ELLEN JOHNSON, Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey

For listeners who have followed Ellen Johnson’s multifaceted career as a jazz vocalist, educator, author, journalist and advocate for the transformative power of music, Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey may initially seem like a dramatic left turn.

Yet the deeper one immerses in this ambitious five-part exploration of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether, the more apparent it becomes that Ellen has not departed from her life’s work and musical/spiritual mission at all. Rather, she has arrived at a point where seemingly disparate passions that have guided her for decades—jazz improvisation, vocal experimentation, sound healing, neuroscience, creativity, spirituality and storytelling—have artfully converged into a singular impactful artistic statement. The result is not merely a five-track EP but a multi-dimensional sonic experience that feels like the culmination of a lifetime spent exploring the many ways music can move, inspire, comfort and transform us.

Born and raised in Chicago, Ellen’s artistic path has rarely followed a conventional trajectory. Before emerging as an internationally respected jazz vocalist whose recordings earned praise from DownBeat, Jazz Journal International and All About Jazz, she found powerful outlets for self-expression in acting, classical voice studies and songwriting.

Over the years, she built an impressive resume as a performer, educator, author and publicist, collaborating with artists ranging from David Sanborn and Charles McPherson to Bobby McFerrin and Mark Egan while simultaneously developing a deep interest in the relationship between sound and human consciousness. Ellen also wrote Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan, the first complete biography of the iconic jazz vocalist, published in 2014.   

Long before sound healing and neuroacoustics became fashionable topics, Ellen was studying their seemingly infinite possibilities, searching for connections between artistic expression, emotional well-being and personal transformation. Looking back, she sees Elemental Essence less a departure than a meaningful return to a realm that has always been part of her creative DNA.

“I think instead of going somewhere else, I’m coming back to myself,” she says. “I’ve always been interested in consciousness and how music affects people. As a little girl, I watched my mother dealing with difficult times by sitting down at the piano and singing. Afterwards she was always lighter and more joyful. Even back then, I understood that music possessed profound power. All these interests—music, healing, creativity and consciousness—have always been there. The timing was finally right for all of them to come together.”

What ultimately propelled the project from concept to reality was an intensely personal period marked by loss, upheaval and the painful unraveling of a future she believed was secure. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her, Ellen turned toward the creative tools that had sustained her throughout her life. Music became both refuge and compass.

The first composition she wrote, “Amphitrite’s Longing,” emerged before she realized she was creating a larger work. Only later did she recognize that each piece corresponded naturally to one of the five elements and reflected different stages of her own process of rebuilding. The completed project evolved alongside her healing journey, eventually incorporating brainwave entrainment technologies developed in collaboration with Shea Thompson of Scientific Sounds, whose father, Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, is considered one of the pioneers of neuroacoustic research.

While Ellen’s co-recording engineer Jason Martineau did the mixing, the final mix and mastering on Elemental Essence, Shea did the final mix and mastering. Those interested in delving further into the process should check out the Hodge Pod podcast Brainwaves and the Five Elements: The Story Behind Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCY4vAGIY2s

Despite the sophisticated science woven into its architecture, Elemental Essence never feels clinical or academic; the technology serves the artistic vision rather than the other way around. The opening piece “Roots Beneath the Horizon” immediately establishes Ellen’s expansive creative palette. Built around didgeridoo, tribal percussion, animal calls, ambient textures and hypnotic rhythmic patterns, the Earth-themed piece unfolds like a cinematic ritual that connects ancient traditions with contemporary sound design. Bird calls mingle with mysterious sonic textures. Rhythms emerge and recede. Atmospheric layers create a sense of movement through both physical and psychological landscapes.

What makes the piece especially compelling is its refusal to choose between accessibility and experimentation. Even amid its unusual collection of sounds, Ellen demonstrates a keen composer’s instinct for melody, momentum and narrative direction. The result is simultaneously grounding and provocative, inviting listeners into unfamiliar territory while providing enough musical structure to keep them engaged.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEhz9UOyEes&list=RDoEhz9UOyEes&start_radio=1

If Earth represents grounding, the aforementioned “Amphitrite’s Longing” – presented as the second track on the EP - embodies flow. Named after the Greek goddess of the sea, the Water movement surrounds the listener with rushing streams, subtle bird calls, shimmering electronic textures and Ellen’s remarkable wordless vocals, which drift through the composition like currents moving beneath the ocean’s surface.

