Perth jazz singer Jessie Gordon in six shows at Fringe World 2018

DO not fear for jazz singer Jessie Gordon’s health when you hear she is doing six shows at Fringe World 2018 – her recent four-month schedule in Europe has helped her build her stamina.

“I started in Italy with a band there and then I was in Berlin for about six weeks with a Berlin blues band I formed last year called Ginger Blues,” Gordon said.

“Then I did some cabaret gigs in London before going back to Berlin for some swing dancing teaching and some swing performances in Milan then Madrid, then back to the UK and most recently in Madrid recording a swing CD.”

Gordon, who has sung professionally for 17 years, moved to Broome at the start of 2017 for her partner’s job where she discovered the inconvenience and expense of travel in Australia.

“In comparison, Europe is so much cheaper to travel, it’s so much easier to do tours, and I kind of decided I wanted to travel more and be more flexible in my musical endeavours; Europe is a good place for that,” she said.

“I love Australia and I don’t plan on leaving any time soon, because I love the life I have here, but I’m greedy and want to have it all.”

Fringe World is clearly Gordon’s favourite time of year in Perth and she described her hectic program as “just a light smattering of shows”.

These include her encore performances of French gypsy jazz with Sassafras: An evening in Paris, Dirty Jazz Cocktail Hour (where The Ellington Jazz Club will create special cocktail the Filthy Gordon), Anatomically Incorrect Gentlemen: Dirty Gents with Libby Hammer and her ukulele and the 2017 Fringe World Music and Musicals Award winning So Fresh: The Fairly Average Dance Party.

“Then I wanted to take the opportunity to expand my horizons and do some new things as well,” Gordon said.

“So there are two shows that are completely new. Live Electric Loops is probably just going to be me solo with my loop station and ukulele performing jazz standards but also interacting with the audience, taking suggestions and making up songs on the spot.

“I just decided I wanted to get better at playing with my looping pedals so I booked a show where I had to be good enough. I find that level of goal setting, with another added level of terror, works well for me.”

Her final offering, Jessie Gordon is Ruining Your Night, is the most intimate show she has ever performed and will highlight the importance of music in her life and how, like scent, music can take you back to a moment in time.

“The challenge will be less about the vocal stamina and more about the mindset,” Gordon said.

“There’s one night where I’ll be doing three completely different shows and being three completely different people and needing to remember what’s going on in each. Who am I and what am I doing? That might be the name of my new show next year.”

Search ‘Jessie Gordon’ at www.fringeworld.com.au for dates, times and tickets.