Queer Jazz | The Ellington | Until 8th Feb | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Singer Jessie Gordon is potentially the hardest working artist at Fringe World with multiple shows spread across the four weeks of the festival. Here she takes over The Ellington Jazz Club for a divine evening of songs from the world of jazz and blues that have a link to artists with a queer history.
It’s the perfect combination of music and storytelling and Gordon introduces us to singers we might not be familiar with from the 1920’s and 1930’s, artists like Ma Rainey and Lucille Bogan. Juxtaposed alongside stores from mainstream artists and composers including Cole Porter, Lorenz Hart and Sammy Davis Jnr.
The combination of songs is perfect, a mix of tunes you’ll have heard before and long forgotten songs you’ll discover for the first time. Gordon’s voice is flawless and accompanied on piano by the incredibly talented Adrian Galante.
The duo have some witty banter between them and Galante has his own memorable moment in the spotlight when he’d played Billy Straythorn’s Lotus Blossom.
Romance, scandal, good times and heartbreak are combined in an hour long show in the surrounds of the Ellington Jazz Club. Get down early, or it’ll be standing room only. But standing at the back of the room, with a glass of wine, listening to this beautiful music and great conversation was sublime.
See ‘Queer Jazz’ until 8th of February, tickets available from Fringe World.
Graeme Watson is an editor at OUTinPerth. He has a background in writing, dance, theatre, radio and film working as a performer, producer and writer. He is a casual academic at ECU, and writes for a variety of publications. Graeme has been working as a reviewer since 1997.
