Home » History of Jazz Timeline: 1971
History of Jazz Timeline: 1971
Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong dies in New York City on July 6.
In September, Thelonious Monk and a band including Art Blakey on drums and Dizzy
Gillespie on trumpet begins "The Giants of Jazz" world tour in New Zealand. They would
record at several venues in Europe. Shortly after the tour's conclusion, Thelonious Monk
records three Black Lion sessions (The London Collection, Vol. 1-3) solo and
with drummer Art Blakey and bassist Al McKibbon.
The fusion group Weather Report records its eponymous first LP for Columbia. The group
consists at this time of Joe Zawinul on keyboards, Wayne Shorter on soprano saxophone,
Miroslav Vitous on bass, Alphonse Mouzon on drums and Airto Moreira on percussion.
British electric guitarist John McLaughlin forms the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a fusion group
whose first LP, The Inner Mounting Flame (Columbia), includes McLaughlin on
guitar, Jan Hammer on piano, Rick Laird on bass, Jerry Goodman on violin and Billy
Cobham on drums.
Pianist Chick Corea records Piano Improvisations Vols 1 and 2 (ECM), two records
of solo improvisation consisting mostly of Corea tunes.
Henry Threadgill (flute and reeds), Fred Hopkins (bass) and Steve McCall (drums) form Air
and record an eponymous record on Embryo.