Playing for Change captivates

By: Jay Minkin
Date: 10/19/2009
Can one man and one musician create a movement that spreads a message to millions around the globe? The answer can be found on Friday, October 30, as the Beachland Ballroom will be presenting Playing For Change , at the Masonic Temple Auditorium, located at 3615 Euclid Avenue.  Please note this show has been moved to the club's ballroom instead of the previously announced Masonic Temple Auditorium.

The idea came from Grammy award-winning producer/engineer/filmmaker Mark Johnson who captured a performance of “Stand By Me” by street blues musician Rodger Ridley on the pier in Santa Monica, California. Johnson next took the tape to New Orleans to add backing vocals by Grandpa Elliott and continued to travel the world recording and filming over 100 musicians—creating a new mix of artists performing together though thousands of miles apart. 

Having been viewed on the internet more than 30 million times, the Playing For Change “Stand By Me” video has become an unlikely cultural phenomenon. A CD/DVD Playing For Change-Songs Around The World was released in April, sold over 26,000 copies in the first week and ranked 10th on Billboard’s “Top 200” list.
 
ABC News anointed Johnson and the musicians as their “Persons of The Week.” They’ve also been profiled on such programs as NPR’s Morning Edition, CBS News Sunday Morning, and Bill Moyer’s Journal, on PBS. The band has performed on The Tonight Show twice in the past four months.    

Some of the musicians performing will include: Grandpa Elliott on vocals and harmonica, singers Clarence Bekker (Amsterdam) and Tai Ben Ari “Tula” (Tel Aviv), Mermans Kenkosenki (Congo) on congas, guitarists Louis Mhlanga (Zimbabwe) and Jason Tamba (Congo), Reggie McBride (Detroit) on bass, drummer Peter Bunetta (Los Angeles), and Mohammed Alidu (Ghana) on djembe. 

Tickets for the Cleveland show are $32ADV/$35DOS via TicketWeb.com or at the door.  United in purpose on a single stage, this presentation hopes to break down boundaries and overcome distance between people as music sometimes holds the universal power to transcend, unite…and touch us.

Reach Jay at blues4bird@aol.com.

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