Inspired by Nature's beauty, power and fragility; from the grandeur of her mountains to the mystery of her oceans' depths. Imaginative music with a sensitivity that's gentle, yet strong. Fresh and original, yet timeless as the sea.
You'll enjoy IMAGINOCEAN if you enjoy; impressionist composer such as Debussy and Tournier; improvisers such as Keith Jarrett, George Winston or Liz Story.
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"Stephanie Bennett is a sensitive, imaginative musician. Her new release Imaginocean fully displays these qualities. A very beautiful, peaceful recording." - Paul Horn (award-winning flutist/ composer/ recording artist)
"A refreshingly different, joyful album of nature-inspired solo harp improvisations that are free-flowing delights... I welcome the free, exploring and expressive mood...Music from a watery heaven." THREE STARS (higest rating) - Heartsong Review
"Like Debussy's La Mer, 'Imaginocean' paints images of water and sea...Original songs that reflect Bennett's classical training, as well as her New Age musical style."-the Harp Column Magazine
Selections on Imaginocean: (Total time, 60 minutes)
1. THE WATER PLANET (9:23) a blue, green and purple mystery.
2. IF CATS COULD DANCE (5:09) I had meant to play a lullabye to my cats, but to my surprise, the music transformed itself in my imagination into a slow-motion feline ballet ! So I let it.
3. TROUBADOUR-MERMAID (4.36) a tribute to the old British and Celtic ballads that I love; an ode to the mythical creature I became in the cover photos.
4. SACRED CEREMONY (5:26) a cathedral's stained glass windows; a Native American ritual beneath the stars...
5. YES, THEY SMILED; YES (5:02) a joyous wedding scene.
6. IMAGINOCEAN (3:52) floating in the other-worldly space beneath the sea!
7. GOODBYE TOO SOON (12:12 ) a bittersweet story of love and loss, ends by choosing the peace that comes from happy memories.
8. TO THE ALPS (10:03) a wide-angle lens on the cloud-capped peaks, a macro lens on the new wildflowers of spring. Inspired by my solitary hikes there in spring '92.
9. ORPHAN, YOU'RE HOME NOW (3:04) Stylistically influenced by American folk guitar playing. A welcome to my two new kittens.
ABOUT THE PHOTO SESSION FOR Imaginocean
by Stephanie Bennett
Yes, it was really taken underwater! And those fish (back cover) were really there. No computer enhancement or superimposition was used. These were taken at Molokini Crater in Maui, Hawaii.
I designed and made my outfit, which is made of a filmy, iridescent cloth meant to suggest a fairy or mythical siren. I went to Maui and hired underwater photographer Ed Robinson. For the front cover, we suspended the harp on a float about 10 feet (3 meters) deep in the water, and Ed (in his scuba gear) waited underwater while I held my breath, swam down and posed at the harp, and swam back up to breathe.
For the back cover, we set the harp and chair on the ocean floor in about 35 feet (11 meters) of water. A tank of compressed air was placed to the side out of the picture, with a long hose connected to the regulator (mouthpiece/air-decompression apparatus). With 16 pounds of lead weights on a belt under my dress to keep me from floating away, I sat on the chair, taking breaths from the regulator and then hiding it under my leg while I held my breath and posed for the pictures.
The instrument that I actually played on this recording was a concert grand pedal harp, although the instrument that bravely gave its life for the sake of the underwater cover photo was a smaller, (less expensive) folk harp. May it rest in peace.
It was very quiet underwater, and I was thrilled when I could clearly hear the migrating humpback whales happily singing in the distance!
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