One of the album’s most fascinating dimensions is the way Ellen employs her voice not merely as a singer but as an entire ecosystem of sounds. Throughout the recording, she creates dolphins, whales, birds, wind currents and other natural elements using only her vocal instrument. The approach may surprise listeners familiar with her jazz recordings, yet it grows organically from her long-standing fascination with improvisation and vocal freedom. “Jazz gave me the freedom to combine all these things,” she explains. “I’ve always been interested in expression beyond traditional singing. Even years ago, I would tell musicians, ‘Let’s create something out of nothing.’ On the water piece, the dolphins, whales and seagulls are all my voice. I have a unique whistle register, and I’ve always loved exploring those sounds. They became part of the element itself.”

That adventurous spirit reaches an exhilarating peak on “Sirius Spirit,” the album’s Fire movement. Driven by tribal percussion, swirling vocal choirs, pulsating synthesizer motifs and a steadily intensifying rhythmic energy, the piece captures both the destructive and regenerative dimensions traditionally associated with fire. There is a celebratory quality coursing through the track, but beneath the exuberance lies a deeper symbolism connected to Ellen’s own experience of transformation. Fire, after all, destroys what no longer serves us while creating space for something new to emerge. Ellen embraced that duality both musically and personally.

“Fire can burn things away, but it also creates something else,” she says. “At the end of the track there is a sound that becomes smoke and moves into air. It’s transformation. There’s a joyousness in that piece because it’s about moving through something difficult and becoming something different along the way.”

The final two movements, “Where the Wind Dreams” and “Threads Between the Stars,” complete the elemental journey with grace and imagination. Air unfolds through breathy vocal textures, flute-like passages, wind chimes and spacious ambient layers that create a sensation of release after the intensity of Fire. Ether expands even further, utilizing crystal singing bowls, shimmering chimes and evolving atmospheric textures to evoke mystery, transcendence and interconnectedness.

While the album incorporates carefully calibrated frequencies designed to guide listeners through different neurological states—from grounding theta waves to expanded gamma frequencies—the music never feels subordinate to its scientific framework. Ellen’s gift lies in her ability to transform technical concepts into deeply resonant human experiences. The listener need not understand anything about brainwave entrainment to appreciate the beauty, curiosity and sense of wonder embedded within these compositions.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Elemental Essence is the way it synthesizes so many dimensions of Ellen’s life without feeling fragmented. Her background as a jazz improviser informs the spontaneity of the performances. Drawing from her many years as an educator allows her to contribute intellectual rigor, while her research into sound healing provides conceptual depth and her experience as a storyteller and journalist shapes the project’s narrative arc.

Most importantly, her willingness to transform personal hardship into creative expression gives the album its heartfelt authenticity. Looking back on the process, Ellen has little doubt that this music became an essential companion during one of the most challenging periods of her life. “I’m certain the music helped me process and had an effect on my journey out of the dark night of the soul,” she reflects. “ There wasn’t a lot of support except for some friends and family members. Music became therapy for me. What helped me was creating it. My hope is that it might help others simply by experiencing it.”

Ultimately, Elemental Essence: A Neurosonic Journey succeeds because it functions simultaneously as personal testimony, artistic exploration and invitation. Whether listeners approach it through the lens of ambient music, meditation, neuroscience, vocal experimentation or simple curiosity, Ellen offers a doorway into a world where sound becomes both expression and discovery. In an era increasingly defined by distraction and fragmentation, it’s refreshing to experience an artist willing to slow down, listen deeply and create from a place of genuine purpose.

Asked what she hoped listeners would carry with them after completing the journey, her answer felt like the perfect summation of both the album and the philosophy behind it: “Ideally, I would like people’s consciousness to be raised. I want people to be more mindful, kind, compassionate and empathetic. If this music can bring someone to that state of mind—more self-awareness, more reflection, more connection—then that’s my ultimate intention. It surprised me to discover that there are more powerful resources within us and around us than we realize. Collaboration, kindness, friendship and creativity helped carry me through. If this project can help someone reconnect with those qualities within themselves, even for a few moments, then it has fulfilled its purpose. And if they simply enjoy the journey, that’s a beautiful thing too.”