January

• A percussion focused jazz funk band called Ghost-Note is founded by two members of Snarky Puppy: Robert "Sput" Searight (drums) and Nate Werth (percussion)^[1]
• 16 – The 9th Ice Music Festival started in Geilo, Norway (January 16 – 19).^[2]
• 22 – The 3rd Bodø Jazz Open started in Bodø, Norway (January 22 – 26).^[3]

February

• 5 – The 16th Polarjazz Festival started in Longyearbyen, Svalbard (February 5 – 9).^[4]
• 28 – The 10th Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival started in Jakarta, Indonesia (February 28 – March 2).^[5]

March

April

• 11 – The 41st Vossajazz started in Voss, Norway (April 11 – 13).^[6]
• 12
  • Sigbjørn Apeland was awarded Vossajazzprisen 2014.^[7]
  • Mats Eilertsen performed the commissioned work Rubicon for Vossajazz 2014.^[8]
• 23 – The 20th SoddJazz started in Inderøy, Norway (April 23 – 27).^[9]
• 25 – The 3rd Torino Jazz Festival started in Turin (April 25 – May 1).^[10]
• 30 – The International Jazz Day.^[11]

May

• 22 – The 42nd Nattjazz started in Bergen, Norway (May 22 – 31)^[12]

June

• 26
  • The 34th Montreal International Jazz Festival started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (June 26 – July 6).^[13]
  • The 26th Jazz Fest Wien started in Vienna, Austria (June 26 – July 11).^[14]

July

• 2 – The 50th Kongsberg Jazzfestival started at Kongsberg, Norway (July 2 – 5).^[15]
• 4
  • The 36th Copenhagen Jazz Festival started in Copenhagen, Denmark (July 4 – 14).^[16]
  • The 48th Montreux Jazz Festival started in Montreux, Switzerland (July 4 – 18).^[17]
• 5 – Mathias Eick was recipient of the Kongsberg Jazz Award or DNB.prisen 2014 at the Kongsberg Jazzfestival.^[18]
• 8 – The 67th Nice Jazz Festival started in Nice, France (July 8 – 12).^[19]
• 10 – The 14th Stavernfestivalen started in Stavern, Norway (July 10 – 12).^[20]
• 11 – The 39th North Sea Jazz Festival started in Rotterdam, Netherlands (July 11 – 13).^[21]
• 12
  • The 26th Aarhus Jazz Festival started in Aarhus, Denmark (July 12 – 19).^[22]
  • The 49th Pori Jazz Festival started in Pori, Finland (July 12 – 20).^[23]
• 14 – The 54th Moldejazz started in Molde, Norway with Sidsel Endresen as artist in residence (July 14 – 19).^[24]
• 15 – Monkey Plot was awarded the JazzIntro 2014 at Moldejazz.^[25]
• 22 – The 19th Canal Street started in Arendal, Norway (July 22 – 26).^[26]

August

• 3 – The 58th Newport Jazz Festival started in Newport, Rhode Island (August 3 – 5).^[27]
• 6 – The 28th Sildajazz started in Haugesund, Norway (August 6–10).^[28]
• 7 – The 30th Brecon Jazz Festival started in Brecon, Wales (August 7 – 9).^[29]
• 11 – The 29th Oslo Jazzfestival started in Oslo, Norway (August 11–16).^[30]
• 12 – Odd André Elveland was recipient of the Ella-prisen 2014 at the Oslo Jazzfestival.^[31]

September

• 4 – The 10th Punktfestivalen started in Kristiansand, Norway (September 4 – 6).^[32]
• 19 – The 57th Monterey Jazz Festival started in Monterey, California (September 19 – 21).^[33]

October

• 10 – The 31st Stockholm Jazz Festival started in Stockholm, Sweden (October 10 – 19).^[34]

November

• 14 – The 23rd London Jazz Festival started in London, England (November 14 – 23).^[35]

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Unknown date

#

M

• Switch by Nils Petter Molvær (Okhe).^[74]

January

• 1 – Sam Ulano, American drummer (born 1920).
• 9
  • Amiri Baraka, African-American writer and music critic (born 1934).
  • Roy Campbell Jr., American trumpeter (born 1952).
• 13 – Ronny Jordan, British guitarist (born 1962).
• 15 – Aage Teigen, Norwegian trombonist (born 1944).^[75]
• 18 – Billie Rogers, American trumpeter and singer (born 1917).
• 23 – Riz Ortolani, Italian film composer (born 1926).
• 25 – Arthur Doyle, American saxophonist, flutist, zanzithophonist, and vocalist (born 1924).
• 27 – Pete Seeger, American guitarist (born 1919).^[76]

February

• 11 – Alice Babs, Swedish singer and actress (born 1924).
• 24 – Franny Beecher, American guitarist (born 1921).^[77]
• 25 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist, composer and producer (born 1947).^[78]

March

• 13 – Al Harewood, American drummer (born 1923).

