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Bonnie J Jensen

Jazz-orientated Singer, Songwriter and Pianist.

About Me

Hailing from New Zealand, Bonnie’s elegant artistry can be heard on four well-lauded albums and reflects an international life. She has traveled extensively with her work, performing in Sweden, Singapore, Spain, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam, NYC, Portugal, Hong Kong and repeatedly in Japan where her second album “Blue Joy” reached No. 8 in the Independent Jazz Charts. In 2012, the (Australian) Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) funded Bonnie and her Quartet to represent Australia at the “Giant Steppes of Jazz” festival in Mongolia and she has featured regularly in Australian Jazz Festivals. Known for assembling stellar ensembles of uniquely juxtaposed musicians for both recordings and live performances, Bonnie’s CDs feature treasures of the Australian jazz scene including Graham Jesse, James Muller, James Morrison, Jonathan Zwartz, Alister Spence, Don Radar, Miroslav Bukovsky, Nicholas McBride and Phil Stack. Possessing a nuanced and agile voice, she infuses her broad repertoire of classic and classy jazz standards, cleverly re-worked contemporary songs and poetic originals, with warmth and wit. Bonnie’s musical and organisational prowess affords a variety of acts, meaning she can work in Duo format as a pianist/vocalist with Bass or with larger ensembles – Trio up to Sextet line-ups that showcase the top tier of regional talent. TEACHING Bonnie provides a supportive learning environment, coaching singers of all ages and abilities, from absolute beginners, to professionals who wish to fine-tune their skills or prepare for recordings. She is also able to lend her arranging, song-writing and production abilities to your project. Lessons are tailored depending on goals, experience and current ability. To find out more, please visit: www.sydneycitysinginglessons.com

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because of the sophistication and freedom it offers. I was first exposed to jazz via the music of Carlos Antonio Jobim, the prolific composer of lyrical and poetic Brazilian music. This music had a significant effect on my own songwriting and musical offering, resulting in my aspiration to create heart-opening, uplifting music. During my 'international' performing days, I had the good fortune of meeting many of my musical heroes including Pat Metheny, Dhafer Youssef, Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Eddie Gomez, Steve Gadd, Nathan East, Bob James, Harvey Mason and no least, Herbie Hancock. The first real jazz record I bought was Bill Evans "You Must Believe in Spring" and I've learned so much from listening to Shirley Horn, Dianne Reeves and indeed many trumpet players. I am particularly fond of Scandinavian jazz - the quality of their pristine recordings and the space that is inherent in their music. My advice to new listeners is to become very familiar with a few amazing artists' body of work to start with, and truly LISTEN to the different components of their music and their instrumentalists and arrangements. Inform yourself about various instruments and learn the jazz standards - they will be your international stage passport.