FUNDED BY YOU - PLASE DONATE NOW

The plans for the Anniversary Celebrations included a new five movement jazz suite commissioned from the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra as well as a public display of representative archive materials. But we have no funds to pay for these significant pieces of art so please help us and jazz with a donation.

This is Birmingham Jazz Celebrating its 50th Birthday. Over the whole of September a fantastic programme of gigs will be promoted, with bands/leaders who first appeared in one of the decades, plus a range of merchandise.

Celebrating 50 Years of Birmingham Jazz

Over the past fifty years, Birmingham Jazz has built a distinctive live programme that promotes and creates opportunities for jazz, musical innovation and artistic achievement. The programme has brought together international and national artists, while giving local musicians and students a platform to write, perform and develop live work that might otherwise not have been possible. Alongside the music, Birmingham Jazz has also created exhibitions and other art forms that deepen the audience experience and celebrate the wider culture around jazz.

Achievements and Impact

• Presented a wide-ranging programme of live jazz across international, national and local scenes.
• Supported UK premieres, touring projects and four new commissions.
• Created commercial performance opportunities for music students that were not otherwise available in Birmingham or the wider region.
• Helped new bands to form and develop through Birmingham Jazz support.
• Worked across jazz genres and with other art forms to broaden creative reach.
• Opened and supported new venues, extending access to new audiences in the city and beyond.
• Developed the membership scheme, which now has twice as many members as it did three years ago.

 Experience, Funding and Sustainability

Across this 50-year programme, Birmingham Jazz has managed and funded events with limited public funding support. Earlier years saw the charity secure and deliver education, musical and artistic development programmes with public support, including local authority events and Arts Council England funding, first as a regularly funded organisation and later as a National Portfolio Organisation.

This history has built significant experience in artistic achievement, creative development, contract delivery, outcome management, good governance and financial probity. The 50th anniversary project will use that experience to create a sustainable framework for celebration, reflection and future growth.

A Diverse Anniversary Celebration

The anniversary will be marked through a month of concerts, exhibitions, memorabilia, archive activity and publications. Together, these elements will capture Birmingham Jazz’s achievements and its long-term commitment to widening participation and representation.

The programme reflects the more inclusive approach Birmingham Jazz has developed over many years. Around 40% of the musicians currently performing for BJ are female, 35% are Black, and the programmes includes LGBTQ+ bands. This marks a significant shift from the organisation’s early years, when programmes were dominated by white male artists, with only occasional appearances by visiting Black musicians from the United States.

The Arts Council England (ACE) have rejected all applications for financial support to the memorable event - so its down to our supporters to get behind this much loved jazz promoter.

To help fund the Celebrations we have set up a Crowdfunded, just use this link to our Crowdfunded Page:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/celebrating-50-years

If you want to help celebrate with a direct donation to BJ@50 just us the BACS route to:

Bank Transfer

Birmingham Jazz

Sort Code 089299

Accout Number 65599378