This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1938.^[1]

• Benny Goodman performs The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert.

May

• 25 – Dick McDonough, American guitarist and composer (born 1904).

April

• 10 – Joe "King" Oliver, American cornet player and bandleader (born 1885).

August

• 16 – Robert Johnson, American guitarist, singer, and composer (born 1911).

Unknown date

• Garnet Clark, American pianist (born 1917).

January

• 13 – Daevid Allen, Australian poet, guitarist, singer, and composer, Soft Machine and Gong (died 2015).
• 17 – Alf Kjellman, Norwegian saxophonist (died 2010).^[2]
• 24 – Julius Hemphill, American composer and saxophonist (died 1995).
• 25
  • Etta James, American singer (died 2012).
• 27 – Jimmie Smith, American drummer.

February

• 1 – Jimmy Carl Black, American drummer and singer of The Mothers of Invention (died 2008).^[3]
• 11 – Slim Richey, American jazz guitarist (died 2015).
• 17 – John Coates Jr., American pianist (died 2017).
• 23 – Wilson Simonal, Brazilian singer (died 2000).
• 24 – Louie Ramirez, American percussionist and vibraphonist (died 1993).
• 28 – Mike Wofford, American pianist.

March

• 7 – Petr Skoumal, Czech pianist and composer (died 2014).
• 9
  • Lill-Babs or Barbro Svensson, Swedish singer and actress (died 2018).^[4]
  • Marzette Watts, American saxophonist (died 1998).
  • Roy Brooks, American drummer (died 2005).
• 15 – Charles Lloyd, American tenor saxophonist and flautist.
• 23 – Dave Pike, American vibraphone and marimba player (died 2015).
• 24 – Steve Kuhn, American pianist and composer.
• 29 – Laco Déczi, Slovak-American trumpeter and composer.

April

• 2
  • Booker Little, American trumpeter and composer (died 1961).
  • Sal Nistico, American tenor saxophonist (died 1991).^[5]
• 7
  • Alexander von Schlippenbach, German pianist and composer.
  • Freddie Hubbard, American trumpeter (died 2008).
  • Pete La Roca, American drummer (died 2012).
• 10 – Denny Zeitlin, American pianist and composer.
• 13 – Eddie Marshall, American drummer (died 2011).^[6]
• 14 – Monty Waters, American saxophonist, flautist, and singer (died 2008).
• 18
  • Bob Parlocha, American jazz expert and radio host (died 2015).
  • Hal Galper, American pianist and composer.
• 27 – Ruth Price, American singer.

May

• 2 – Fred Braceful, American-German drummer (died 1995).
• 12 – Jimmy Hastings, British saxophonist, Canterbury scene.
• 13 – Ross Tompkins, American pianist (died 2006).
• 23 – Daniel Humair, Swiss drummer and composer.
• 26 – Jaki Liebezeit, German drummer (died 2017).

June

• 6 – Luigi Trussardi, French upright bassist (died 2010).
• 9 – Eje Thelin, Swedist trombonist (died 1990).
• 11 – Stu Martin, American drummer (died 1980).
• 15 – Tony Oxley, English drummer.
• 18 – Don "Sugarcane" Harris, American violinist (died 1999).
• 20 – Dennis Budimir, American guitarist (died 2023).

July

• 1 – Robert Schulz, American cornetist.
• 3 – Rhoda Scott, African-American organist.
• 4 – Mike Mainieri, American vibraphonist.^[7]
• 10
  • Arnie Lawrence, American saxophonist (died 2005).
  • Lee Morgan, American trumpeter (died 1972).
• 14 – Tommy Vig, Portuguese vibraharpist, drummer, percussionist, big band leader, and composer.
• 18
  • Buschi Niebergall, German musician (died 1990).
  • Dudu Pukwana, South African saxophonist (died 1990).
• 26 – Joanne Brackeen, American pianist.
• 31 – Gap Mangione, American pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader.

August

• 13 – Michael Joseph Smith, American composer and pianist.
• 15 – Stix Hooper, American drummer.

September

• 7 – Jon Mayer, American pianist and composer.
• 17 – Perry Robinson, American clarinetist and composer (died 2018).
• 20 – Eric Gale, American guitarist (died 1994).
• 28
  • Gerd Dudek, German saxophonist, clarinetist and flautist (died 2022).
  • Ray Warleigh, Australian-born saxophonist and flautist (died 2015).

October

• 2
  • Kjell Bartholdsen, Norwegian saxophonist (died 2009).
  • Gugge Hedrenius, Swedish pianist and bandleader (died 2009).
• 4 – Mark Levine, American jazz pianist, trombonist, and composer (died 2022).
• 15 – Fela Kuti, Nigerian multi-instrumentalist, saxophonist, and composer (died 1997).
• 22 – Harrison Ridley Jr., American jazz presenter (died 2009).
• 24 – Odean Pope, American tenor saxophonist.
• 26 – John "Jabo" Starks, American drummer (died 2018).

November

• 12 – Warren Bernhardt, American pianist (died 2022).

December

• 9 – William Thomas McKinley, American composer and pianist (died 2015).
• 11 – McCoy Tyner, American pianist (died 2020).^[8]
• 19 – Pete Strange, English trombonist (died 2004).
• 28
  • Charles Neville, American R&B saxophonist, The Neville Brothers (died 2018).^[9]
  • Dick Sudhalter, American trumpeter and criti (died 2008).

Unknown date

• Barry Buckley, Australian upright bassist (died 2006).
• Pat LaCroix, Canadian musician and photographer.

• History Of Jazz Timeline: 1938 at All About Jazz