From the documentary Playing for Change: Peace Through Music comes this extraordinary international collaboration on the song "Stand By Me."
It stopped me dead.
What, me? Teary? Yes.
I first heard this on the interview with Mark Johnson, the film's producer, on Bill Moyers Journal. In the Moyers interview, Johnson tells the story behind this particular song--how they built it among musicians who didn't know each other, from all over the world, all types of backgrounds.
They go on to talk about the film, music, and what resonates in people, punctuated, of course, by remarkable songs. Johnson also discusses how this project of his expanded beyond being "just" a movie or a soundtrack--it is also now a foundation that builds and connects music and art schools around the world, as well as an extended creative community.
His premise is right: music connects people like nothing--nothing--else does. Even the notoriously vicious commenters on YouTube were turned grateful and joyous in response to "Stand By Me" and other Playing for Change videos.
Why stop? What follows is the extended trailer for Playing for Change and, in another collaboration, a lovely, calmly happy, many-voiced version of "One Love" that rings (sings?) in my mind.
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