nashville recap

i spent the last five days in nashville with elizabeth cunningham participating in the production of her first recorded project, MaevenSong. what a breathtaking experience. i will try to break down the reasons why, but something far beyond verbalization happened on this trip...so bear with me.

from a creative standpoint, this is the experience i have to have when recording. it gave me a template once again. making this album with elizabeth, i experienced what i have always wanted to experience in recording and never have. the entire process was a joy. it was spiritual, it was emotional, it was full of comaradarie, creativity and improvisation.

i've made three albums and let me say, it is rare to be able to record an album in a month, let alone three days. we were pretty much finished with the album after two days. we spent the third day doing a few harmonies and adding percussion, but the synergy was such between everyone involved that we moved at incredible speed.

the songs are all derived from elizabeth's novels, 'the maeve chronicles', and hearing these songs birthed in this sense was an amazing experience.

one of my favorite moments was hearing elizabeth begin 'miriam's lament' during our arranging session and realizing that it was a preach...and calling my son, ron, to come and play it with her, but completely improvised...and watching elizabeth manifest the character as she recorded. it was spellbinding. it was chilling. it ended with us in tears and realizing how special what had just happened was.

on day two, we recorded the prologue and as elizabeth spoke the words, with ron's accompaniment, i went back to being in my room last june and reading those words for the first time. it was surreal hearing them spoken by her, just a few blocks from the room that i read them in...in the city where i lived the heartbreak. i understood, even more, in that moment, why it all had to happen and experienced an overwhelming moment of healing and realization of purpose.

i did get to see so many of my family while i was there. i realized how much i really do love this city that i couldn't wait to get out of. a city that i had to leave to be able to do what i am doing now. but i felt the city in my bones for the first time and realized that no matter where i am, i belong to it.

love to toya, midori, lenny, mike, mama, destiny, crystal, pamelita, jerry, and anybody else i am forgetting to mention on this journey.

elizabeth--thank you for entrusting me to be a part of this and for all that you are to my life. i'm so, so grateful for this experience. u have once again changed my life. the combrogos love you.