It feels very synchronistic that the weekend after I finished mastering our first CD in the Yoga Revolution CD series, five artists associated with the project appeared live in different settings in Los Angeles. Devotional singers Guru Singh (will be on the CD with special guest Seal) and Snatam Kaur (one of most angelic voices on the scene – performs a beautiful Irish folk song) appeared together in Huntington Beach on Friday.  Reggae icon Ziggy Marley (featured on an acoustic version of “Love is My Religion”) appeared at the Nokia Theatre with the Playing for Change Band.  Deva Premal (appears on a great remix of “Om Tare Tutare”) and David Newman (aka: Durga Das -songwriter for my remix of “Bathe In these Waters” performed by Donna De Lory) both performed in Santa Monica on Saturday night.  I had a chance to see the shows and meet up with the artists, with the exception of David, and to thank them for participating in such an inspiring collection*.  A musical event of equal note that I didn’t make it to was the 30th Anniversary of Michael Beckwith’s Agape featuring the renowned Agape Choir and Deva Premal. That’s a lot of inspirational music for one weekend and I must say I was – inpsired, that is.

* The Yoga Revolution CD (to be released in early 2110) features an incredible mix of original songs by well-known pop stars and international recording artists, all brought together to promote the benefits of yoga, music, and a healthy and balanced lifestyle and to raise money for programming for at-risk youth. More info at: http://earthtones.org/projects/yoga-revolution/

I know I have plugged Mark Johnson’s Playing For Change enough to make it feel like I have a personal interest, but I can’t help but support such a beautiful expression of uniting the world through music.  And, considering the amazing reach & impact it is having, I don’t think anyone can dismiss it’s significance.  Today, just hours before going to see the Playing for Change band at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, with special guests Ziggy Marley and Toots and the Maytal’s, I want to share their contagious story and a video of tour highlights from www.playingforchange.com:

“The Playing For Change band features musicians from around the globe, many of whom appeared in the now ubiquitous “Stand By Me” video (which has been viewed on the internet more than 30 million times) including New Orleans based blues singer Grandpa Elliott and soul singer Clarence Bekker from Amsterdam.  Momentum has continued to build for the project as founder Mark Johnson and the musicians of Playing For Change were just named “Persons of the Week” on ABC’s “World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson.”

Playing For Change has been one of 2009′s most unlikely and startling cultural phenomenons. Hear Music’s two-disc CD/DVD Playing For Change – Songs Around the World, released on April 28th, stunned the music industry selling over twenty-six thousand copies in its first week and landing at #10 on Billboard’s Top 200 Pop chart.  This remarkable and unpredicted popular response has been driven by tens of millions of video hits, countless blogs and pure viral communication between fans and followers.  The project’s deep emotional resonance, combined with the muscle of the internet and word-of-mouth has struck a profoundly enduring chord world-wide”.

Even if you can’t make the show, be sure to pick up a copy of the DVD: Playing for Change: Peace Through Music and the CD/DVD: Songs Around the World.