February 2018 - Manchester Jazz Festival

The award-winning manchester jazz festival (mjf) brings its exciting, eclectic mix of events to a variety of venues across Manchester city centre from 20 – 28 July this year. mjf offers local communities and visitors to the city an appealing and accessible mix of scintillating programming, new talent, international jazz stars, local gems, the best of the northwest, newly-commissioned music, European debuts, celebrated anniversaries, enjoyable musical encounters and boundary-pushing ideas. The festival is a much-loved part of Manchester City Council’s signature events programme and mjf are delighted to confirm that GMCA have just announced that mjf will be awarded the Culture and Social Impact fund portfolio status for the period 2018 – 2020.

The Culture and Social Impact fund will allow mjf to build on mjf introduces as the strand celebrates its landmark 10th anniversary by rolling out this pioneering and established opportunity across areas of Greater Manchester. The festival will do this by working with talent partners such as FE colleges, youth jazz orchestras, recording studios, local venues, pubs and clubs across the region to engage with new audiences.

Following the success of mjf hothouse, the first mjf scheme to run outside of mjf’s 9-day festival period in its 23-year history, the team are excited to see what new music can be made through mjf introduces’ programmes supported by the GMCA fund with mjf Executive Director, EJ Trivett saying:

“We are delighted to be invited to join the GMCA portfolio. For many years now, we have shared our work with audiences from across Greater Manchester; this fund will enable mjf to expand our reach by discovering diverse untapped talent, developing artists and spaces across the authority, supporting local music-makers into the pipeline and providing access to an international stage.”

mjf introduces is supported by the GMCA Culture and Social Impact fund:

For the last 23 years manchester jazz festival has championed and been firm advocates of women in music through the festival programme and special projects; mjf introduces, mjf originals and new scheme mjf hothouse, where mjf have consistently offered female musicians a professional platform for their music to be heard. In 2017 mjf are proud to say that 50% of all bands that played included women in their line-up, translating as 49 out of 98 gigs having a strong female presence. In 2018 mjf will continue to endeavour for a 50/50 gender balance with the Keychange target in mind of having an equal gender balance by 2022. Steve Mead, mjf Artistic Director says:

“I’m delighted and proud that mjf is a Keychange associate, and it’s humbling that our ambitions and achievements towards creating a more gender-balanced jazz industry are being celebrated with this initiative. There is of course plenty more to do, but I hope that, together, we can continue to inspire others to effect change for good.”

For more information about the Keychange initiative click here.