July edit

• 3 – The 5th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 3 – 6).^[1]

August edit

• 12 – A Great Day in Harlem, a black and white group photograph of 57 notable jazz musicians, is taken in front of a brownstone building in Harlem, New York City.

January

• 1 – Fulton McGrath, American pianist and songwriter (born 1907).

March

• 17 – Carl Perkins, American pianist (born 1928).
• 25 – Tom Brown, New Orleans trombonist (born 1888).
• 28 – W. C. Handy, African-American blues composer and musician (born 1873).

May

• 8 – Ted Donnelly, American trombonist (born 1912).

June

• Sterling Bose, American trumpeter and cornetist (born 1906).

July

• 2 – Martha Boswell, American singer and pianist (born 1905).

September

• 13 – Lorraine Geller, American pianist (born 1928).
• 17 – Herbie Fields, American saxophonist and clarinetist, bandleader (born 1919).

October

• 2 – George E. Lee, American bandleader (born 1896).

November

• 7 – Joe Morris, American trumpeter and bandleader (born 1922).
• 11 – Olivia Plunket Greene, English musician, Bright Young Things (born 1907).
• 26 – Tiny Bradshaw, American bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer (born 1907).
• 30 – Shifty Henry, American bassist and songwriter (born 1921).

December

• 6 – Danny Alvin, American drummer and bandleader (born 1902).
• 25 – Doc Cook, American bandleader and arranger (born 1891).

January

• 26 – Anita Baker, American singer-songwriter
• 30 – Bjørn Klakegg, Norwegian guitarist.
• 31 – Tom Schuman, American keyboardist.

February

• 3 – Bob Holz, American drummer and composer.
• 7 – Frans Bak, Danish composer, choral conductor, saxophonist, and pianist.
• 8 – Bill Evans, American saxophonist.
• 10 – Michael Weiss, American pianist and composer.
• 18 – Gar Samuelson, American drummer (died 1999).
• 20 – Leroy Jones, American trumpeter.
• 23 – Carles Cases, Spanish-Catalonian pianist and cellist.
• 24 – Jerry Zigmont, American trombonist

March

• 5 – Ronan Guilfoyle, Irish acoustic bass guitarist.
• 10 – Jeanie Bryson, American singer.
• 12 – Leon Lee Dorsey, American bassist.
• 15 – Gerald L. Cannon, American upright bassist and visual artist.
• 19 – Anne-Marie Giørtz, Norwegian singer.
• 31 – Bajone, Serbian singer.

April

• 16 – Ulf Wakenius, Swedish guitarist.
• 17 – Chieli Minucci, American guitarist, composer, and producer.
• 30 – Ronaldo Folegatti, Brazilian composer, guitarist, and record producer (died 2007).

May

• 7 – Michael Formanek, American upright bassist.
• 10 – Claude Deppa, South African trumpeter.
• 17 – Carlos del Junco, Cuban-Canadian harmonica player.
• 20 – Jesse Boyd, American upright bassist.
• 29
  • Jim Snidero, American saxophonist.
  • Kenny Washington, American drummer.

June

• 6 – Wolfgang Mitterer, Austrian composer, organist, and keyboardist.
• 7
  • Jonas Hellborg, Swedish bass guitarist.
  • Prince Rogers Nelson, American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer (died 2016).^[4]
• 8 – Jakko Jakszyk, English guitarist and singer-songwriter.
• 14 – Kenny Drew, Jr., American pianist (died 2014).

July

• 8 – Jim Campilongo, American guitarist and composer.
• 10 – Béla Fleck, American banjo player.
• 11 – Kirk Whalum, American saxophonist and songwriter.
• 18 – Gabriel Fliflet, Norwegian accordionist and singer.
• 26 – Deirdre Cartwright, British guitarist and composer.
• 30 – Kevin Mahogany, American vocalist (died 2017).

August

• 26
  • Andrew Lamb, American saxophonist and flautist.
  • David Finck, American bassist.
• 29 – Jesse McGuire, American trumpeter.

September

• 3 – Lakki Patey, Norwegian guitarist and inventor.
• 5 – Lars Danielsson, Swedish upright bassist, composer, and record producer.
• 7 – Bruce Barth, American pianist.
• 8 – Stevie Vallance, Canadian singer.
• 16 – Rodney Franklin, American pianist and composer.
• 25 – Greg Boyer, American trombonist.
• 27
  • Paul Grabowsky, American pianist and composer.

October

• 1 – Ana Caram, Brazilian singer, guitarist, and flutist.
• 6 – Roberto Gatto, Italian drummer.
• 9 – Satoko Fujii, Japanese pianist, accordionist and composer.
• 13 – Jair-Rôhm Parker Wells, American bassist.
• 14 – Tomas Franck, Swedish tenor saxophonist.
• 17 – Howard Alden, American guitarist.
• 22 – Jan Gunnar Hoff, Norwegian pianist and composer.
• 27 – David Hazeltine, American pianist.
• 30 – Olav Dale, Norwegian saxophonist, composer and orchestra leader (died 2014).^[5]

November

• 1 – Joe DeRenzo, American drummer, composer, and producer.
• 8 – Don Byron, American composer, clarinetist, and multi-instrumentalist.
• 13 – Tony Lakatos, Hungarian saxophonist.

December

• 9 – George Koller, Canadian bassist and multi-instrumentalist.
• 10 – John Goldsby, American upright bassist, bandleader, and composer.
• 15 – Don Laka, South African pianist, songwriter, and producer.
• 16 – Erna Yuzbashyan, Armenian singer.
• 28 – David Berkman, American pianist, composer, and arranger.
• 29 – George Schuller, American drummer.
• 30
  • Ellen Sandweiss, American singer and actress.
  • Lewis Nash, American drummer.

Unknown date

• Carol Chaikin, American saxophonist, flautist, and composer.
• David Newton, Scottish pianist and composer.
• Nancy Zeltsman, American marimba soloist.

• 1950s in jazz
• List of years in jazz
• 1958 in music

• The New Real Book, Volume I. Sher Music. 1988. ISBN 0-9614701-4-3.
• The New Real Book, Volume II. Sher Music. 1991. ISBN 0-9614701-7-8.
• The New Real Book, Volume III. Sher Music. 1995. ISBN 1-883217-30-X.
• The Real Book, Volume I (6th ed.). Hal Leonard. 2004. ISBN 0-634-06038-4.
• The Real Book, Volume II (2nd ed.). Hal Leonard. 2007. ISBN 978-1-4234-2452-9.
• The Real Book, Volume III (2nd ed.). Hal Leonard. 2006. ISBN 0-634-06136-4.
• The Real Jazz Book. Warner Bros. ISBN 978-91-85041-36-7.
• The Real Vocal Book, Volume I. Hal Leonard. 2006. ISBN 0-634-06080-5.

• History Of Jazz Timeline: 1958 at All About Jazz