Origins of This Album:
Beginnings
When I first held my newborn son in my arms, I had the sort of palpable image-experience that causes people to join sects of believers-in-weird-things.
I was seeing, thinking, occupying an image of the pulse of his birth pushing up a gigantic plume of water representing new life. This pulse, in the center of the vast ocean of life, pushed all adjacent water toward the shores where the last waves broke and sunk into the sand, returning the water to the cyclical life-and- death process. Indescribable sounds accompanied the image. It was daytime and I was fully awake. I felt pushed a little closer to shore.
I made sure that my new playmate-in-sound got to hear everything I heard and liked. His sister heard everything while in the womb and was happy to tail along as his mother and I delighted in David’s blossoming into a fine musician.
Then, one day, Zoe started to sing. Now, music permeates Ellis family culture. I’m happy to include something from everyone on this album.
The album itself is a happenstance. When I had my granddaughter, Bella, put the song “Eliza” up on YouTube, David added the note “From the album Songs From My Garden, coming Fall 2019.” I thought, “there’s an idea.” Why not? It’s Summer of 2021, but here’s the album.
-Russ Ellis
