WIM vzw, St. Vincentiusstraat 61, B-2018 Antwerpen, Belgium
(32-3) 230 60 75 | fax; (0)3-281 50 84

The "WIM (Werkgroep Improviserende Musici)" was formed in 1972 when a number of Belgian avant-garde musicians refused to play at the Antwerp Middelheim Jazz festival because of the financial discrimination compared to visiting US musicians.
The refusal was approved and supported by other improvising musicians and led to an anti-festival, "Free Music", at the same period as Jazz Middelheim, around August 15th.
Some years later the date of the annual Free Music festival was moved to the first weekend of August.

Trying to improve the situation of improvised music in Belgium more thoroughly, WIM was founded in Antwerp with branches in Ghent and Brussels. The association was open to more traditional jazz musicians, but they showed no inclination to join.
A "Plan voor Jazz in Belgïe" was formulated and presented to different consecutive Ministers of Culture, asking state subventions for concerts, festival, recording facilities, rehearsal & concert space, creation of groups & big band, scholarships etc...
There never was any answer to this plan.

With little financial support WIM managed to organize concerts, concerts for children, the Free Music festival, circulation of publications, workshops.
From 1985 WIM finally received an annual subvention which amounted to BEF 1.100.000 in 1991.
In 1992 this amount was reduced by 1/3, and reduced again by a third in 1995.

A series of concerts started at the Cultural Centre De Luchtbal (Antwerp) had to be abandonned temporarily because of financial reasons.

The 1997 24th Free Music festival took place at theatre Zuidpool, Antwerp - where the event was happening the last years. The date had to be moved to November (28, 29) because the announcement of the assigned subvention for 1997 arrived only in August '97.

With private sponsoring, WIM founded the record label WIMpro: