CABARET

Jessie Gordon

Interview by Jen Perry

Jessie Gordon may be the hardest-working woman at Fringe World this year. Performing in no less than eight shows, her material covers everything from G-rated 1930s standards to a raunchy dissection of jazz and blues in her shows Dirty Blues: The Sinning Edition and Dirty Jazz.

You may ask how jazz could be dirty – but after our conversation, I have no doubt she has plenty of material to work from. Jessie gave me a preview of Fats Waller’s song “Honeysuckle Rose” and the double entendres referencing food and what I’ll refer to as other tasty morsels, well, they’re something I’ll leave to your imagination. She also assured me there are a couple of extremely filthy songs on offer. So filthy, in fact, we didn’t even talk about them. Some discussions are better left for jazz clubs, with dimmed lighting and a whisky in hand.

Inspired by her roots (her father is from the Deep South of America), Jessie grew up listening to American gospel from the 1940s and ’50s. She loves just about anything with swings, vocal harmonies or interesting instrumentation.

When asked what’s behind the current love of jazz and blues, with reference to the growing scene within Perth, Jessie avows “good popular music doesn’t ever go away.” While there are those who enjoy the nostalgia and ‘vintage experience’ of this period, there are just as many fans of jazz as an early American folk art form. Jessie explains that jazz incorporates “so many different things to so many different people”; its appeal is boundless.

The uniqueness of Fringe World to connect with new audiences also excites Jessie. Throughout February the city is thrumming with good vibes and rife with opportunities to see all types of performances; some that may be “life changing.” She cites comedian Ben Darsow as one of them, whose inclusive and good-natured eponymous show inspired a reflection of her own performance style. She believes Ben’s funny and warm brand of judgement-free audience participation as an increasingly valuable trait to have as a performer, and strives to reproduce it in her own acts.

Jessie is also staring in Real Men with fellow jazz stalwart Libby Hammer. Described as a “gentle lampooning of gender dynamics”, the two women bring laughs, banter and ukuleles to the Ellington Jazz Club for this new show, tackling silly and light-hearted vintage versions of songs as their moniker, the Anatomically Incorrect Gentlemen.

With every coming year, the Fringe World Festival continues to grow and expand, bringing new and exciting international acts to our sunny shores. But it also serves as an important vehicle in promoting our own local talent and performers. After all, when the dust has settled it is the hardworking local acts like Jessie Gordon that remain the beating heart of Fringe World and keep us our arts palate satiated until the new summer rolls in.

You can see Jessie Gordon in Real Men at the Ellington Jazz Club from February 10-12, Dirty Jazz on the same dates and location and Dirty Blues from February 17-21 at the De Parel Spiegeltent. She’ll also be performing with The Darling Buds of May in The Swing Revue from February 13- 17 and the Cottontail Trio from the February 18-21.