Telatta Jo

The name "Telatta Jo" imagines a playful Southern pronunciation of the Greek word for the sea, "Thalassa", and pairs it with “Jo”, I grew up knowing as an Irish nickname short for “joy of my life.” 

Its name and spirit are inspired by the surviving crowd of the 10,000, who roared “Thalatta! Thalatta!” with joy upon a glimpse of the waters of the Black Sea. "Telatta Hey! Telatta Jo!" is an expression that attempts to capture voices singing out “I see the water” in joy and in relief, knowing you will make it home after a hard adventure to find yourself no longer lost in the desert. For many of us, water means safety, home, life itself.

That feeling is the heart of The Telatta Jo Project. The rising excitement and sustained release of daring to do something that makes you feel alive. Telatta Jo lyrics explore faith, mysticism, doubt, love, and everyday life. 

In modern terms, Telatta Jo is an authorithmic folk project blending human-written lyricism with generative musical production.