London-based Jelly Cleaver is the first name in a monthly series set up by the Nice Swan label to spotlight promising young talent.
The labels Nice Swan and RIP Records are passionate about discovering new talents, and already have a few career launches in their catalogue, with indie bands such as Blossoms, Hotel Lux or Sports Team. It is in this state of mind that they are starting the Nice Swan series, which will unveil every month a single intended to highlight a young artist in the making, without genre limits. Originally from South London, it is the jazz musician, Jelly Cleaver who starts the series with the single “Feeling fine”
This self-taught multi-instrumentalist, who has been playing guitar since a young age, let herself be influenced by many worlds before turning to jazz, while keeping a hip-hop background and letting her previous experiences speak for themselves, between punk band and African percussion choir. The single takes up the suggestive bass line of her song “Angela” from her album The dream jazz manifesto. She enriches it with a few chords to re-imagine it as an old school hip-hop track imbued with soul, inviting the rapper Shunaji – spotted by Gilles Peterson – and the saxophonist Maddy Coombs. A real ray of sunshine in these difficult times, “Feeling fine” opens a window on the beautiful summer days while revealing the beatmaker talents of Jelly Cleaver.
The single is available since April 28th. More information on the label’s website.