Museum opens in Kansas City, MOHeavens Gate cult suicide
Joshua Redman, Christina McBride and Brian Blade on tourPrincess Diana dies
1998Pat Methany/Charlie Haden Grammy for duet album “Beyond the Missouri Sky”Google established
Kevin Eubanks takes over Tonight Show for Branford MarsalisClinton impeached
1999Art Farmer and Lester Bowie dieColumbine massacre
Clinton acquitted
2000Diana Krall gains popularityViolence in Israel escalates
Jam Bands rise in popularityThe “hanging” chad
2001Ken Burns 10 part documentary JAZZ9/11 Attack
Julliard establishes Jazz DegreeiPod launched
Joe Henderson and JJ Johnson dieXM Radio begins service
2002French Postage Stamps feature “Faces of Jazz”Axis of Evil penned
Iran,Iraq, N. Korea
Ray Brown, Lionel Hampton and Rosemary Clooney dieHomeland Security created
Google becomes a verb
2003Norah Jones 8 Grammy’s for Blue Note recordsColumbia Shuttle explodes
Louis Armstrong home in Queens, NY opens as museumSaddam Hussein captured
Benny Carter diesiTunes released
Resurgence of jazz vocal and jazz standardsDVD replaces VCR
2004Frederick P. Rose Hall devoted to jazz (Lincoln Center)Tsunami in Thailand
Jazzless labels – artists create and release on internet/self promotionVideo Game profit surpasses movies
2005Found recordings released of Thelonius Monk Quartet and John ColtraneTerrorist attacks in London/New Delhi
Harry Connick Jr and Wynton Marsalis raise funds for Hurricane Katrina reliefHurricane Katrina
Hancock and Shorter tour Vietnam as guest of US State DepartmentCellphone download/video/internet
Percy Heath dies
2007Monterey Jazz celebrates 50 yearsiPhone introduced
Joe Zawnul, Michael Brecker, Oscar Peterson and Max Roach dieVirginia Tech massacre (31 dead)
Russia recognized as Superpower by US
2008IAJE files for bankruptcyObama 1st black president
Frank Sinatra on US Postal Stamp1st Female nom. by Republican (Palin)
Hancock album “The River: The Joni letters” 1st album in 43 years to win
ALBUM OF YEAR Grammy
SIGNIFICANT JAZZ PERFORMING ARTISTS
ALTO SAX-Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Phil Woods, Lou Donaldson, Art Pepper, Bunky Green, Kenney Garrett
TENOR SAX-John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Michael Brecker, Joshua Redman, Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Don Menza, Frank Foster, Bob Mintzer, Lenny Pickett
BARI SAX-Gerry Mulligan, Pepper Adams, Scott Robinson, Nick Brignola
TRUMPET-Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Clifford Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Woody Shaw, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Clark Terry, Arturo Sandoval, Maynard Ferguson, Marcus Printemp, Terrance Blanchard, Wayne Bergeron
TROMBONE-Carl Fontana, JJ Johnson, Slide Hampton, John Fedchock, Wycliffe Gordon, Dave Steinmeyer, Phil Wilson
PIANO-Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Chich Corea, Herbie Hancock, Art Tatum, Count Basie, Harry Connick, Jr.
GUITAR-Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Pat Methany, Emily Remler, Barry Greene, Kenney Burrell
BASS-Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Christian McBride, Jaco Pastorius, Percy Heath, Charles Mingus, Eddie Gomez, Stanley Clarke