Jan Preston | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | New Zealand |
Genres | Boogie |
Occupation(s) | Musician composer, songwriter |
Instruments | Piano |
Years active | 1979 - present |
Jan Preston is a pianist, composer and songwriter, known as Australasia's Queen of Boogie Piano due to her mastery of the 1930s boogie-woogie piano style. Originally classically trained, [1] [2] she has released over ten solo albums, often featuring her boogie-woogie piano playing. [3]
Preston has been a member of bands, including Midge Marsden's Country Flyers, Coup D'Etat (with Harry Lyon) and, in Australia, The Tribe. She sang lead vocals on the Coup D'Etat single No Music on my Radio. [3]
She worked with theatre cooperative Red Mole, [3] alongside their backing band Red Alert. [4] Her work was documented by Sam Neill in the film Red Mole on the Road. [5]
Preston has composed music for films such as Illustrious Energy,Home by Christmas and My Year with Helen, as well as music for 'hundreds of documentaries'. [6] She collaborated with her sister, filmmaker and director Gaylene Preston to compose the scores for Gaylene's films Home By Christmas and My Year with Helen. [7]
In 1988, she received the Best Music award at the New Zealand Listener Film and Television Awards for her score for Illustrious Energy. [8]
In 2016, Jan Preston broke both of her wrists in an accident; once healed she continued to tour Australia and New Zealand with her band Jan Preston's Boogie Circus. [9]
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Blerta was a New Zealand musical and theatrical co-operative active from 1971 until 1975.
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Victoria Kelly is a New Zealand composer, arranger, and vocalist.
Coup D'Etat was a New Zealand band active between 1980 and 1982. Members included Harry Lyon, previously of Hello Sailor, Jan Preston and Neil Hannan of Red Mole, and drummer Paul Dunningham. Originally, Preston and Hannan were members of the band Wolfgang with drummer Steve Osborne. Harry Lyon joined the band, which was then re-named Coup D'Etat.
Schtung were a New Zealand progressive rock band active from 1976. The band developed out of school-era bands formed by friends keyboardist/vocalist Andrew Hagen and guitarist/vocalist Morton Wilson.
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Michelle Scullion is a New Zealand musician and composer. Several of her soundscapes are part of installations at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
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