When people turn 50 they often do something stupid like jump out of plane, buy a sports car or run off with the au pair, but when Liz Cole hit the milestone last year she did something far more sedate, yet equally scary - release her first album.

The jazz artist from Cobham brought out Tout Droit in July after her tutor Anita Wardell spent two years convincing her she was good enough to go it alone and emerge from the shadows.

Having been classically trained as a youngster, Cole was part of a jazz funk band in the 1980s before music was forced to take a back seat as family commitments took over and she landed a job in IT.

Music was always destined to draw her back though.

"About five years ago I started working again with Craig Rickards, who has been in the jazz funk band with me," says Cole.

"Anita then began urging me to take it more seriously and do a CD.

"It probably took me two years to believe I was as good as she was saying I was and it was only when a few really top jazz musicians were willing to perform with me that I thought 'ok, yeah, I can do this'."

Cole then began the process of sorting a set list full of jazz standards and arrangements she could use and also wrote her own song, Tout Droit - again after encouragement from Wardell.

"I put a list together of songs I wanted to do and gave it to Anita with Tout Droit written at the top," explains Cole.

"Anita asked me why I wrote that and I said it was what I wanted to call the album because it means straight ahead and I thought that was quite poetic.

"She decided then I had to write an original song called that and that it had to be in 5/4 and in French.

"That actually made it easier because there were all these constraints."

Such has been the success of Tout Droit, Cole is already planning the follow up.

"I am writing some more original songs and adding some more of my own arrangements to songs," she says.

"It is helping my set grow and hopefully I will be ready to put out a new CD sometime next year."

Liz Cole, The Bedford, Bedford Hill, March 30, 7.30pm, £8. Call 0208 6828940 or visit thebedford.com.