It's a clip from a film, Playing for Change: Peace Through Music. Still trying to find out if it's been released and part of a cd/dvd package or is going to be. In fact, its wiki entry was deleted for this very reason.
Playing for Change seems to of started out with two guys traveling around the world recording primarily street artist with studio-quality equipment. They seem to have formed sponsored some charity performances with some of the musicians as well and have invested in helping communities with humanitarian projects.
As Mark Johnson explains in one video:
Playing for Change was born out of the idea that we have to inspire each other to come together as a human race and that music is the best way to do this...
the belief that we can do a lot more for this world if we work together, than we ever can apart.
The music is not going to bring about unification, or transcend our differences. I've seen and have participated in fetishizing music personally. Don't get me wrong, music is an important part of our human experience and is extremely powerful and transformative. The philosophy confuses though divisive surface issues for an underlying orientation to one another which is at stake.
We use anything and everything to pit ourselves against one another, including music. And sound-byte documentation of the potential and hope for music isn't a realistic response to this situation. This obviously doesn't mean we should mire ourselves in cynicism either, and that either/or seems to be what many people flip back-and-forth on. This project is doing amazing things, collaborating with organizations helping refugee relief to African arts development. Mark Johnson is producing and orchestrating something beautiful. And their project is a worthwhile project. Let's not get melodramatic though and attach a false sense of hope to it. Inspirational definitely, indeed music can allow us to see what it means to be more fully human and commit to that endeavor. That's doesn't then equate to world peace. I'm willing to bet humanity has probably been making music for longer than governments, the mentioned religious divisions, etc have existed. We need to look the underlying spirit of such sentiments and our problems, especially the nihilistic ones, in the face.
Thus far it seems they've posted 4 other similar music vids online.
- "War/No More Trouble"
- "One Love"
- "Don't Worry"
- "Chanda Mama" (Looks like they finished this one after I started the post. Thank you phone interruptions.)
They've also included a few live projects and a few missional ones. They're doing some kind of web episodes, but I've found they're easier to download on Vimeo or facebook than the main site.
The music is amazing, fusing different instrumentation and performative styles together. It's unique and highly eclectic. Despite distances around the world, the performers are having the opportunity to come together in the music, which will I'm guessing soon be more explicitly commented on in reference to the mission stance of the organization. The ones produced thus far have been uplifting and urge bonding together, lyrically and musically. As you notice musicians with headphones I believe they're hearing a base line and some other instrument (Roger Ridley?) with which they're rhythmically playing along with, hence the ability to play in unison though they're miles apart and have never met the other musicians or played with them. It started with Roger Ridley (here's him playing "Bring It On Home"), and asking if they could record his version of "Stand By Me".
Since then though, some of the musicians have been touring with each other as previously stated:
A Joni Mitchel cover by them.
PBS coverage
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