Women in Jazz

Women in Jazz- the evolution of women in jazz in Wales.

Women in Jazz- the evolution of women in jazz in Wales.

Black Mountain Jazz are an active focal point for jazz performances in Abergavenny and the Borough Theatre is an important venue that has been closed for a considerable refurbishment investment. Bringing together these two organisations was a natural partnership, which led to the development of the Women in Jazz; the evolution of women in jazz in Wales.

This exciting performance features an all-female line up of jazz musicians from Wales, who have worked together with film maker Mark Viveash to create a unique production. The show will explore the story of women in jazz in Wales, past and present and features a range of musicians from those established on the jazz scene, to those just starting out.

The musicians were selected from an open call-out and has resulted in a non-standard line-up affording some unusual instrumental and vocal combinations. Through discussion, it has emerged that new music, written and improvised by the musicians, will be the main element of the performance, interspersed with jazz standards synonymous with female jazz musicians and composers.

The performance will be underpinned by seven short films exploring the musicians’ personal jazz journeys and supported by an exhibition looking at the history of Women in Jazz in Wales, written by Nigel Jarrett and including a display from Jazz Heritage Wales.

Women in Jazz- the evolution of women in jazz in Wales.

This celebration of women in jazz in Wales is the culmination of a project between The Borough Theatre and Black Mountain Jazz, funded by the Arts Council of Wales as part of the Archwilwyr Jazz Explorers project and features a range of musicians from those established on the jazz scene, to those just starting out.

Archwilwyr Jazz Explorers Project

As a result of the 2020 COVID lockdown, James Chadwick, jazz guitarist and educator based in Cardiff, who had set up a Facebook page called Jazz in South Wales, started asking jazz musicians to send films of themselves playing, which he then posted as daily performances, for 18 months. This stimulated connections and reconnections between musicians in the community and led to a discussion on the state of Jazz in South Wales before COVID and what it might look like afterwards. With the support of the RWCMD, an application to the Arts Council of Wales to run a Connect and Flourish, R and D project for a year. This resulted in Archwilwyr Jazz Explorers, a year-long project running pan- Wales, focusing on- community, education and diversity, with the aim of developing links, partnerships and work opportunities for Wales based jazz musicians. The project began in July, with a partnership with Aberystwyth Music Festival who piloted a fringe jazz line up to their Classical programme. In September, an education project was launched in North Wales, working with three music services, Galeri in Caernarfon and a group of recent RWCMD graduates, exploring jazz concepts, improvisation and performance. The final element is the Women in Jazz project, delivered through a partnership between Black Mountain Jazz and the newly refurbished Borough Theatre in Abergavenny.

Book Tickets Here