MUSIC. MEMORY. AND THE BRAIN.
A new album by Jonathan Hoehn & Greg Nelson with Chesney Street Project
Born from friendship, live performance, and two very different encounters with the human brain, If I Only Had a Brain brings Jonathan Hoehn, Greg Nelson and Chesney Street Project together for a deeply personal collection of jazz, standards and reimagined favorites.
THE STORY
A friendship, two neurological journeys, and the music that brought them together.
THE SESSIONS
Recorded with Chesney Street Project at Mighty Fine Productions in Denver.
THE FILM
An album created alongside the documentary If I Only Had a Brain.
THE STORY
Music brought Jonathan Hoehn and Greg Nelson together long before either expected the brain itself to become part of their story.
After a 2022 stroke left Jonathan navigating an acquired brain injury, music became a central part of rebuilding his life. Greg, a pianist and longtime friend, has continued to make music while living with Alzheimer’s disease.
If I Only Had a Brain grew from that intersection — friendship, resilience, humor, and the extraordinary power of music to connect us even when the brain changes. What began onstage became a documentary, and now an album.
THE SESSIONS
In September 2026, Chesney Street Project gathered at Mighty Fine Productions in Denver to begin turning the music of If I Only Had a Brain into a full album. Recorded by engineer Colin Bricker, the sessions brought the ensemble together in the room — capturing the warmth, spontaneity and interaction that define the CSP sound.
MIGHTY FINE PRODUCTIONS
The Denver studio became home base for the album’s primary recording sessions.
RECORDED BY COLIN BRICKER
The sessions were engineered by Colin Bricker, capturing CSP as a live ensemble while preserving the detail and intimacy of each performance.
STUDIO + LIVE
The finished album will combine studio recordings with selected performances by Jonathan and Greg from their June 12 concert — including the energy and response of the live audience.
THE PLAYERS
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Dave Darlington
MIXING & MASTERING
Dave Darlington will bring the individual studio and live performances together into the finished sound of If I Only Had a Brain — mixing and mastering the album as a single, cohesive musical experience.
A GRAMMY-WINNING EAR
A Grammy-winning engineer with decades of experience across jazz and countless other styles, Dave has mixed and mastered recordings for some of the most celebrated artists and ensembles in contemporary music.
THE FINAL SOUND
From the intimacy of Greg’s piano to the warmth of the ensemble, the energy of the June 12 audience, and every detail in between, Dave’s work is where the performances become the record.
THE FILM
If I Only Had a Brain is a short documentary about friendship, music, and two very different experiences with the human brain. It follows Jonathan Hoehn, whose life changed after a 2022 stroke and acquired brain injury, and pianist Greg Nelson, who continues to make music while living with Alzheimer’s disease.
At the center of the film is their June 12 performance together — a concert that became much more than a single evening of music. Through rehearsal, performance, conversation, and humor, the documentary explores the role music can play in memory, identity, resilience, and connection.
That evening also became the beginning of something larger. The music captured in the film ultimately inspired the companion album If I Only Had a Brain, allowing the story to continue not only on screen, but through the recordings themselves.
THE DOCUMENTARY
The story behind the music.
ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT
Currently submitted to selected film festivals.
MUSIC BECOMES THE ALBUM
The performances captured in the film helped inspire the companion album.