This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1965.

• 1 – The 12th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (July 1 – 4).^[1]

• Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club opens in larger premises at 47 Frith Street, in London's Soho district.
• Carla Bley divorced Paul Bley.^[2]

January

• 29 – Jack Hylton, English pianist, composer, band leader, and impresario (born 1892).

February

• 12 – Bonnie Wetzel, American upright bassist (born 1926).
• 15 – Nat King Cole, American pianist and singer (born 1919).

March

• 8 – Tadd Dameron, American composer, arranger, and pianist (born 1917).

May

• 1 – Spike Jones, American musician and bandleader (born 1911).
• 14 – Joe Sanders, American pianist, singer, and bandleader (born 1896).
• 24 – Denzil Best, American percussionist and composer (born 1917).

June

• 25 – Keg Purnell, American drummer (born 1915).

July

• 1 – Claude Thornhill, American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader (born 1909).
• 4 – Valdemar Eiberg, Danish musician and orchestra leader (born 1892).
• 8 – Willie Dennis, American trombonist (born 1926).
• 14 – Spencer Williams, African-American pianist, singer, and composer (born 1889).

August

• 10 – Freddie Slack, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (born 1910).

September

• 15 – Steve Brown, American upright bassist (born 1896).

October

• 10 – Gerorge Tucker, American upright bassist (born 1927).
• 27 – Edythe Wright, American singer (born 1914).
• 28 – Earl Bostic, American alto saxophonist (born 1913).

November

• 6 – Clarence Williams, American pianist, vocalist, and composer (born 1898).
• 14 – Buster Harding, Canadian-born American pianist (born 1912).
• 18 – Lou Black, American banjo player (born 1901).
• 21 – Cecil Brower, American violinist (perforated ulcer) (born 1914).
• Warren Tartaglia, American saxophonist (born 1944).

December

• 2 – Hank D'Amico, American clarinetist (born 1915).
• 11 – Dave Barbour, American guitarist (born 1912).
• 20 – Charlie Burse, American ukulele, banjo, and guitar player (born 1901).
• 26 – Peter Packay, Belgian trumpeter, arranger, and composer (born 1904).

January

• 1 – Miki Higashino, Japanese pianist and video game composer.
• 3 – Sheila Majid, Malaysian singer.
• 19 – Antonio Faraò, Italian pianist.

February

• 13 – Ole Mathisen, Norwegian saxophonist.
• 24 – Tone Åse, Norwegian singer.
• 27 – Joey Calderazzo, American pianist.

March

• 2 – Wolfgang Muthspiel, Austrian guitarist and record label owner.
• 8 – Karin Mensah, Cape Verdean singer.
• 12 – Liv Stoveland, Norwegian singer.
• 22 – David Linx, Belgian singer and songwriter.
• 24 – Patrick Scales, British-German bass guitarist.

April

• 7 – Sylvain Luc, French guitarist.
• 10 – Omar Sosa, Cuban composer, bandleader, and pianist.
• 20 – Darko Jurković, Croatian guitarist and composer.
• 29 – Rain Sultanov, Azerbaijani saxophonist.

May

• 3 – Magnus Öström, Swedish drummer, Esbjörn Svensson Trio or e.s.t.
• 10 – Philip Harper, American trumpeter.
• 16 – Javon Jackson, American tenor saxophonist.

June

• 3
  • Derrick Gardner, American trumpeter.
  • Mirko Fait, Italian saxophonist and composer.
• 9 – Helge Sunde, Norwegian trombonist and multi-instrumentalist.
• 27 – Magnus Broo, Swedish trumpeter, Atomic.

July

• 5 – Eyran Katsenelenbogen, Israeli pianist.
• 16 – Odd André Elveland, Norwegian saxophonist.
• 19 – Evelyn Glennie, Scottish percussionist.
• 28 – Delfeayo Marsalis, American trombonist and record producer.

August

• 4 – Terri Lyne Carrington, American drummer, composer, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur.
• 6 – Ravi Coltrane, American saxophonist.
• 21 – Leon Parker, American percussionist and composer.
• 29 – Mark d'Inverno, British pianist, composer, and computer scientist.^[3]

September

• 5 – Björn Meyer, Swedish bassist and composer.
• 11 – Jesse Davis, American saxophonist.
• 24 – Njål Ølnes, Norwegian saxophonist.
• 28 – Hans Ulrik, Danish saxophonist, and composer.

October

• 9 – Geir Lysne, Norwegian saxophonist and orchestra leader.
• 12 – Luis Bonilla, American trombonist, producer, composer and educator.
• 18 – Curtis Stigers, American vocalist, saxophonist, guitarist, and songwriter.

November

• 2 – Andrew D'Angelo, American saxophonist.
• 10 – Mark Turner, American saxophonist.
• 21 – Björk, Icelandic singer-songwriter.

December

• 5 – Hildegunn Øiseth, Norwegian trumpeter and hornist.
• 7 – Wolfgang Haffner, German drummer.
• 29 – Danilo Perez, Panamanian pianist and composer.
• 30 – Ron Affif, American guitarist.

Unknown date

• Arturo Tappin, Barbadian saxophonist and composer.
• Bradley Joseph, American pianist.
• Helge Andreas Norbakken, Norwegian percussionist.
• Kostas Theodorou, Greek upright bassist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer.

• 1960s in jazz
• List of years in jazz
• 1965 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: 1965 at All About Jazz