Tony Dudley-Evans

Artistic Director

Birmingham Jazz is a promoting organisation which presents contemporary jazz in the city on a year-round basis. A limited company with a ten-strong board of directors, Birmingham Jazz was formed in 1976 and is funded annually by The Arts Council England, Birmingham City Council. It has also been awarded grants from the Lottery and Touring Departments of Arts Council of England. It won an award under the Jazz Promoter Scheme run by the PRS and Jazz Services in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005 and had a grant from the Foundation for Sports and Arts in 1996.

The company employs Mary Wakelam, a graduate of the BMus Jazz course at Birmingham Conservatoire, as a full -time Development Manager. She works closely with the Chair, Tony Dudley-Evans, on programming, marketing and administration.

Birmingham Jazz promotes up to 110 events a year in various venues around the city. There are three strands, the concert series, the club series and the Friday night Rush Hour Blues sessions at Symphony Hall.  These include 30 to 35 concerts at various concert halls, or arts centres, specifically the CBSO Centre (capacity 300), the mac (Midland Arts Centre: Capacity 200),the Adrian Boult Hall (capacity 500) and The Glee Club (capacity 400) and the Recital hall at Birmingham Conservatoire (140 capacity). As well as the concert series, Birmingham Jazz also believes strongly in presenting jazz in club venues, notably the Rainbow Pub, The Jam House and the Yardbird Jazz Club where we programme bands that appeal to a largely young audience. Gigs are put on at the Rainbow Pub on the last Wednesday of the month under the name Jazz Club and at the Jam House on the third Tuesday of the month; at the Yardbird Jazz Club Birmingham Jazz co-promotes withe Cobweb Collective an occasional Thursday session and with the Yardbird Club an occasional Saturday session. In June 2007 Birmingham Jazz participated in the BASS Festival presenting Soil & Pimp Sessions at the Jam House. Birmingham Jazz also runs with Symphony Hall the very popular Rush Hour Blues commuter jazz sessions every Friday in the Level 3 Bar from 5.30 to 7pm.

Birmingham Jazz believes strongly in the development of contemporary jazz and new work. It takes a broad definition of 'jazz' and is interested in collaborative projects that draw on other musics. This does not mean that older styles of jazz are neglected.