2026 in jazz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a timeline documenting the events of jazz in the year 2026.
Decade2020s in jazz
Music2026 in music
StandardsList of jazz standards
See also2025 in jazz – 2027 in jazz
| 2026 in jazz | |
|---|---|
| Decade | 2020s in jazz |
| Music | 2026 in music |
| Standards | List of jazz standards |
| See also | 2025 in jazz – 2027 in jazz |
Events
- January 15 – Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) announces Hanno Busch as the recipient of the WDR Jazzpreis 2026, and the Big Band der Humanwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität zu Köln ('Big Band of the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Cologne) as the recipient of the 2026 Nachwuchspreis ('Young Talent Award').[1]
- January 28 – The Melbourne International Jazz Festival announces the appointment of Xani Kolac as its 2026 Take Note programme leader.[2]
- January 29 – Jazz at Lincoln Center announces that Wynton Marsalis is to stand down as its artistic director in July 2027.[3]
- February 1 - The 68th Annual Grammy Awards occur, with the best recordings, compositions, and artists from August 31, 2024, to August 30, 2025 being eligible.
- February 27 – Jazz St. Louis announces that Victor Goines has stood down as its president and chief executive officer.[4]
- April 23–25 – The Jazzahead festival takes place in Bremen, Germany.[5]
- May 29–31 – The Java Jazz Festival takes place in its new venue, the Nusantara International Convention Exhibition, PIK 2.[6]
Albums
| Month | Day | Artist | Album | Label | Subgenres | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9 | Dave Stryker | Blue Fire: The Van Gelder Session | Strikezone Records | [7] | ||
| 16 | Craig Taborn, with Tomeka Reid and Ches Smith | Dream Archives | ECM Records | [8][9] | |||
| Richard Marx | After Hours | Richard Marx Inc. | [10] | ||||
| 23 | Julian Lage, with John Medeski, Jorge Roeder, and Kenny Wollesen | Scenes From Above | Blue Note Records | Chamber jazz | [11] | ||
| 30 | Dave Douglas | Four Freedoms | Greenleaf Music | [12][13] | |||
| Joel Ross | Gospel Music | Blue Note Records | [15] | ||||
| February | 13 | Melissa Aldana | Filin | Blue Note | [16] | ||
| Julie Campiche | Unspoken | Ronin Rhythm Records | [17][18] | ||||
| March | 3 | John Pizzarelli | Dear Mr. Bennett | Green Hill Music | [19] | ||
| Tomeka Reid | Dance! Skip! Hop! | Out Of Your Head Records | [20][21] | ||||
| 6 | Shabaka | Of the Earth | Shabaka Records | [22] | |||
| Okkyung Lee | Signals | Flung Records | [23] | ||||
| June | 5 | Anna Lola | TIEMPO | ||||
Awards
Grammy Awards
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 1, 2026, honoring the best recordings, compositions, and artists from August 31, 2024, to August 30, 2025, as chosen by the members of the Recording Academy.
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All critically reviewed albums ranked
Metacritic
| Number | Artist | Album | Average score | Number of reviews | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shabaka | Of The Earth | 85 | 6 | [24] |
| 2 | The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis | Deface The Currency | 83 | 4 | [25] |
| 3 | Pat Metheny | Side-Eye III+ | 83 | 5 | [26] |
| 4 | Bill Frisell | In My Dreams | 78 | 6 | [27] |
| 5 | Julian Lage | Scenes From Above | 76 | 5 | [28] |
AnyDecentMusic?
Deaths
- January 26
- Richie Beirach, American jazz pianist and composer, 78[30]
- Ian McDougall, Canadian jazz trombonist and academic, 87[31]
- February 2 – Ken Peplowski, American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, 66[32]
- February 7 – Kåre Grøttum, Norwegian jazz pianist and composer, 92[33]
- February 9 – Michel Portal, French jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and composer, 90[34]
- March 12 – Keith Ingham, English jazz pianist, 88[35]
- March 21 – Steve Houben, Belgian jazz saxophonist and flutist, 76[36]
- May 19 – Gunter Hampel, German jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer, 88[37]
- May 20 – Ron Escheté, American jazz guitarist, 77[38]
- May 25 – Sonny Rollins, American jazz tenor saxophonist, 95[39]
