| Jean
Martyn
Jean has
been playing professionally for more than 20 years. She
began playing at the age of three, playing nursery rhymes
on her parent’s piano. She comes from a very musical
family, both her mother and grandparents being musical.
Her natural musical ability began to show at the age of
five. Her parents sent her to a music teacher who put her
through her grades on the piano, then through Trinity
College of Music in London and eventually becoming an
associate of that college. At the age of eleven, Jean was
appointed organist at her local church and even now, when
time permits, plays there when the organist has some time
off. Moving
effortlessly between grand piano,
custom built electronic
keyboards and mighty Wurlitzers, Jean often comes on
to the stage still deciding whether to
stun listeners with a
breakneck "William Tell Overture",
stir up passions with the
unforgettable "Dambusters March",
conjure up the swing band era with a Glenn Miller
medley or rock the house with
Latin American music or something from the top
London shows. Jean's range of music
is vast, ranging from classical
composers to modern day music but she excels herself
when playing her own magnificent arrangements of
music from the 40's. It is
impossible to pigeon-hole Jean's style and keyboard
artistry, except to say that it is most often allied to
that of Errol Garner, but with extra fingers. She
is equally capable of moving romantic
interpretations in the style of Richard
Clayderman, ‘upping the ante’ a - la
Russ Conway or even Fats Waller. Flexibility,
fun and frolics are the hallmark of Jean's inimitable
performances, which draw their musical depth from her
extensive classical training, yet she can embrace the
dexterous jazz and big band influences that are natural
for a performer who has played with the famous James Last
Orchestra and also at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. She is
often sought after as a BBC session player on recordings
and broadcasts. Jean has travelled the world, entertaining
people with her unique and remarkable style and has played
alongside many famous artists such as Ken Dodd, Vince Hill
and Chris Tarrant. She is sought after by
organ societies throughout the UK on a regular basis
and is also booked to play in America, Germany,
Italy, Holland, Switzerland and Berlin. Jean supports various charities
and has raised lots of money for cancer and blind
societies.Jean has many recordings on CD,
demonstrating her talents on piano,
electronic organ and, of course, her third
love, the theatre organ. One of her favourite
recordings was made on the Blackpool
Tower Wurlitzer. Jean is the only lady
organist to have recorded at the tower in the last
50 years.
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