Playing for Change - Love the mission, love the videos

A little while ago, I learned about Playing for Change. This group, this mission, this music is truly internationally bound, uplifting, and moving. The mission of the PfC Foundation is "to connecting the world through music by providing resources to musicians and their communities around the world." The foundation does some great filming and mixing of musicians from around the world - to play "together" in completely new versions of well-known pieces of music.

These are some of my favorites (with their own video descriptions, when relevant):

La Tierra Del Olvido

This video features over 75 musicians across the country of Colombia. Throughout our journey we have learned that music is the greatest tool for healing broken countries, cultures and hearts. With this video we set our to unite and inspire the people of Colombia so they can move forward from years of conflict and create a positive future.

Higher Ground


One Love


Groove in G
I really love the international complementarity, cohesion, and channeling that these artists are doing; grooving with each over to completely extemporaneously derived and layered music that started with only a requirement of a key.

We started this track in West Africa with a musical group named Tinariwen. We asked them to play a groove in the key of G, then as we traveled the world we added more musicians to the song. Over the course of our travels it transformed into a global jam with its roots in the blues.

Imagine

In the beginning of 2010 the Playing For Change crew began work on a new Song Around the World, John Lennon's "Imagine." It has been an amazing year of production, taking the crew from the favelas of Brazil to the shrines of southern India, from villages in Nepal to the glittering urban landscape of Tokyo and New York, and beyond.

This song is the Playing For Change Foundation's gift to the world. The Playing For Change Foundation feels honored to have the blessing and generous support of Yoko Ono as music lovers around the world join together to launch the Power to the People campaign. The campaign seeks to advance John Lennon's vision of peace by engaging artists and audiences to contribute to music education programs worldwide. Proceeds raised will help build music schools, support teachers and music programs, purchase instruments, and connect schools for cross-cultural learning and conflict resolution across borders. Music IS the power: Power to the People.

Chanda Mama

This Song Around The World is a folk tune from Chennai, India. We started the track in New Orleans and added musicians from the across the globe before finally delivering it the people of its origin. We ended up in Chennai recording and filming the vocals from the Oneness Choir. The track has a feeling of perseverance and joy and features vocalists from four continents.

Don't Worry

From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes an incredible track written by Pierre Minetti performed by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it traveled the globe. "Don't Worry" is the follow up to the classic "Stand By Me" and the second of many "songs around the world" released on the "Songs Around The World" CD/DVD in stores now everywhere.

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and finally, my favorite song Stand by Me


If you like this foundation - the music or the mission - then check out their page (playingforchange.com) or their YouTube channel.