Biography

BARBARA JEAN (BJ) : Vocalist/Songwriter/Guitar/Piano
BJ performs jazz standards, bebop, ballads, blues, pop and smooth Jazz.
Family background: BJ's father was born in Wales and her mother was born in New Zealand in a small town in Waipawa.
BJ was born in Napier and as a girl growing up she was always around music. BJ's mother played wonderful piano all by ear and often used to say you hum it, I'll play it. Her father was a musician and played banjo, piano accordion and harmonica.

BJ's grandmother was a band leader for a 20 piece piano accordion band and was a gifted singer. Her parents operated one of the first Cabaret businesses in New Zealand called "The Aztec Lounge" and many Artist's Nationally and Internationally performed there including Ray Woolf, Ray Columbus, Cleo Laine, Millie Small, Four Jacks and a Jill, The Pedlars and others.
BJ learned the piano and guitar enough to develop her song writing skills and performed originals on guitar at folk clubs in the early 1980s before progressing on to Jazz. After moving to New Plymouth she and the late Graeme Martin started up Jass Jazz a five piece band playing at local gigs. They appeared in Tauranga and Palmerston North Jazz Festivals in the 1990s. She also formed a band called SITBACK with Carry Baxter and Steve Corbett they received a local following and played at weddings, garden events, restaurants and private functions. As members moved away she left the music scene and concentrated on her family before returning after a 10 year break, since last year she has been working on her voice production and artistry and enjoying the freedom of expression that is developing in her music.


My influences include such legendary names as Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan, Julie London, Bille Holiday, Joni Mitchell, Patti Austin, Nancy Wilson, Oleta Adams, George Benson, Al Jareau, Jon Hendricks, Earth Wind and Fire, Santana and others. I enjoy experimenting with a melody and creating a musical expression I can call my own.

Will have some songs to share soon just waiting on web licence.