Corey Mwamba

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Support Out Front!

We are raising funds to support the next phase of activities for Out Front! You can either make a one-off donation; or choose to donate on a regular, monthly basis from £2 per month. Thank you to everyone who supports us in our work.

Credit/debit cards and PayPal are accepted.

If you wish to cancel your subscription, you can contact me and I will process it straight away, no questions asked.

Regular giving

£

Single donations

£

Alternatively you can donate using our bank details:

Account name
OUT FRONT
Sort code
77 69 37
Account number
02110160

Why?

On the surface, Out Front! looks like a promoter of improvised and experimental music; but its rationale is much more broader than that. Hosting concerts is an activity that we do, but the conditions around that music activity are guided by a number of principles that promote education, sociality, and well-being.

The first condition has always been to give households access to experiencing new music, in order to develop appreciation and knowledge - in effect, it is an informal music education project for all ages that puts listening at the heart of its activity. The focus on the household (rather than a demographic such as young people) is important, as it is non-exclusionary (a single person counts as a household). Families of all types and sizes are welcomed warmly.

My kids have been able to experience a few gigs over the last couple of years thanks to [...] these family friendly events. [Out Front] keeps them affordable for people like me, and everyone is always made to feel welcome and part of the community. It meant I didn't have to worry about how much money I had, whether Dexter running about would be an issue, whether the kids would be staying up too late, or worry about being able to find a babysitter. And the gigs themselves have been pretty inspirational.

Victoria Sparrow, audience member

The second condition is that we aim to look after the artists performing. Improvised musicians in Britain and Ireland have been consistently underpaid; the working conditions of these musicians (late nights, low pay) contributes to prevalence of mental health issues that music organisations have recently begun discussing. What we do for musicians is valued and an essential part of our work.

It was very o.k. to do the performance at 6 p.m. and this makes it available to people who would wish to catch another group later that evening if that's the case[...] The shorter duration is much better in many ways. It means you can put everything into the one set[...] It was nice to finish early in many ways and relax afterwards together with band members and organisers etc. I think this feeds into the overall experience. Exchange of ideas through conversation etc. [...] you all made us feel very welcome, and brought with you an understanding of the music. Hugely important.

Trevor Watts, saxophonist

Finally, the work of Out Front! can be seen as part of a wider plan to make Derby into a place where people want jazz and improvised music to happen, and for them to want to make it and listen to it. There is a healthly flow of artists that were previously seen in the Out Front! programme who also play for Derby Jazz; we complement their work, helping to engender more a vibrant, positive atmosphere in the region for new music to be found. At the same time, the ethos and direction of Out Front! is markedly different than that of Derby Jazz; we focus on people in the area being able to access new music, by setting our events at times where people of all ages can attend.