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Artist
“My mom had a profound effect on me, teaching me about art, introducing me to many artists, taking me to galleries and analyzing paintings. When she developed dementia, she reached a point where we couldn't talk anymore, so I would go and play guitar for her and kiss her forehead. She liked that – still does. She played these songs for me when I was young, and now I do it for her.” – Eric Garcia Songs for Shifra is a world of memories. As Shifra Goldman lies in a hospital bed in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease, her memories and ability to communicate are almost completely gone. Her son, veteran L.A.-area musician and recording engineer Eric Garcia, visits every day with his guitar and plays the music that connects Shifra back to her life. After many of their visits, Eric would record vignettes he had explored while telling his mother “musical stories." The result is Songs for Shifra – a work of love. Garcia's rich instrumental interpretations tell the story of a son’s devotion to his mother and their shared love of music. Shifra met Eric’s father through her involvement with the early farm-workers and civil-rights movements in the '50s. John Garcia taught her how to play guitar. He would perform traditional Mexican songs alongside her political protest anthems. After Eric was born, his father disappeared south of the border and was never seen again. Meanwhile, Shifra went on to become a world-renowned expert in Latin American art history and a vocal supporter of