California-born woodwind player Jordan Ferrin spent years traveling the world as a cruise ship musician. His worldly experiences inspired The Jordan Ferrin Storyband, a project that combines melodic-groove jazz and live storytelling into an experience greater than the music and stories alone. The debut album Tales of Transcendence was released in March 2022, accompanied by the Storyband Travel Blog, dedicated to the full stories behind every piece of music recorded by the group.

Jordan lived in London, UK between 2018 and 2020. The pandemic upended his plans, requiring him to move back to California. He currently works as a freelance performer, educator, composer/arranger, and music-education researcher in Southern California. He has performed with Grammy-nominated guitarist Will Brahm, Grammy-nominated vocalist Josie James, vocalist Frieda Lee, the Marlonius Jazz Orchestra, vocalist Anthony Bernasconi, and electro-jazz artist Vatomico. He is a teaching artist with the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, and has performed at venues including The Baked Potato in Los Angeles, Campus Jaz in Newport Beach, and Kansas Smittty’s in London. He is also a published researcher whose work in music cognition and music meaning can be found in the peer-reviewed journal Jazz Education in Research and Practice, Vol. 4.

Through his music, teaching, and the lessons of his travels, Jordan’s mission is to foster unity and compassion with and between his audiences, students, and colleagues throughout the world.

Photographer: Sandro Razciel