Forever Presence is the recorded debut of a new project by London-based guitarist, activist and producer Jelly Cleaver.
Jelly has had an incendiary rise over the last year; she has received the Steve Reid Award, is a Serious Take Five artist, was nominated for an Ivors Composer Award, and has been called “the next artist to make an impact on the London Jazz Scene” by Tina Edwards. Yet in the excitement and movement of this jazz scene, Forever Presence takes a different path, focusing on the neglected elements of ballads and beauty to allow other emotions to enter the music. It pays tribute to artists like Pharaoh Sanders, Alice Coltrane and Dhafer Youssef, as well as taking inspiration from Jelly's contemporaries such as Moor Mother and Angel Bat Dawid. Weaving together spiritual jazz, blues, soul, and psychedelic rock and accompanied by rising stars of the UK jazz scene, Forever Presence explores in five tracks the narratives of loss, love and the universe.
1. Forever Presence: Pt. 1
2. Forever Presence: Pt. 2
3. Prayer For Rojava
4. We Have Known Love
5. Black Line
Jelly Cleaver - composition, production, guitar, vocals, synth, percussion James Akers - saxophone
Lorenz Okello-Osengor - piano, rhodes, hammond organ
Katie Moberly - cello, electric bass
Hamish Nockles-Moore - double bass
Tash Keary - drums, percussion
All songs and lyrics written by Jelly Cleaver apart from ‘We Have Known Love’ which was written by Jelly Cleaver, Lorenz Okello-Osengo, James Akers, Tash Keary, Katie Moberly and Hamish Nockles Moore with lyrics by Jelly Cleaver.
Recorded at Henwood Studios
Studio Engineer: Joe Henwood, Jelly Cleaver
Mix Engineer: Jess Camilleri
Mastered by Caspar Sutton-Jones at Gearbox Records
Mastered using all-valve Decca equalisation and Telefunken limiters. Lacquer discs cut on a Haeco Scully lathe with Westrex RA1700 series amps, Westrex 3DIIA cutting head. Monitored on Audio Note equipment
Cover Artist: Angela Laier
Graphic design: Alan Foulkes
Photographer: Helen Amanita Murphy
