Joe K. Walsh, Ella Jordan, & Jed Wilson

Walsh / Jordan / Wilson is an utterly unique musical project, and one that has been a long time in the making. Mandolinist Joe K. Walsh and pianist Jed Wilson first met over twenty years ago when both were making their bones on the Boston scene. Wilson came from a background in jazz, Walsh from bluegrass, but each recognized in the other a fellow traveler on the path of improvisation and musical discovery. A collaboration wasn’t yet in the cards, as each was busy with other pursuits: Walsh with Joy Kills Sorrow, The Gibson Brothers, Darol Anger, and then his own projects; Wilson with Heather Masse, Aoife O’Donovan, and various jazz ensembles. The two crossed paths again several years later in Maine, where each had relocated by happenstance. In the meantime, both had expanded their musical palettes considerably, crossing borders and expanding horizons, in search of the ineffable magic that can be found equally in a great folk song or down some uncanny improvisational byroad. Additionally, each had developed a unique compositional voice. When Walsh and Wilson finally decided to put together a band, there was no question who to call. Both immediately thought of Ella Jordan, the remarkable fiddler best known for her work with the progressive bluegrass band Mile Twelve. When the three finally got together, there was no doubt that something special was in the offing. Primarily a vessel for Walsh and Wilson’s original songs, the trio breathes new life into the folk tradition with fresh melodies that somehow feel timeless.