Long before I was born, music was already part of my families’ story. My paternal Great Grandfather, born in London, grew up to become a professional musician in Portsmouth, playing flute and fife. After marrying my Great Grandmother, they moved to Sydney, Australia. On my maternal side, my Grandmother was a church organist in Sydney. My Mum played the piano and sang in the church choir, and even to this day I can remember my Dad’s deep bass voice rumbling through church hymns on a Sunday. My parents taste in music ran to a moderately sized yet diverse record collection teamed to a great hi-fi system that could really rock the neighbourhood!

Despite this legacy music held little interest for me until circumstances conspired to drive a young 8 year old, into Mrs Barwick’s school choir. Weekly rehearsals led to several performances with a combined schools choir at the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. What a start! What a way to inspire a love of music? But sadly no, no love ignited.

My Father reasoned that sending me to St Andrew’s Cathedral School, which supplies boy choristers to Australia’s foremost Anglican Cathedral, would build on the experience I had in primary school. Unfortunately, I was overwhelmed by what it took to even audition for the Cathedral choir and conversely developed an interest in motorcycles, skateboards and, thank goodness for my brother, Prog rock. Bands like Genesis (with Peter Gabriel), Yes, Pink Floyd, Rick Wakeman, and King Crimson became essential and a central theme to my life. 

Fast forward a few years, and as a way of climbing out of a pretty dark space, I found myself attending singing classes at Kanga’s School of the Natural Voice run by Melinda Howard. Music had stepped in to gently guide me again. After completing several of the courses I started exploring music more deeply. I was soon the lead singer in a rock band (I found that very limiting), singing (and dancing) in the chorus of the Mosman Gilbert and Sullivan Society for productions of The Gondoliers and Iolanthe. I also joined a 60 man Barbershop chorus and even auditioned for a non-singing role with the Opera Australia in its production of Der Rosenkavalier – I didn’t get the part.

Then in 1992, a friend told me about a workshop using live bands that taught “jazz” singing, run by Freddie and Bev Wilson. This would be my 2nd home for the next 17 or so years. I remember my first lesson, Freddie told me to learn a jazz standard so I learnt, Tie a Yellow Ribbon. Well, I reasoned, it’s not rock, it’s not classical, so it must be jazz! He laughed and told me it’s a pop tune! The following lesson, I learnt The Green Door, Freddie laughed again and told me to learn Frank Sinatra’s version of Fly me to the Moon from the recording with Count Basie’s Band at the Sand’s Hotel. This was another pivotal moment.  I mean who wouldn’t be captivated by that? Check it out here: https://youtu.be/BQtn9q_wjdE

Over the next few years, I slowly learnt about jazz. Through Fred’s guidance, I was introduced to Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, Anita O’Day, Nat Cole, and the father of jazz, Louis Armstrong. Charlie Parker was a flurry of notes beyond my comprehension for a long time but Stan Getz and Paul Desmond were immediately accessible. I started to go and listen to Freddie with his great bands playing various gigs, as well as the fantastic Australian jazz vocalist, Norm Erskine. Slowly an idea dawned in me, this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a jazz singer.

Soon after this epiphany, I started knocking on the doors of venues, agents, bar owners, anyone I thought might give me work. My first break came when I played a gig for Credit Lyonnais in their Sydney headquarters to celebrate Bastille Day. I quickly learnt La Marseillaise and with only about 30 songs in my book I knew I would be singing almost everything I knew at the gig! Afterwards, when I told the friend who had booked me, this was my first professional gig with a jazz band, she did not believe me and said, “But you sounded so professional”. I laughed and thanked her profusely. From this gig, I learnt a valuable lesson that I still subscribe to today – only work with the very best musicians available.

From that day, I would have my fair share of successes and failures, continually refining my craft and performing gigs whilst holding down various day jobs. In 1998, I started playing the flute. At the time, I didn’t know how this instrument would profoundly affect my relationship with music. I would probably never have started if I had known how much work was involved but with hindsight I came to realise that it has rewarded me in ways I could never have imagined.

A few years later, Freddie invited me to take over the jam session he used to run in conjunction with the workshop. This jam, ostensibly an opportunity for Freddie’s students to gain some experience in front of an audience, became very popular for musicians with nowhere else to play. After a short while I renamed it, The Jazz Jam Deluxe and started to attract some of Sydney’s best young players, as well as some of the more established jazz musicians. All the while, refining my own musical tastes and learning valuable lessons in stagecraft.

In 2005, another life changing moment came along, I met the person who was to become my wife. 

In 2007, we took our first trip together to Hong Kong. I was immediately attracted to the vibrant, unrelenting pulse of one of the most exciting cities in the world and after a second visit in 2008, a plan started to form. 

In 2011, we packed up everything and moved to Hong Kong. This was the start of the steepest learning curve I’ve ever experienced. The musicians who live and work in Hong Kong are phenomenal and I knew I could learn a lot from them. I had my first gig, as a full time professional musician at a small bar in Central called; Joyce is not Here. 

In 2013, I started the Jazz Vocalist’s Workshop based on my own workshop experience. This was great fun and almost from the start very successful.

The next 8 years, saw me performing at various private function/corporate event gigs and some of Hong Kong’s notable jazz venues including Visage One, Peel Fresco, Joyce is not here, and Dada Lounge as well as holding long term residencies at Café Deco, On Dining, and STUDIO in Central. 

During my time in Hong Kong I had the privilege to be the band leader, sing, and play flute with some incredible musicians including pianists Jim Schneider, Costel Pascu, Bob Mocarsky, and saxophonist Paolo Levy. Plus bassists Ah Hong, Paul Candeleria, and Rudy Balbuena to name just a few. Just before the pandemic hit, I was invited to perform at a wedding in front of over 700 people at the Shangri-la Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.  

In 2012, I had inherited a tenor sax from my singing teacher, Freddie Wilson, but found the instrument too different from the flute and very rarely took it out to play. Just before the pandemic I found a tone I liked on the sax and stated to get serious about it. So  now my days were filled with practicing two wind instruments, expanding my vocal repertoire, running vocal workshops, booking venues and playing my own gigs. Then, in 2019, just as things were looking really great, the protests in Hong Kong and the pandemic came knocking on the door. All live music and workshops were cancelled.

By 2021, it became clear something had to change so in November 2022 we packed up again and moved, I officially became a resident of the United Kingdom. 2023 had me starting all over again – hanging out at jam sessions, making contacts and going to gigs. From the very first week in London, I was hooked on the vibrancy and depth of the jazz scene here. Since arriving two major venues have been kind enough to feature me: the Lansdowne Club’s monthly jazz show and The National Trust’s Polesdon Lacey “Lazy Jazz Sundays”. In February 2025, I started a residency as a duo at an Italian restaurant in Twickenham called Ristorante Sorrento that continues to this day. In this residency I am specifically focusing on collaborations between myself and guitarists. It’s been a great way to meet and play with some of London’s finest guitarists and create intimate live swinging jazz again every week. Talk about coming full circle, the Great Grandson of John White is living and playing music in England and enjoying all the UK has to offer.