Live poetry + improvised looping music + The Ellington Jazz Club = an evening of soul-soothing sound and energy.

Jessie Gordon begins the evening by introducing us to the looping equipment onstage, reminding us that everything we hear is happening live. Song and sound can be recorded and repeated, edited on the fly. Anticipation builds as we learn how each song can evolve moment by moment. So much of the performance follows the philosophy of ‘let’s see what happens’, which only amplifies the subsequent successes.

Jessie has a natural stage presence and engages with us with humour and generosity. She asks us for inspiration, too, centring the improvised nature of the performance, and we are amazed with how effortlessly she appears to rise to the challenges offered.

We enjoy several solo songs, which are part original lyrics, part covers, creating a collage of sound. Jessie’s voice has a stunning range, is supple and evocative. Her original lyrics are beautiful and seamlessly woven throughout the music. They —and the tune embedded in them — stay in the mind long after the songs finish.

Jessie has numerous musical shows, and the unique aspect of this one is the inviting of a Perth poet to the stage to perform their poetry in conversation with looped music. In this show, she was joined by Lisa Collyer, for two sets of poetic musical performances. Using only a select few words prior to commencing their duet, the two converse through their performances, offering each other space to be creative and also amplifying elements of one another’s performance to maximise their effect. The two complement each other with ease and what is created is organic and special. The entire performance is polished and accomplished — a true marker of skill when the work is rooted in improvisation.

Live Loops/Perth Poetry is an evening of softness, depth, and jazz.