April

• 1 – King Fleming, American pianist and bandleader (born 1922).
• 5
  • Alan Davie, Scottish tenor saxophonist and painter (born 1920).
  • Wayne Henderson, American soul jazz and hard bop trombonist and record producer (born 1939).
• 12 – Fred Ho, American baritone saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (born 1957).
• 14 – Armando Peraza, Cuban percussionist, Santana (born 1924).
• 23 – Benjamín Brea, Spanish-Venezuelan saxophonist, flautist, and oboist (born 1946).
• 24 – Konstantin Orbelyan, Armenian pianist, composer, and head of the State Estrada Orchestra of Armenia (born 1928).

May

• 4 – Earl Gill, Irish trumpeter and bandleader (born 1932).
• 8 – Jair Rodrigues, Brazilian musician and singer (born 1939).
• 9
  • Frank Strazzeri, American pianist (born 1930).
  • Joe Wilder, American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer (born 1922).
• 25
  • Edmund Percey, English architect and pianist (born 1929).
  • Herb Jeffries, American singer and actor (born 1913).^[79]

June

• 5 – Aaron Sachs, American saxophonist and clarinetist (born 1923).
• 12 – Jimmy Scott, American vocalist (born 1925).
• 18 – Horace Silver, American pianist (born 1928).^[80]
• 29 – Paul Horn, American jazz flautist and saxophonist (born 1930).

July

• 5 – Kathy Stobart, English saxophonist (born 1925).
• 7 – Frankie Dunlop, American jazz drummer (born 1928).
• 11 – Charlie Haden, American upright-bassist (born 1937).^[81]
• 19 – Lionel Ferbos, American trumpeter (born 1911).^[82]
• 29
  • Giorgio Gaslini, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1929).
  • Idris Muhammad, American drummer (born 1939).

August

• 3 – Kenny Drew Jr., American pianist (born 1958).
• 15 – John Blake Jr., American violinist (born 1947).
• 22 – John Ore, American bassist (born 1933).
• 24 – Fred Sturm, American composer, arranger, and teacher (born 1951).
• 27 – Roy Crimmins, English trombonist, composer, and arranger (born 1929).
• 28 – Alan Lawrence Turnbull, Australian drummer (born 1943).

September

• 8 – Gerald Wilson, American trumpeter (born 1918).^[83]
• 12 – Joe Sample, American pianist (born 1939).^[84]
• 15 – Jackie Cain, American singer (born 1928).
• 18 – Kenny Wheeler, Canadian composer, trumpeter, and flugelhorn player (born 1930).^[85]
• 28 – Petr Skoumal, Czech pianist and composer (born 1938).
• 30 – Sheila Tracy, British broadcaster, writer, trombonist, and singer (born 1934).

October

• 10 – Olav Dale, Norwegian saxophonist, composer and orchestra leader (born 1958).^[86]
• 11
  • Brian Lemon, British pianist (born 1937).
  • Mats Rondin, Swedish cellist and conductor (born 1960).
• 16 – Tim Hauser, American singer (born 1941).^[87]
• 24 – Vic Ash, English saxophonist and clarinetist (born 1930).
• 25 – Jack Bruce, Scottish bassist, composer and orchestra leader (born 1943).^[88]
• 31 – Renato Sellani, Italian pianist and composer (born 1926).

November

• 2 – Acker Bilk, English clarinettist and vocalist (born 1929).
• 12 – Carlos Emilio Morales, Cuban guitarist (born 1939).
• 20 – Joe Bonner, American pianist (born 1948).

December

• 2 – Chris White, American upright bassist (born 1936).
• 20 – Ronnie Bedford, American drummer and professor (born 1931).
• 24 – Buddy DeFranco, American clarinetist (born 1923).^[89]
• 26 – Al Belletto, American saxophonist and clarinetist (born 1928).
• 30 – Jim Galloway, Scottish-Canadian clarinetist and saxophonist (born 1936).