Jenny’s music and live performances are often surrounded by a plethora of the UK’s leading musicians, including saxophonist Rod Mason, bassist Richard Hammond, guitarist Jezz Platt and percussionist Dave Walsh. She’s also worked closely with Grammy nominee Olive Joseph, an ‘explosive’ vocalist and original member of the Jenny Bray Band.
Norwich-born Jenny started playing the piano at age three – she could read music before she could read words – and her musical career developed throughout her life, with her passion leading her to practice piano, guitar, oboe, violin, clarinet, timpani, percussion and pipe organ and, finally, specialising in the piano. During the first year of her qualification at York’s St. John, she received the highest mark the University had ever awarded for choreography.
Jenny began writing her own music when still at primary school and was composing church hymns by age 8. Her inspiration spans a vast range of different genres, from traditional hymns the likes of “All Things Bright And Beautiful”, to her father’s jazz trio (whose songwriter was the late Harry Stevens), to Welsh folk songs and an array of classical pieces, including German lieder – originating from the German ecclesiastical and popular songs of the 16th century – like Schubert’s “Heidenroslein”. Jenny’s aunt played Spanish piano and her grandfather taught her first song when she was just 4 years old. Her mom was also an accomplished opera singer.
Things weren’t always easy: when studying with David Ancker and attending The Juilliard School NYC – which helped her reorganise her life to focus on her passion for music performance and creativity – Jenny used to make the most of her long commute to school and study music theory on the subway… after a daily drive and a train journey before getting there, with very little cash in her pockets and as a single parent living 2,000 miles from home.
Her career has been diverse and has covered many aspects of the performing arts; ranging from touring with the Princeton Ballet Company to Performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and her Composer of the Week nomination from BBC Radio – she is well-versed in classical, contemporary, jazz and popular music – and regularly performing in the United States, where her credits also include being a featured artist on Philadelphia National Public Radio among other achievements.
Her love for music, both writing and performing, has been moulded by an extensive list of world-famous performers from both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to the eclectic Kate Bush and the lovely music of Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone and John Denver. Jenny’s passion for music led her to listen to and appreciate a long list of different artists and learn from their experience. Jenny’s style has been described as progressive rock, reflecting her classical music training, jazz roots and Welsh Celtic heritage, rich in rhythmic patterns and tonal colours often created with varied and unusual instrumentation.
Jenny also regularly further explores her skills for communicating through the universal language of music and promoting development. In addition to currently teaching and directing Yorkshire Wolds Suzuki Piano and The Wolf Gang children’s storytelling group, Jenny constantly works on developing her abilities with harmonic progressions, Instrumentation and her work with known poets.
Jenny is inspired by her jazz pianist father and opera singer mother and their love for music. Much of her inspiration for songwriting comes from the Yorkshire Wolds, Yorkshire Coast, her family and passion for the US. She also uses poems and letters that have been written by family and friends.
Key plans for the future, Jenny is planning to record a fourth album in July 2025 at a Pennsylvania studio with members from her original US band. As well as the new material she is currently working on for her upcoming album, include time spent arranging her songs for a full symphony orchestra and some yet-undisclosed projects which will see Jenny travelling to and from the US.
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Jenny in performance
