Nardeydey, AKA Shirley Tetteh, is an important guitarist of the New Jazz scene; a founding member of the fast rising all-female collective Nérija, playing in spiritual jazz big band Maisha and even having won a Parliamentary Jazz Award in 2018 for Best Newcomer. But more than just a guitar virtuoso, Shirley is a songwriter of some genius too.
Her new single “Freefalling”, which was premiered on The FADER today, reinforces that notion, again weaving multiple feels and techniques into an unusually amazing whole. The song kicks off with a funky Joni Mitchell melodicism, replete with her glowing gospel harmony style. Then it drops into an electro-pop hybrid synth passage before turning on a dime into an extended RnB harmonic bridge complete with a surprise Prince solo (in miniature). It’s a thrilling 03:28 of unclassifiable pop music.
