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Bonnie J Jensen

Singer, Songwriter and Pianist

About Me

“…Bonnie J Jensen is one of a covey of new female jazz vocalists bringing a fresh perspective to the jazz culture. She joins the likes of America's Norah Jones, Britain's Claire Martin and Sweden's Linda Peterson in bringing a soft, sweet, sultry, soulful synapse to the jazz idiom.” Voodoo Child Magazine, USA

Bonnie J Jensen’s unique artistry shines through her acclaimed albums and reflects a life lived internationally. This singer/songwriter has traveled extensively, performing in Europe, USA (notably New York), and Asia - repeatedly in Japan, where her second album “Blue Joy” reached No. 8 in the Independent Jazz Charts, and was featured in Swing Journal, the magazine for Jazz devotees.

Winning praise and admiration of critics, jazz enthusiasts and even non-jazz audiences, Jensen is celebrated for her agile, nuanced vocal delivery. She blurs genre boundaries, infusing her broad repertoire — from classic and sophisticated jazz standards to reimagined contemporary songs and poetic originals — with warmth and wit.

Jensen has performed at numerous Jazz Festivals and is known for assembling stellar ensembles, bringing together uniquely complementary musicians for both recordings and live performances. Her recordings feature titans of the Australian jazz scene including Alister Spence, Matt McMahon, Don Radar, Miroslav Bukovsky, Ray Cassar, James Morrison, Graham Jesse, James Muller, Brett Hirst, Jonathan Zwartz, Phil Stack, and Nicholas McBride.

Selected singles from Jensen's forthcoming fifth album RISE, have already been released with the full album scheduled for mid-2025. RISE showcases a thoughtfully curated selection of songs drawn from diverse jazz idioms written by prolific composers including Herbie Hancock, Nitin Sawhney and Chick Corea, alongside two of Jensen’s original compositions. Three tracks were specially arranged and recorded with a big band, while nine others were captured with Jensen’s septet featuring many of the outstanding musicians mentioned above.

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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 not 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.