Playing for Change 2010 Fall Tour Comes To Boston Symphony Hall November 17

Sept. 7, 2010 - PRLog -- HT Productions will present PLAYING FOR CHANGE at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, Wednesday, November 17 at 8:00 pm.  Tickets at $56.00, $41.00, $31.00 and $26.00 will go on sale Friday, September 10 at www.bostonsymphonyhall.org, by calling 888-266-1200 and at the Symphony Hall Box Office.  The Symphony Hall box office is located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts; Symphony Hall is wheelchair accessible.

The Playing For Change 2010 fall tour is highlighted by the addition of Senegalese guitarist Ilon Ba (who has performed with Baaba Maal) to the stellar Playing For Change band which also includes percussionist Mohammed Alidu (of Northern Ghana), vocalist Clarence Bekker (of Netherlands/Suriname), vocalist/harmonica player Grandpa Elliott (of New Orleans), vocalist/percussionist Mermans Kenkosenki (of DRC Congo), guitarist Jason Tamba (of Kinshasa, the capital of DRC Congo),vocalist Titi Tsira (Gugulethu, African township in the Western Cape), Juan Carlos Portillo (of Zimbabwe), Reggie McBride (Detroit) and Peter Bunetta (Los Angeles).

In addition, PFC is currently in the midst of planning an extensive international tour in 2011; details and confirmed dates will be announced in the near future.

In 2009, Playing For Change’s founder and architect Mark Johnson assembled a band with musicians from around the globe, many of whom had appeared in the now ubiquitous "Stand By Me" video (which was viewed on the internet more than 30 million times).  

What started as a simple concept went to virtually bringing musicians from different cultures together via technology for the common purpose of promoting peace through music.  It resulted in a bonafide cultural phenomenon; but no one was quite sure what would happen when they all gathered for the first time for a special performance at Austin’s SXSW music conference in 2009.  Sure, the Playing For Change story had captured imaginations around the world and their inspiring mix of togetherness, positivity and sterling musicianship had undeniably created a movement and surprised the music industry.  But what would happen when they were actually on tour together?  Could the Playing For Change idea live and breathe in the here and now?

The result was astonishing. After sold-out shows, critical acclaim and the smiles of thousands of new fans, the questions have been answered.  

On June 15th, 2010, Playing For Change Records/Concord Music Group released Playing For Change Live – a special two-disc CD/DVD containing a ten-song audio CD and a fourteen-track DVD, documenting the Playing For Change Band’s triumphant 2009 world-tour.

On Playing For Change Live, the PFC band is captured all over the world including riveting performances from the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival, Vancouver, Madrid, Los Angeles and the Santa Monica Pier where the project’s extraordinary journey began.  The band’s incredible energy and brilliant musicianship is evident on Bob Marley’s “One Love,” a medley of 4 Non Blondes’ and Bobby McFerrin’s ‘What’s Up”/“Don’t Worry Be Happy,” the 1959 American R&B gem “Fannie Mae (with Keb’ Mo!) and original band compositions like Titi Tsira’s “Fela ngaye” and Louis Mhlanga’s “Children Of The World” just to name a few.  

Guest appearances also include reggae legends, Toots Hibbert on the Otis Redding classic “I’ve Got Dreams To Remember” and Ziggy Marley on his own “Love Is My Religion.” The DVD also contains the 90-minute film “On The Road With the PFC Band” chronicling the band’s improbable story of strength, support and harmony.  The video log’s remarkable backstage, behind-the-scenes, performance and interview footage includes personal insights and inspiring moments from touring members: percussionist Mohammed Alidu (Northern Ghana), vocalist Clarence Bekker (Amsterdam), drummer Peter Bunetta (Los Angeles), vocals/harmonica Grandpa Elliott (New Orleans), vocals/percussionist Mermans Kenkosenki (Kinshasa, DR Congo), guitarist Louis Mhlanga (Zimbabwe), bassist Reggie McBride (Detroit), guitarist Jason Tamba (Kinshasa, DR Congo), vocalists Tal Ben-Ari “Tula” (Israel), Titi Tsira (Gugulethu, African township in the Western Cape) and PFC founder Mark Johnson. Along the way, we get to know the musicians and discover the emotional stories of perseverance and hope that enabled them to take part in this globally celebrated effort.

With its stirring call for reconciliation and cross-cultural unification, the global music collaboration/multi-media project; Playing For Change has struck a deep and powerful chord worldwide. Founder, filmmaker, and Grammy winning producer Mark Johnson was looking for musicians for his film, Peace Through Music when he captured a mesmerizing performance of the Ben E. King classic “Stand By Me” by legendary street singer, Roger Ridley in Santa Monica. Mark then took the show on the road. In New Orleans, he put headphones on beloved local street performer, Grandpa Elliott, who harmonized with Ridley’s soulful rendition of the song and he was on his way. Using innovative mobile technology and traveling the world, he filmed and recorded more than 100 musicians, largely outdoors, in parks, plazas and promenades, in doorways, on cobblestone streets and amid hilly pueblos. Each performance created a new mix in which the artists are all performing together, albeit hundreds or thousands of miles apart.

In April of 2009, Hear Music/Concord Music Group released the CD/DVD Playing For Change – Songs Around The World and shocked the music world when it debuted in Billboard’s Top 10. The accompanying documentary Playing For Change – Peace Through Music, was broadcast nationwide by PBS that summer.

Recording musicians in some of the poorest parts of the world also inspired PFC to establish the Playing For Change Foundation, which offers resources – including facilities, technology, musical instruments and education – to musicians and their communities. Currently, PFCF has constructed and opened two schools in South Africa and Ghana, as well as programs that we are developing and/or operating in Mali, Nepal, Rwanda, and Jamaica.

For more information on Playing For Change visit, www.playingforchange.org, www.playingforchange.com and www.concordmusicgroup.com.

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Sue Auclair Promotions is a full service public relations and publicity firm located in the Boston area and specializing in music, the arts and entertainment . For more information, check us out on the web at http://www.sueauclairpromotions.com