Perth Pocket Big Band presents Hometown Heroes

To mark the one-year anniversary of their debut performance, Perth Pocket Big Band returns to Lyric’s Underground on 22 November 2026 with Homegrown Heroes — a celebration of the sounds, stories and musicians shaping Australia’s contemporary jazz scene.

With support from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund, this special concert shines a spotlight on three outstanding local artists: Jess Carlton, Tom Salleo and Reece Clark.

Each featured artist will have an original composition brought to life by the full Perth Pocket Big Band, alongside a second performance featuring their talents as musicians. 

The celebration continues with a program made entirely from Australian-composed or arranged works, featuring music by Holly Forster, Vanessa Perica, Kirsten Beradi, Andrew Murray and more.

Come celebrate one year of Perth Pocket Big Band, discover some of Australia’s exceptional musical voices, and support the incredible artists creating music right here at home!

A little about the featured artists:

Jess Carlton

Jessica Carlton is a trumpet player and composer originally from Melbourne (Naarm) and currently based in Perth (Boorloo). She holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from Monash Uni, a Master of Arts (Performing Arts) from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), and is currently working on a PhD with research aims to develop neuro-affirming tools for teaching jazz in higher education tailored for autistic, ADHD, and dyslexic students.

Jessica has received multiple award nominations, including the Freedman Jazz Fellowship and Bell Award Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year. She was Composer in Residence with the West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra in 2023 and has performed at major jazz festivals across Australia and in New York. Her original music features across four releases, most recently Ekphrasis (2024) which was part of her postgraduate studies on musical ekphrasis (the transformation of poetry and visual art into musical composition).

Tom Salleo

Tom Salleo is a pianist, composer and performer based in Perth. A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts with First Class Honours in jazz composition and arranging, his musical practice spans jazz, classical and contemporary music. 

Tom performs regularly with varying ensembles across Perth's music scene bringing a strong grounding in jazz improvisation and ensemble playing to his work. His approach to music is shaped by a love of collaboration and improvisation, as well as exploring the ways different musical traditions can come together.

Reece Clark

Reece Clark is a Perth-born multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, bandleader & educator based in Perth. He is currently working as a peripatetic music teacher across Perth, alongside performing in and writing for numerous projects.

He has a great appreciation for a wide range of musical genres & is captivated with the art of storytelling in all its many forms - whether that be internally in his own compositional process or externally in the work of others.

Reece’s vocal stylings have evolved from his love of the intricacies and nuance of artists such as Kurt Elling, Bobby McFerrin & Gregory Porter to name but a few. As a composer and performer Reece has a distinct yet versatile voice, with a strong understanding of harmony & texture married with his love of developing new sounds and shapes to continue to expand the jazz idiom in his way.