Dear Friends in Music,

I am into the second half of my first 6-week tour since before the Pandemic. With the gracious support of community, I have continued to perform throughout the last 2 and a half years, mostly streaming online from my studio or from various venues like Caffe Lena or The Ark. So my chops have remained in solid order. But it has been fabulous to be back in the world with in-person audiences. And I am immensely grateful for the enthusiasm with which people are receiving the live musical experience of sharing space and the physics of sound.

I have alluded in a few emails now to a new recording project. I remain hard at work in between tour dates, but the album is coming along nicely. After a couple decades of more fully integrating my dual US and Irish citizenship into my musical life, I am finally making a record that overtly reflects the historic and contemporary musical and personal ideas that flow from this shared identity. I will have a Pre-Order site LIVE next week, and will send an announcement when that site is up and running. The creative work is ongoing but the pipers will need to be paid, so to speak.

In the meantime, I have several live appearances in the next several weeks I want to highlight. I am on my way to Florida for several concerts there, then to Indianapolis, and then to Kerrville, TX for the Kerrville Folk Festival. Brilliant routing for those following the geography.

Thursday May 12 ~ The Meadows Concerts, Sarasota FL

Friday May 13 ~ The Peacock Theater, Brooksville, FL
(Special Musical Guest - Jane Ross Fallon)

Saturday May 14 ~ Tarpon House Concerts, Tarpon Springs, FL

Sunday May 15 ~ UU Clearwater, FL

Sunday May 15 ~ LunaZoot Concerts, Tampa, FL

Saturday May 21 ~ The Indy Folk Series, Indianapolis, IN

Ticketing and RSVP info for most events may be found at: www.joejencks.com.

Summer Festivals and Camps where I will perform and teach include, Kerrville (TX), Old Songs (NY), SUUSI (NC), Goderich Celtic College and Goderich Celtic Roots Festival (ON), TradMad Week at the Pinewoods Camp (MA), and more!

It is marvelous to reconnect with old friends as I have been privileged to do these last few weeks. But I am again remembering the joy of making new friends, and the joy of the unanticipated connections that flow from being on the road.

I had a brief but emergent need for a dentist while in Asheville, NC. A random search by a friend for any practice with an available appointment led me to a particular office on the south side of Asheville. Much to my astonishment, their lead dental tech and I went to high school together in Rockford, IL. We chatted for some time about favorite teachers and memories of our home town. We did not know each other per se, but when you pass people in a hallway every day for a few years you do recognize one another. Small world. And that is my point. The unexpected graces and wonders that emerge in this big world as a result of being on the road again, continue to help me see and find hope in our interconnectedness.

And I hope to see you soon, somewhere!

In Gratitude and Song,

~ Joe