Judy Bailey, the New Zealand-born pianist, composer, arranger and music educator whose influence on the Australian jazz landscape spanned six decades, has died. She was 89. 

Bailey grew up in Whangārei, where her musical journey began at age 10 with piano lessons and music theory. By 16, she had secured an ATCL performance diploma from Trinity College London. Her passion for jazz was ignited in her teens, when she heard the George Shearing Quintet on the radio. 

Originally intending to spend six months in Sydney en route to Europe, she settled instead, becoming a fixture at the famed El Rocco Jazz Cellar alongside John Sangster, Don Burrows and Graeme Lyall.

In the 1960s and early ’70s, Bailey’s keyboard virtuosity and arranging skills were much in demand in television studios and jazz clubs alike. She performed with Tommy Tycho’s Orchestra (Channel 7), the Don Burrows’ Septet (ABC) and the Channel 9 and Channel 10 ensembles. 

Her album, You...