PANTA Issue 4

Page 89

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Songs Around The World Albums Our albums of Songs Around The World each take roughly two years to produce. Our most recent one, PFC3, features 185 musicians from 31 different countries! Released in June 2014, the album includes performances from Keith Richards, Andrés Calamaro, Toots Hibbert from Toots & The Maytals, Cesar Rosas and David Hidalgo from Los Lobos, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Keb’ Mo’, and Taj Mahal. Additionally, one of the songs was produced by Jackson Browne, who says that traveling and filming with PFC was “one of the most gratifying and stimulating experiences of [his] life.” The Playing For Change Band Throughout our travels, we have met some unbelievably talented musicians, many of whom were performing mainly on the streets. We decided their voices and talents needed to be heard, and who better to represent this movement than them? The PFC Band consists of 11 musicians from 8 different countries. They serve as an example of what happens when the world transcends its differences and creates music together. As Congolese PFC Band member Mermans Kenkosenki explains, “there are people who play music for the fame, for money, and there are people who play for the love of it.” This band brings that love from the streets, to the stage, and to the hearts of the people. Playing For Change Foundation The musicians and the communities we visit invite us in their homes, play us their music and share their stories with us. At the start, we asked the people how we could give back and leave the communities better than we found them. This is why we started the Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF), a separate 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to creating positive change through music and arts education. PFCF has since begun nine music schools and programs throughout Africa and Asia. The programs include free classes in dance, instruments, languages and musical theory, all taught by local qualified teachers. Keb’ Mo’ once said to us, “the important thing in life is to create inspiration and let it take care of itself…” We believe this is the case with the Foundation. Perhaps one of our students in Gugulethu, South Africa could have gone on


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