Elisabeth Valletti

Jamaïca Farewell

Non Ti Ho Mai Detto

“Non Ti Ho Mai Detto” is a Love Song, a short and simple ballad I wrote in Italian . It was originally arranged for harp, but when the great accordion player Riccardo Tesi passed by the studio and improvised around the theme we found it so inspiring that we recorded him. And forgot about the harp version.
Elisabeth Valletti

Like ‘The Age of Trees’ (released in October 2020), ‘Non Ti Ho Mai Detto’ is another recovered song from the recording sessions of Elisabeth Valletti’s album ‘Innocenti’. There must have been a good reason why it was left out of the final choice but no one can clearly remember. And now it is here, almost 30 years later, an emotional gem dusted off by a first-class mastering (thank you DBF).

Non Ti Ho Mai Detto

Non ti ho mai detto
Che ti voglio tanto bene
E che ti aspettero
Fin che il mare mi ragguinga

words & music Elisabeth Valletti / ©Taktic Music & © control

The Age Of Trees 1991

(from Elisabeth Valletti’s scrapbook)

Fiddling around with the various sound treatment racks at the studio, we get this awesome organ- like sound coming out of “The Blue” (as Camac named their first electric concert harp). Handing me a poem he had just written down, Jean-Michel asks me – just for fun – to try it as a song. Coincidently, a harmonic suite I had in mind was perfect for the organ sound and was put down to tape. I then recorded the lead vocal in a single take while holding the poem in my hand. No thinking, no hesitations, as if the melody was naturally calling my voice to sing it.

Note from the producer : Often, for a valid reason, at the time of deciding on the songs that will make it on the album, some songs are left aside and don’t make the final cut. They are doomed to be forgotten. Years later, a tape might resurface from the vaults, and upon listening to it, you can’t help but wonder why this particular song was left out. You have no answers, just a blurred memory and a song once in your hands; this time, ready for release.

The Age of Trees

The age of trees
The age of forests and of woods
The age of trees
Who can tell you and me the truth?
Who can tell you and me the truth?

About the age
The very age
The mysterious design of lines meeting
As they go ‘round in a circle
The mysterious age of the trees
How old my leaves and how old yours?

We’ve been forests me and you
We’ve been forests together
We’ve been forests together

Ageless designs in the open trunks
Into each atom of our bones
Into the soul of our heart
Feel the message in the stones
On which you walk upon
You’re dancing your life on ancient love

Guessing the age
The very age of trees
Of forests and of roots
Of hearts and bones
We’ve been forests
We’ve been forests
Long before we knew we were
Mysteriously growing
We are
We are
We are
We’ve been forest
We’ve been long before we knew we were
Mysteriously growing
We are

The age of trees
The age of forests and of roots
The age of trees
Who can tell you and me the truth?
About the age

We’ve been forests me and you
We’ve been forests together
We’ve been forests together
My love

Jm Reusser/Elisabeth Valletti
© Takticmusic