Queen of the Boogie Piano to give performance
A performer widely known as the Queen of the Boogie Piano will hit the keys tonight.
Jan Preston plays festivals and concerts throughout Australia, NZ and Europe, but has included the quaint Firebird Cafe in Levin on her list of tour venues this time. She has also planned a gig for Paekakariki.
Preston has a reputation as an astonishing piano player with a rich resonant voice who is great live. She performs original songs, compositions, all the while showing her mastery of “boogie woogie”.
Her concerts are said to take audiences on a journey and she was known for her energy, charm and wit.
Preston has numerous awards for her music and soundtracks as she writes music for film and TV, and composes and performs for silent movies, too. Her composition Trout Blues is currently being used as the theme music to BBC Radio London Evenings programme with Jo Good, on 94.9 FM (London).
Preston began playing piano from the moment she could reach the keys, spurred on by an older sister and brother who both played.
She studied classical piano and excelled, passing all her grades with distinction and gaining a prestigious place to study a five-year classical piano degree at Auckland University. In 1980 she was part of the band Coup D’Etat that had a No 1 hit with the song Doctor I Like Your Medicine, after which she moved to Sydney, playing in bands as well as writing music for films. Her original piano composition was used as the theme to ABC’s Australian Story for six years, and she has appeared on ABC TV’s Spicks and Specks.
The current tour started in Napier, followed by gigs in Hastings and Ōtāne. Then it’s on to Levin, Wellington and Paekakariki. She will be joined by special guest Mike Pullman on percussion.