2008 in jazz
Avishai Cohen atMoers Festival 2008.
Decade	2000s in jazz
Music	2008 in music
Standards	List of jazz standards
See also	2007 in jazz –2009 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events ofJazz in the year 2008.

• 30 – The 11thPolarjazz Festival started inLongyearbyen,Svalbard (January 30 – February 2).^[1]

• 21 – The 3rdIce Music Festival Festival started inGeilo, Norway (February 21–24).^[2]

• 7 – The 4thJakarta International Java Jazz Festival started inJakarta, Indonesia (March 7–9).^[3]
• 11 – Jazz musician and broadcasterHumphrey Lyttelton announces his retirement from presentingBBC Radio 2's jazz programme after forty years.^[4]
• 14
  • The 35thVossajazz started atVoss, Norway (March 14–16).^[5]
  • Mads Berven was awardedVossajazzprisen 2008.^[6]
• 19 –Tord Gustavsen performs the commissioned workRestar av lukke – bitar av tru forVossajazz 2008.^[7]
• 31 –theJazz radio station stops broadcasting.^[8]

• 18
  • The International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) ceased daily operations and filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the United States Federal Bankruptcy Law, ending 40 years of service.^[9]
• 24 – The 14thSoddJazz started inInderøy, Norway (April 24–28).^[10]

• 9 – The 37thMoers Festival started inMoers, Germany (May 9 – 12).^[11]
• 21 – The 36thNattjazz started inBergen, Norway (May 21 – 31).^[12]

• 26 – The 28thMontreal International Jazz Festival started inMontreal, Quebec, Canada (June 26 - July 6).^[13]
• 27 – The 20thJazz Fest Wien started inVienna, Austria (June 27 – July 17).^[14]
• 29
  • The first annual International Jazz Awards, a global 2 hour television special celebrating over 100 years of Jazz music, took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.^[15]

• 2 – The 44thKongsberg Jazzfestival started inKongsberg, Norway (July 2 – 5).^[16]
• 4
  • The 30thCopenhagen Jazz Festival started inCopenhagen, Denmark (July 4 – 13).^[17]
  • The 42ndMontreux Jazz Festival started inMontreux, Switzerland (July 4 – 19).^[18]
• 11 – The 33rdNorth Sea Jazz Festival started inThe Hague,Netherlands (July 11 – 13).^[19]
• 14
  • The 48thMoldejazz started inMolde, Norway (July 14 – 19).^[20]
  • The 43rdPori Jazz Festival started inPori, Finland (July 14 – 20).^[21]
• 16 – The 25thStockholm Jazz Festival started inStockholm, Sweden (July 16 – 19).^[22]
• 19 – The 61stNice Jazz Festival started inNice, France (July 19 – 25).^[23]
• 22 – The 43rdSan Sebastian Jazz Festival started inSan Sebastian, Spain (July 22 – 27).^[24]

• 6 – The 22ndSildajazz started inHaugesund, Norway (August 6 – 10).^[25]
• 8
  • The 52nddNewport Jazz Festival started inNewport, Rhode Island (August 8 – 10).^[26]
  • The 24thBrecon Jazz Festival started inBrecon, Wales (August 8 – 10).^[27]
• 11 – The 23rdOslo Jazzfestival started inOslo, Norway (August 11 – 16).^[28]

• 4 – The 4thPunktfestivalen started inKristiansand, Norway (September 4 – 6).^[29]
• 19 – The 51stMonterey Jazz Festival started inMonterey, California (September 19 – 21).^[30]

• 14 – The 17thLondon Jazz Festival started inEngland (November 14 – 23).^[31]

January

• 4
  • Irene Reid, American singer (born1930).
  • Keith Smith, English trumpeter (born1940).
• 11
  • Pete Candoli, American trumpeter (prostate cancer) (born1923).^[45]
  • Steve Harris, English drummer and composer (born1948).
• 20 –Tommy McQuater, British trumpeter (born1914).^[46]
• 30
  • Bill Saragih, Indonesian musician (born1933).
  • Miles Kington, British journalist and upright bassist,Instant Sunshine (born1941).

February

• 3 –Jackie Orszaczky, Hungarian bass guitarist and composer (born1948).^[47]
• 4 –Chris Anderson, American pianist (born1926).
• 12 –John Brunious, American trumpeter and the bandleader,Preservation Hall Jazz Band (born1940).
• 13 –Henri Salvador, French Caribbean comedian and singer (born1917).
• 14 –Gene Allen, American jazz reedist (born1928).
• 19 –Teo Macero, American saxophonist, record producer and composer (born1925).^[48]

March

• 2 –Jeff Healey, Canadian singer and guitarist (born1966).^[49]
• 10 –Dennis Irwin, American upright bassist (born1951).
• 16 –Pete Chilver, British guitarist and hotelier (born1924).
• 19 –Eivind Solberg, Norwegian trumpeter (born1933).^[50]
• 21 –Patti Bown, American jazz pianist, composer, and singer (born1931).
• 22 –Israel López Valdés or better known asCachao, Cuban upright bassist and composer (born1918).^[51]
• 24 –Chalmers Alford, American guitarist (born1955).
• 29 –Allan Ganley, British drummer (born1931).^[52]

April

• 7 –Phil Urso, American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer (born1925).
• 12 –Bobby Tucker, American pianist and arranger (born1923).
• 15 –Dick Charlesworth, English clarinettist, saxophonist, and bandleader (born1932).
• 24 –Jimmy Giuffre, American musician (pneumonia) (born1921).^[53]
• 25 –Humphrey Lyttelton, British jazz musician (born1921).^[54]
• 27 –Hal Stein, American saxophonist (born1928).

