Jan Preston

Jan Preston is a pianist, composer and songwriter, known as Australasia's Queen of Boogie Piano due to her mastery of the 1930s boogie boogie piano style. She has composed music for films, including her sister Gaylene Prestons most recent film "My Year With Helen" and the Theme to ABC TV's "Australian Story", which was used for the title sequence from 2000 to 2006. She has been a member of bands, including Midge Marsden's Country Flyers, Coup D'Etat (with Harry Lyon) and, in Australia, The Tribe. Originally classically trained,[1][2] she has released over ten solo albums, often featuring her boogie-woogie piano playing. She sang lead vocals on the Coup D'Etat single No Music on my Radio.[3]

Jan Preston
OriginNew Zealand
GenresBoogie
Occupation(s)Musician composer
InstrumentsPiano
Years active1979 -

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 and Home by Christmas, as well as music for 'hundreds of documentaries'.[6] In 1988, she received the Best Music award at the New Zealand Listener Film and Television Awards for her score for Illustrious Energy.[7] She has collaborated with her sister, filmmaker and director Gaylene Preston, for example composing the score for Gaylene's film Home By Christmas.[8]

In 2016, Jan Preston broke both of her wrists in an accident, but they have now healed and she continues to tour Australia and New Zealand with her band Jan Preston's Boogie Circus.[9]

References
  1. "Award winning musician Jan Preston: My Life as a Piano | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  2. Fotakis, Nikos (11 August 2016). "Jan Preston: ": Life is for learning! - AustralianJazz.net". AustralianJazz.net. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  3. Newman, Keith (24 November 2015). "Jan Preston – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  4. "The Drongos – AudioCulture". www.audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  5. "Red Mole on the Road | Short Film | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 August 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "Jan Preston | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 August 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. "Jan Preston – Awards | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 16 August 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. "Jan Preston's life put to music". Stuff. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  9. Mays, Richard (19 April 2017). "Boogie woogie piano player Jan Preston makes full recovery after breaking wrists". Stuff. Retrieved 16 August 2017.


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