Jez started playing music at the age of seven, having just been given a Bontempi organ. This was a wonderful device as it had chord buttons so you needed little musical ability to get some meaningful noise. Not being able to progress much further than the chord buttons (what do you do with all those black and white keys?) he decided a musical career was not for him and therefore took up the drums.
"Took up" is a loose term as at this early age he couldn't afford a drum kit. However, he could afford drum sticks by the time he was ten and took great delight in denting tables, chairs and any other item of household furniture that could produce a suitable sound when hit.
By the age of 13 a drum kit of his own was still not in sight but a couple of friends had some so there were infrequent visits to them for a bash. It would be a further 8 years until he owned his own kit and at the age of 21 Jez finally took possession of his first drum kit. This was a basic 5 piece Pearl Export.
Within a year he joined his first band playing mainly punk/new wave covers. This band progressed in many forms under names such as Jack's Sack and The Drowning Tower, playing numerous gigs. In fact in theory the band still exists and reformed a number of times over the years "for old times sake".
Along the way there were also flirtations with Blues and other covers bands too numerous and brief to mention. Things started getting more serious in 1995 when Jez answered an add in "Live Music". After the audition he was straight into the Peterborough band called "Babblefish". Babblefish were a busy gigging band playing something like 95 gigs over a 3 year period. The music was a mixture of covers and original songs. The height of Babblefish's success were London gigs at the Rock Garden and Mean Fiddler. All good things come to an end and musical differences, direction and ambition forced a split. Jez, Simon, Andy and Nick left Babblefish and once Dean was found Moosejaw was formed.