May

• 6 –Franz Jackson, American saxophonist (born1912).^[55]
• 10 –Mario Schiano, Italian alto and soprano saxophonist (born1933).
• 15
  • Bob Florence, American pianist (born1932).^[56]
  • Walt Dickerson, American vibraphonist (born1928).
• 24 –Jimmy McGriff, (multiple sclerosis), American organist (born1936).^[57]
• 28 –Danny Moss, British jazz saxophonist (born1927).^[58]
• 30
  • Campbell Burnap, British trombonist and broadcaster (cancer) (born1939).^[59]
  • Nat Temple, British big band leader (born1913).^[60]

June

• 4 –Bill Finegan, American pianist and arranger (born1917).^[61]
• 14 –Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish pianist (Scuba diving accident) (born1964).^[62]
• 28 –Ronnie Mathews, American pianist (born1935).

July

• 3
  • Harald Heide-Steen Jr., (lung cancer), Norwegian actor, comedian and jazz singer (born1939).^[63]
  • Salah Ragab, Egyptian drummer and called the founder Egyptian jazz (born1936).
• 6 –Bobby Durham, American drummer (born1937).^[64]
• 13 –Gerald Wiggins, American pianist (born1922).^[65]
• 22 –Joe Beck, American guitarist (lung cancer) (born1945).^[66]
• 25
  • Hiram Bullock, American fusion guitarist (throat cancer) (born1955).^[67]
  • Johnny Griffin, American saxophonist (heart attack) (born1928).^[68]
• 31
  • Lee Young, American drummer and singer (born1914).^[69]
  • Yusuf Salim, American jazz pianist and composer (born1929).

August

• 15 –Jerry Wexler, American music journalist and music producer (born1917).
• 19 –LeRoi Moore, American saxophonist (Dave Matthews Band) (born1961).^[70]
• 23 –Jimmy Cleveland, American trombonist (born1926).

September

• 2 –Arne Domnérus, Swedish saxophonist (born1924).^[71]
• 3
  • Géo Voumard, Swiss jazz pianist and composer (born1920).
  • Pierre Van Dormael, Belgian musician and composer (born1952).
• 8 –Bheki Mseleku, South African musician (piano, saxophone, guitar) and composer (diabetes-related) (born1955).^[72]
• 15 –Richard Wright, English keyboardist, composer, singer and songwriter (born1943).^[73]
• 16 –Jim Aton, American bassist (born1925).^[74]
• 19
  • Dick Sudhalter, American trumpeter and critic (born1938).^[75]
  • Earl Palmer, American rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues drummer (born1924).
• 22 –Connie Haines, American singer (born1921).
• 30 –Henry Adler, American drummer and percussionist (born1915).

October

• 4 –Alfred Gallodoro, American musician (born1913).^[76]
• 11 –Neal Hefti, American trumpeter and composer (born1922).^[77]
• 18 –Dave McKenna, American pianist (born1930).^[78]
• 24 –Merl Saunders, American multi-genre musician who played piano and keyboards (born1934).^[79]
• 26 –Marc Moulin, Belgian musician and journalist (born1942).
• 27 –Ray Ellis, American record producer, arranger, and conductor (born1923).

November

• 1 –Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer ofThe Mothers of Invention (born1938).^[80]
• 9 –Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer and civil rights activist (born1932).^[81]
• 16 –Tony Reedus, American drummer (born1959).
• 27 –Pekka Pohjola, Finnish multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer (born1952).

December

• 3 –Derek Wadsworth, English trombonist, composer, and arranger (born1939).
• 5 –Anca Parghel, Romanian jazz singer, composer, arranger, pianist, and choir conductor (born1957).
• 7 –Jimmy Gourley, American guitarist (born1926).
• 12 –Prince Lasha, American alto saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist (born1929).
• 19
  • Kenny Cox, American pianist (born1940).
  • Page Cavanaugh, American pianist, vocalist, and arranger (born1922).
  • Verne Byers, American bandleader, bassist, and concert promoter (born1918).
• 22 –Guy Warren, Ghanaian singer-songwriter (born1923).
• 23 –Monty Waters, American saxophonist, flautist, and singer (born1938).
• 25 –Eartha Kitt, American singer, actress, dancer, activist, and comedian (born1927).
• 29 –Freddie Hubbard, American trumpeter (born1938).^[82]

Unknown date

• Byrdie Green, American singer (born1936).

• List of 2008 albums
• List of years in jazz
• 2000s in jazz
• 2008 in music

• History Of Jazz Timeline: 2008 atAll About Jazz

• 2000s in jazz
• 2008 in music
• Jazz by year

• CS1 Norwegian-language sources (no)
• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from April 2019
• Articles with permanently dead external links
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