She took naturally to singing and by the 1960s she was working with top British Jazz musicians including Ronnie Scott and Don Lusher.
As a solo Jazz singer Jay has shared the billing at Ronnie Scott's club with Horace Silver, Pharoah Sanders, George Chisholm and Dave Holland.
In 1970 she was chosen to sing with Benny Goodman and his orchestra on an extensive European tour and appeared in many major cities, including Paris, Milan, Copenhagen and Zurich.
[1] In 1993 she devised the very successful "Ella Fitzgerald Songbook Show" which has been performed at major venues and Festivals throughout Britain and also with her own quartet at the Pizza on the Park Knightstbridge, London.
She appeared frequently with her saxophonist husband Tommy Whittle (he died in October 2013) and has performed extensively on British television and radio.