Jazz Fremantle

Brief History of Jazz Fremantle.

Jazz Fremantle was formed by a group of jazz lovers, who got together at the Orient Hotel in Fremantle in 1992. Although the Perth Jazz Society and Jazz Club of WA were both well established clubs, they both operated north-of-the-river, so it was felt that a club could be established in Fremantle, meeting on a weekly basis, every Sunday afternoon.

This format has proved to be successful over that past years, despite several changes of venue. These have included the Mexican Kitchen, Seaview Hotel, Leopold Hotel, Fremantle Hotel and now our present and very successful home, the Navy Club at 64 High Street, Fremantle, which is an excellent venue with a very pleasant ambience. Since moving to the Navy Club some years ago, we have gone from strength to strength and now have a membership approaching 280.

Jazz Fremantle has forged strong links with the wider jazz community, with participation in the Fremantle Jazz Festival and concerts at the Fremantle Arts Centre. We have also assisted the York and Toodyay Jazz Festivals and organised trips to events, such as the Houghton's Winery" Spring in the Valley". The Club has been a supporter of JAZZWA, The W.A. Jazz Academy and has reciprocal arrangements with the Jazz Club of WA.

Our main aim is to promote live jazz to the wider community and to this end we have provided a showcase for several community bands plus various school and community orchestras. We have a strong commitment to young musicians and have held fund- raisers to assist several to make overseas trips for advanced study and performance.

We are a non-profit organization run by a committee of dedicated volunteers, our main sources of revenue being membership fees, admission to our weekly concerts, the “good old” raffle and an annual grant from Healthway in the past.