Festival History
We are an, open air, one site festival, exclusively dedicated to contemporary jazz, funk and soul. In 2010 we held the first ever Mostly Jazz Festival and invited pioneering artists such as the Sun Ra Arkestra and Courtney Pine to perform alongside leaders of the new wave of British talent such as Polar Bear, Led Bib and Portico Quartet.
Celebrating the dynamic grooves, innovation and excitement of the modern jazz movement; Mostly Jazz is about showcasing the diversity of contemporary jazz in all its forms. From avant-garde, free and modern jazz through to vocal, song based jazz, jazz-fusion and future jazz it’s also about considering jazz’s influence and relationship to other black music art-forms such as latin music, funk and soul.
For 2011 we built on the success of 2010 by putting together a bigger and even better event. we added a third night on the friday which was programmed in association with Leftfoot, who have spent over a decade bringing leftfield and soulful nights to Birmingham.
Similar to its older brother (Moseley folk) we kept the two stage format with both stages sitting right next to each other to showcase our artists. During changeovers on the main stage you need only turn your head to catch the freshest up and coming talent on our second stage. On Saturday we handed the second stage to Birmingham Jazz, who have programmed a day of highly talented local Jazz musicians. On Sunday The Yardbird, Birmingham’s very own Jazz and Funk parlour, took the reins.
Elsewhere at the festival we presented films, artist talks, workshops, Jazz dance performances, live comedy and spoken word.
We are already working hard towards delivering another great event in 2012 so keep checking back for updates!
Festival Venue
The Mostly Jazz Festival is held in Moseley Park, which today it is run as a charitable trust by a group of local residents. Originally the park was part of the Moseley Hall estate but it was cut off from the Hall and rest of the grounds by building and road developments in 1896. Luckily the land, its trees and the lake were saved by a group of local residents who secured its status as a subscription park. It generates funds through annual fees from keyholders, day entrance charges and through special events like ours.
The Park is a stunning 11-acre woodland glade in the heart of Moseley Village, only 2 miles from the centre of Birmingham but is a world away from city life. It is the perfect setting for a festival as the ground slopes down into a natural amphitheatre in front of the beautiful lake. Moseley Park is adjacent to the Village with its convenient shops, newsagents, restaurants, pubs and cash machines.
The Park is home to a huge variety of trees and plants, and supports a wealth of wildlife. It also holds one of the Midlands’ best preserved ice-houses, a kind of eighteenth century refrigerator, that was used to serve the owners of Moseley Hall with ice and as a space to preserve food. During the festival the Ice House will be open for viewing, courtesy of volunteers from The Moseley Society.
Moseley Park Membership
The Mostly Jazz Festival’s annual contribution is vital to the upkeep of this beautiful park. In return the park trustees have kindly offered a £10 discount on annual park membership for new members who have bought tickets to the jazz festival. To claim your reduced membership simply take your festival wristband along to Moseley Travel (Formerly Marcus Galleries) in Moseley after the festival this July. Anyone can become a keyholder, not just local residents.
