1980 in jazz
Bobby Thomas and Wayne Shorter with Weather Report, Amsterdam, 1980
Decade	1980s in jazz
Music	1980 in music
Standards	List of post-1950 jazz standards
See also	1979 in jazz – 1981 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1980.

• 28 – The 7th Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway (March 28 – 30).^[1]
  • Featured artists on Vossajazz was Cross Section, E`Olen, Elton Dean Quartet with Kenny Wheeler, Hariprasad Chaurasia Ensemble, Johnny Griffin Quartet, Kristian Bergheim / Andreas Skjold Sextet with Finn Otto Hansen, Kristiansen / Jørgensen Quintet, McCoy Tyner Sextett, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen / Rune Gustafsson Duo, Radka Toneff Quintet, and Stubø / Bjørklund Quartet.

• 21 – 8th Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway (May 21 – June 4).^[2]
• 23 – 9th Moers Festival started in Moers, Germany (May 23 – 26).^[3]

• 4 - The Bill Evans Trio starts a four-day stint at the Village Vanguard. It is released after his death in a 6-CD box set on Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings in 1996.

• 2 – The very first Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (July 2 – 10).^[4]
• 4 – The 14th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (July 4 – 20).^[5]
• 11 – The 5th North Sea Jazz Festival started in The Hague, Netherlands (July 11 – 13).^[6]

• 19 – The 23rd Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 19 – 21).^[7]

January

• 6 – Poley McClintock, American singer (born 1900).
• 22 – Ed Garland, American upright bassist (born 1895).
• 23 – Babs Gonzales, American vocalist (born 1919).
• 28 – Jimmy Crawford, American drummer (born 1910).
• 29 – Jimmy Durante, American singer, pianist, comedian, and actor (born 1893).

February

• 9 – Charles Fowlkes, American baritone saxophonist, Count Basie Orchestra (born 1916).
• 12 – Norman Keenan, American upright bassist (born 1916).
• 18 – Paul Howard, American saxophonist and clarinetist (born 1895).
• 19 – Shorty Sherock, American trumpeter (born 1915).

March

• 4 – Don Albert, American trumpeter and bandleader (born 1908).
• 6 – Bobby Jones, American saxophonist (born 1928).

April

• 20 – Ronnie Boykins, American upright bassist (born 1935).
• 22 – Jane Froman, American singer and actress (born 1907).
• 28 – Chino Pozo, Cuban drummer (born 1915).

May

• 4 – Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson, British pianist (born 1920).
• 31 – Sonny Burke, American musical arranger, composer, big band leader, and producer, Duke Ambassadors (born 1914).

June

• 12 – Stu Martin, American drummer (born 1938).
• 14 – Herman Autrey, American trumpeter (born 1904).
• 27 – Barney Bigard, American clarinetist (born 1906).

July

• 2 – Amos White, American trumpeter (born 1889).
• 9 – Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian singer, poet, lyricist, essayist, and playwright (born 1913).
• Harlan Lattimore, African-American singer (born 1908).

August

• 4
  • Duke Pearson, American pianist and composer (born 1932).
  • Pekka Pöyry, Finnish saxophonist and flutist (born 1939).
• 26 – Jimmy Forrest, American tenor saxophonist (born 1920).

September

• 5 – Don Banks, Australian composer (born 1923).
• 15 – Bill Evans, American pianist and composer (born 1929).
• 18 – Dick Stabile, American saxophonist and bandleader (born 1909).
• 22 – Jimmy Bryant, American guitarist (born 1925).

October

• 14 – Oscar Alemán, Argentine guitarist, singer, and dancer (born 1909).
• 31
  • Chauncey Morehouse, American drummer (born 1902).
  • Jan Werich, Czech singer, actor, playwright, and writer (born 1905).

November

• 22 – Uffe Baadh, Danish-American drummer (born 1923).

December

• 16 – Keith Christie, English trombonist (born 1931).
• 26 – Peck Kelley, American pianist (born 1898).
• 29 – Lennie Felix, British pianist (born 1920).
• 31 – Irmgard Österwall, Swedish singer (born 1914).

Unknown date

• Aldo Rossi, Italian reedist and bandleader (born 1911).
• Cosimo Di Ceglie, Italian guitarist (born 1913).

January

• 3 – David Arthur Skinner, British pianist and composer.
• 12 – Dominic Lash, British upright bassist and composer.
• 15 – Christoffer Andersen, Norwegian guitarist.
• 22 – Lizz Wright, American singer.

February

• 9 – Jackiem Joyner, American saxophonist.
• 21 – Takuya Kuroda, Japanese trumpeter.
• 27 – Federico Casagrande, Italian guitarist and composer.^[8]

March

• 10 – Lars Horntveth, Norwegian saxophonist, clarinetist, percussionist, guitarist, composer, and band leader, Jaga Jazzist.
• 22 – Jay Foote, American bassist and singer.
• 31 – Sasha Dobson, American singer-songwriter.

April

• 10 – Jimmy Rosenberg, Dutch guitarist.
• 24
  • Jelle van Tongeren, Dutch violinist.
  • Vincent Peirani, French accordionist, vocalist, and composer.

May

• 5 – Stian Omenås, Norwegian Jazz musician (trumpet), music conductor and composer
• 28 – Benedikt Jahnel, German jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader.

June

• 18 – Jasser Haj Youssef, Tunisian violinist.

July

• 8
  • Kendrick Scott, American drummer, bandleader, and composer.
  • Tyshawn Sorey, American multi-instrumentalist, and composer.
• 10 – Julie Crochetière, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist.

August

• 16 – Øystein Moen, Norwegian pianist, keyboarder, and composer, Jaga Jazzist.
• 25 – Pål Hausken, Norwegian drummer, percussion, and composer, In The Country.

September

• 2 – Mark Guiliana, American drummer, composer and bandleader.
• 18 – Gustav Lundgren, Swedish guitarist, composer, and record label director.
• 25 – Christina Bjordal, Norwegian singer.

October

• 16 – Mary Halvorson, American guitarist.
• 17
  • Alberto Porro Carmona, Spanish conductor, composer, author, music lecturer, teacher, and saxophonist.
  • Manuel Valera, Cuban pianist and composer.
• 19
  • Morten Schantz, Danish pianist, composer, and band leader, JazzKamikaze.
  • Simin Tander, German singer, pianist, and composer.

November

• 4 – Ruslan Sirota, Ukrainian pianist, composer, and producer.
• 6 – Lena Nymark, Norwegian jazz singer.
• 17 – Colin Vallon, Swiss pianist.

December

• 5 – Ibrahim Maalouf, French-Lebanese trumpeter and composer.
• 9 – Anton Eger, Norwegian-Swedish Jazz drummer, JazzKamikaze.
• 28 – Andreas Amundsen, Norwegian bassist.

Unknown date

• Brandi Disterheft, Canadian upright bassist and composer.
• Elana Stone, Australian vocalist, songwriter, pianist, accordion player, and band leader.
• Hannah Marshall, British cellist, vocalist, and composer.
• Martin Blanes, Galician-Spanish guitarist.
• Tim Giles, English drummer and composer.
• Yasek Manzano Silva, Cuban trumpeter and composer

• 1980s in jazz
• List of years in jazz
• 1980 in music

• History Of Jazz Timeline: 1980 at All About Jazz

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2021)