A voluntary association, it was co-founded in 1978 by guitarist-composer Jean-Marc Montera; saxophonists André Jaume, David Rueff, and Lionel Dublanchet; and percussionist Gerard Siracusa.
[1] Grim was funded by the city of Marseille with a focus on organizing musical events.
Prominent members of the organization included jazz trumpeter Guy Longnon, double bass player Bruno Chevillon, and trombonist Yves Robert.
[1] As of March 2017, the GRIM has been absorbed into the gmem CNCM, another creative institute also located in Marseille.
Regular workshops with founder Jean-Marc Montera (Department of Musicology of the University of Provence) were also available.