Sean Harkness, Marcus Simeone - Blue (2017)

This record came about through a magical collaboration of artists sharing their lives and their gifts. Now in a way it's a living being in its own right.

After many a Marcus Simeone album with Sean Harkness in the band, Marcus and Sean had long been thinking about working together, just the two of them. Finally, to make it happen, they set up a series of dates in the intimate "brick room" at Don't Tell Mama, New York's iconic cabaret. Then life handed yet another blow to the already beleaguered Marcus: Greg Kennell, his great love and spirit husband, died after a years-long battle with unimaginable physical troubles. Stunned at losing what felt like his reason for living, Marcus contemplated retiring into darkness. But his beautiful throng of friends gathered to hold him up and pull him back into the light. And there was still music. And there were those dates at Don't Tell Mama... Should they keep them? The world said "Yes."

Did Marcus turn to Lina Koutrakos, that gift of music, love and authenticity, or did she reach out to him? It doesn't matter. Marcus, usually fiercely independent, trusted himself into Lina's caring and capable hands, and together with Sean they created this work. Opening night came and the room buzzed. How would it be? It was all honesty: Marcus's grudging admission that he is often said to over-share; the stories of loss; the hope of music. You could see the joy crackling in the air as Sean brought the house down with his first solo. The room exploded with laughter, tears, love and joy. Inevitably somehow, Lina stepped up on stage for the encore, to join them in "I Can See Clearly Now" – the harmonies ringing out.

Kitty Skrobela exclaimed on her way out, "I'm calling the studio tomorrow," thus ending a long period of inactivity for Miranda Music. There are some things that just have to be done. You have to find a way.

Drawn from a rich recording past and hopeful plans for the future, songs were added that weren't in the show, filling the space left by the absence of the spoken words, opening the spirit of Lina to be heard here, as it was felt in her words written for the text of the show. You now hold in your hands the product of a remarkable collaboration of these artists with Nik Chinboukas, the recording and mixing engineer at Spin Music Studios; the deft hand of mastering engineer Roger Lian; and last but not least Frank Dain, the citizen of the village who with his brush quietly finished the hat.