Bonnie J Jensen - Jazz Singer and Songwriter

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Posted 2013-05-17 by Mila Wood ⇒ follow

Thu 25 Jul 2013 - Fri 16 Aug 2013

Shane Nichols, A music reviewer from The Australian Financial Reviews has quoted;

"Bonnie J Jensen is a rarest of things – a full blooded grown up sexy woman unafraid to let her passion and eroticism inform her music in a sophisticated way, beyond the usual raunchy, bluesy stuff"

According to Voodoo Child Magazine, USA, Bonnie J Jensen has joined the ranks of Nora Jones, Claire Martin and Linda Pattersson in delivering a soft sweet, sultry, enchanting, soulful to the jazz vocabulary.

I personally believe that apart from possessing a beauty that is enviable, Bonnie had musically excelled beyond expectation. To date she has released 4 albums delivered in a velvety perfect pitch flawless smoky timbre voice which would cause most Jazz musicians to reek of envy.

So who is she?

For those who haven't heard of Bonnie J Jensen, she is New Zealand born, Jazz singer/songwriter who has based herself in Sydney for the last 20 years.

Classically-trained with orchestral (Clarinet) and choral experience, her fascination with Jazz started when she was living in Europe in her early 20's where she was captivated by the warmth, emotion, and the harmonies underlying the melodies of Antonio Carlos Jobim - the elegance that inspired and continued to capture her imagination till now.

Her birth right into the world of Jazz was apparent in 2001, when she released her first album Lucky So & So. It was an introduction to her soul writing delivered with a force that made the album rise to no. 3 in the Indie Chart.

After a stint performing in Japan in 2003 she then co-produced her second album Blue Joy, creating more original materials thus establishing a formidable reputation for herself in the world of Jazz. The album was launched at The Basement to a full house capacity and not to outdo herself, it quickly rose to the top 10 of the Australian Independent Jazz Charts.

Then on February 2007, her third album The Sapphire Tree was released. It was an ensemble of songs inspired by the Instrumentalists with whom she had worked with and the crowd reactions during her live performances.

In 2009, teaming up with great talents, Graham Jesse, Matt McMahon, Phil Stack, James Muller and Nicolas McBride, and armed with three original compositions, Bonnie recorded her 4th album Shimmer.

She has played internationally, including the Stockholm Jazz Club Stampen, Kuala Lumpur's Alexis Club, Barcelona's Bel Luna, and Singapore's Southbridge jazz club to name but a few;
gracing our country with her appearance at The Basement, various Jazz Festivals and numerous corporate functions and recently at the Dome Function in Surry Hills.

I have always been an avid fan of Jazz of any form and as such, I leapt with excitement when I was invited by the great Diva herself to watch her perform with the internationally renowned line up talents; Graham Jesse (flute & sax), Graham Hilgendorf (drums), Craig Scott (Double Bass).

The venue was at the Dome Bar - a jazz club located at Surry Hills which is starting to assemble a strip of Jazz Clubs akin to New Orleans.

Anticipating a huge crowd, we arrived an hour early enjoying a sumptuous dinner from the restaurant's extensive menu. The venue is to die for. Comfortable lounges that will make you feel like you are in your own lounge room while enjoying the delectable liquid gold amber. The life like art nouveau on the wall will send you imagining that you are in a Parisian surrounding.

Commendable service from the staff will make you think "I am coming back". Hence, with great anticipation, we waited to be serenaded by a voice that can only have descended from heaven.

You can hear the pin drop when she sung the rendition of Here Comes the rain again by The Eurythmics covered on her latest album Shimmer. Delivering the song with perfection, velvety voice that transcends and captivated her audience throughout the night.

I got up close and personal with Bonnie, and this is what she said of her plans for the future;

"**%%I hope to keep performing as much as possible. Private engagements and public gigs. I adore working with my band, but I also love working with my cellist Anatoli Torjinski in duo format, and I love the independence of solo performances from time to time. Being a player and a singer allows for a lot of variety and I enjoy that.

I enjoy playing jazz festivals too and hope I continue to be invited to do so, both in Australia and overseas. I truly enjoyed our concert in Japan last year. Meanwhile, I wish that I had one regular gig in Sydney per week in a classy venue with a good piano.

Graham Jesse (flute/sax) and I have been talking for 2 years now about writing for another album and the time to knuckle down and do that is definitely approaching. Song writing is possibly the most fulfilling thing of all.%%**"

In the next foreseeable days?

Another night of great entertainment on the 25 of July at Dome Bar.

Address:
1/598 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Phone number
(02) 8394 6500

For email enquiries:
[email protected]

Website

Cost:
$25 at the door with a complimentary drink and a cheese canape from 6pm to 7pm.

If you intend to dine, I would suggest making a booking beforehand as the place gets very crowded.

If you are in Brisbane, she will be at the Brisbane Jazz Club on the 17th of August.

For latest information, log into her site or download a Bonnie J Jensen Mobile App for free.

Like her poetic lyrics, Bonnie had descended from a Kingdom of Jazz, enthroned in a Castle where she sits as a Queen, surrounded by the Jazz Angels donned in White, wings that span like eternity, awaited by mere mortals to be serenated by her velvety angelic voice.