BORN IN CLEVELAND,
HONED AROUND THE GLOBE
No one’s happy all the time, but you’d never guess it listening to singer songwriter multi-instrumentalist Cleaveland Jones. Monikered as a shout-out to his roots in Cleveland (originally spelled Cleaveland), Jones’ soaked-up vibe of Caribbean cool, samba soul, dub funk and afro-Brazilian jazz oozes tropical buzz, with lyrical twists that celebrate the light.
His years-long scholarly sojourns to India, Nepal and Bhutan intentionally took him “as far away from home as possible”, immersing him in Tibetan and Buddhist philosophies, but it was Brazil where Jones discovered his musical heart. It’s where he learned the glorious Amazonian grooves that cause involuntary hip-shakes way below the equator. Music you can feel. Samba. Bossa nova. Balie Funk. Forro music. Absorbing Brazil’s sunlit culture of positivity, learning the local dialects, and traveling between coastal cities, inland villages and jungly countrysides, a boy from Ohio armed only with a left-handed guitar had intensely basked in the tropical foreignness of the country's truly incredible music. Two years later, the delicious relentlessness of his multi-instrumental, pan-Brazilian-genre development had honed Cleaveland’s aural sensibilities to the bone.
Now in Miami, backed by the city’s most talented musicians and respected producers, journeyman Jones’ breezy “yacht rock” compositions continue broadcasting from his Coconut Grove studio. Over time, he’s collaborated with the critically acclaimed Miami musicians Nicole Henry, Locos Por Juana, Brendan O’Hara, Suenalo, Nicolle Chirino, and Elastic Bond.
Known for incorporating world-music elements into his songwriting and production, Cleveland’s music has steadily evolved over the last decade. After a four year hiatus, during which he put his recording and performance aspirations on hold to groom the next generation of musicians as Music Director and General Manager of the Miami School of Rock, he’s been experiencing an especially prolific and versatile period of creative output. HEART & SOL, his previous EP released in January of this year, featured a mashup of Motown funk, rhythm & blues and rock. The playlist editors at Spotify were impressed - the world's most popular music streaming service quickly included single "Until I Met You" on its official All Funked Up channel, wedging the track between songs by juggernaut artists like Prince and Bootsy Collins. As a result, the number of Cleaveland’s monthly Spotify listeners skyrocketed overnight, expanding his geographic reach well beyond South Florida.
CONTACT
Booking and Inquiries:
Duvin Collaborative
786-512-3950
pr@duvincollaborative.com