Visions
From
Silver
Bay
Visions From Silver Bay is Jonah Horton’s recorded debut into the mandolin scene, and rather than appearing alongside traditional bluegrass accompaniment, he leads a jazz quartet consisting of Nathaniel Gilmore on drums, Holland Majors on piano, and Lois Majors on bass. Recorded in complete, live takes over a two-day stint in Davidson College’s Tyler-Tallman Hall, this album portrays the acoustic mandolin from an entirely fresh perspective. Each of Jonah’s six compositions on the project create layered atmospheres that capture emotional subtleties in a way that only live performances can. However, the culmination of the album’s emotional nuance is perhaps in its single cover: Joni Mitchell’s Christmas classic “River”, which happened to be the final take of the session that fittingly took place on December 21-22, 2025.
Three expert engineers carefully polished the music into its final form with David “Peabody” Spiers capturing the live session, Nathan Zwald mixing it, and the legendary Bernie Grundman overseeing the mastering for streaming, vinyl, and CD release. In addition to this world-class audio treatment, the live sessions were captured on film and have been edited into videos featuring hand-drawn animations by cinematographer Sullivan Perry. These videos will be released on Jonah’s YouTube channel in the weeks following the initial album drop, and will culminate in a long-form video of all seven performances from the album.
This project is the fruit of a year of composing, rehearsing, and planning and was entirely selffunded by Jonah on a budget that could have purchased a new car. Being an independent artist is difficult enough, but the modern institutions of instant streaming and generative AI have made it almost impossible for independent artists to survive. So if you have enjoyed this music or would like to see the continued creation of independent artistic endeavors, please consider supporting this music by purchasing a CD or vinyl from the online store. Every part of this project was imagined, created, and crafted by humans across many professional fields. Musicians, engineers, photographers, editors, graphic designers, manufacturing workers, and cinematographers all put their unique touch on this product. So if you want to join in the fight to preserve the human touch in art, please consider supporting this project, or another independent artist’s project, by purchasing merchandise.
“In a world that seems to value perfection over authenticity, this project is an attempt to capture the increasingly rare experience of humans communicating emotion through improvisation. Grounded in the jazz tradition of recording music in live, complete takes, this album aims to expand the acoustic mandolin beyond its folk roots into a viable leader of a jazz combo. The title Visions From Silver Bay comes from a fortuitous tour stop in Silver Bay, NY in September of 2025 where I was privileged to spend a day in the Adirondacks and ultimately decided to record this album. Typically, my compositions are inspired by visions from my inner world, and that day in Silver Bay, I began to choose the music for this project based on the scenes that resonated with me most. In the same way, I hope this music will underscore the beautiful visions already inside each listener.” - Jonah
Special thanks to the following people for their outstanding contributions to this project as well as their constant friendship, love, and guidance both professionally and personally: Jens Krüger, Mike Orlando, Eric Keith, Nathaniel Gilmore, Lois Majors, Holland Majors, David “Peabody” Spiers, Edan Aldridge, Nathan Zwald, Dr. Abby Edwards, Alex Edwards, Mark and Laura Horton, Les and Marylin Fowler, David and Theresa Nuttall, Kelley Gardner, Sullivan Perry, Davidson College, and Evans Custom Amplifiers.
Credits:
§ Jonah Horton – mandolin
§ Nathaniel Gilmore – drums
§ Lois Majors – bass
§ Holland Majors – piano
§ Produced and arranged by Jonah Horton
§ All songs written by Jonah Horton except “River” written by Joni Mitchell
§ Recorded by David “Peabody” Spiers at Tyler Tallman Hall, Davidson College, NC – December 21-22, 2025
§ Mixed by Nathan Zwald
§ Mastered by Bernie Grundman
§ Session Assistant – Edan Aldridge
§ Photography by Kendyl Brown
§ Photo editing by Kimberlyn Pickens
§ Design by Jamie Breiwick, B Side Graphics
§ Video editing and animation by Sullivan Perry