Sean Donnelly A Testimony

Dot Time Records is thrilled to announce the August 23, 2024 release of My Ideal, a breathtaking new album from acclaimed GRAMMY®-nominated vocalist Catherine Russell and prodigious pianist Sean Mason. This modern classic marks a significant milestone in both artists' careers, capturing a powerful and intimate musical dialogue. My Ideal is a very special project even in the very rarified strata where Catherine works; this is not only her first complete set of voice-and-piano duets, but her partner on this project is a remarkable piano prodigy whose technical skill is only rivaled by his soulfulness.

New York drummer Sean Noonan’s suite for amplified/unamplified string quartet and drum set combines the aesthetics of downtown jazz/rock and improv with composition inspired by American experimentalists such as Cowell, Nancarrow and Zorn. At any particular moment, rock grooves might be locking with insistent string ostinatos, which then morphs into spiky counterpoint reminiscent of Bartok. Delicate-harsh writing for the quartet is woven around Sean’s eclectic, lyrical drumming in a highly original fusion. The music also represents an original story by Noonan, an absurd, Beckett-influenced tale about an Irish gambler who one day finds himself immured inside a wall (excerpts of the story are included in the booklet, and a 30 minute silent film adaptation will be premiered later this year). Audiophile recording makes the most of the music’s varied textures and stark contrasts.

A Wish, like a hope or a dream, whether simple or complex, is always personal. Yet the wishes of two artists can be expressed in one creative project like this one by Karen Oberlin and Sean Harkness. Karen had wished for years to make a duo recording with only guitar and vocals, and she found the ideal partner in Sean. When they first played together, spontaneously in an impromptu performance, they both knew they had to make an album together, or that became their great, mutual wish. Kitty Skrobela of Miranda Music, as is her way, made their dream come to life, their hope become reality, their wish come true.

A Testimony to Courage vividly describes the threat under which not just the soldiers but their families also had to live, and records the murders of some of the 197 members killed as a result of terrorist attack.

American composer Sean Hickey's three-movement concerto for recorders, winds, brass and percussion, 'A Pacifying Weapon'. Composed as a response to recent, turbulent events, Hickey sought to convey the idea of a 'tool or instrument that was capable of providing an instant and irreversible peace.' In turning to the recorder, 'an ancient instrument passed down unchanged through the years', Hickey invoked many aspects of the ancient instrument's personality, from the bucolic, the melancholic and even the militant. An extensive percussion battery enjoys second-billing in Hickey's score, adding both drama and providing an effective foil for the recorder's solo displays.

The author presents a detailed study of the Book of Revelation emphasizing prophetic themes from the rest of the Bible which find their fulfillment in Revelation. To understand this controversial book, the author explores the many connections between the visions seen by the Apostle John and previous prophetic revelation given to Old Testament prophets such as Daniel, Ezekiel, and others.

The author presents a detailed study of the Book of Revelation emphasizing prophetic themes from the rest of the Bible which find their fulfillment in Revelation. To understand this controversial book, the author explores the many connections between the visions seen by the Apostle John and previous prophetic revelation given to Old Testament prophets such as Daniel, Ezekiel, and others.