I have nothing against the idea of the latest fundraising video for Haiti because the cause is certainly a great one; it's just that I tire of the usual bevy of First World entertainers belting it out. That's why it's refreshing to meet someone like Mark Johnson, one of the founders of Playing for Change.  By now you've all probably heard about this organization through the widely seen globetrotting video of "Stand By Me." The first time I saw it, I thought it was pleasant enough, but what was it for, what was the next step -- what was the substance? Mark clarified it all for me in an eloquent interview, in which he laid out a vision for using music as a catalyst for social change. I've heard my share of pie-in-the-sky blah blah about using music for this or that, but Mark's ideas are not dreams -- they are based on solid reality and hard work.

Can any of us deny that one of our greatest achievements to date is our unprecedented technological connectivity? Playing for Change is not just about making pretty videos. It's about connecting a global community where access to medicine, education, and mutual respect are a given.

I had a conversation many years ago with Christoph Borkowsky, one of the founders of the World Music Expo, WOMEX. At the time he said to me that the music of every nation should be treated as a natural resource. He chafed at the lack of market exposure great world artists got, and was certain that significant revenue streams could result from a level, truly international marketplace. Now that a new generation can access global content with ease, perhaps the idea finally has the proper soil in which to grow. And perhaps the next great musical outpouring of support for a cause will well up spontaneously, from another part of the world, and have a truly international face and sound.

Are you starting to get an idea of how incredibly varied WOMEX is? Here is yet another taste of one of the showcases, this one by the Chinese zheng trio, San Chuan. First off, apologies to all Chinese (Mandarin) speakers who will know right away that my subtitles are not quite in order! But in this case, I think the music speaks for itself. And I think each of these women has such a distinct personality that even my little Flip camera "loves" them.

To fill in a little bit of background on the trio, they were friends to begin with, all studied in the same conservatory and all studied under the same teacher, which made them particularly compatable in every way.

WOMEX 09 Part 4 brings us another performance from this substantive musical event. Yves Lambert and Le Bebert Orchestra turned in a great, tight show -- the band (Olivier Rondeau, Tommy Gauthier, Robin Boulianne and Jean François Déry) was a well-oiled machine, barreling through dance tunes and songs with verve and professionalism.

Lambert himself is an almost legendary character in Quebecois music, having been a mainstay of La Bottine Souriante for years; you can see from his spoken interlude he is larger than life. (And if you are going to play the Stomach Steinway, it helps to have a stomach!) I just wish I had kept the camera rolling a little longer, to catch the rest of the great song that followed that instrumental...

One of the real hits at WOMEX was the band Kenge Kenge. They rocked the hall with traditional Kenyan party music based on the Benga beat. With the exception of the electric bass, it was entirely acoustic, with sweet harmonies and two hot dancers. Hang in till the end of this clip-- it just gets better and better, and you'll be grooving in your chair before you know it!

Yours truly had been requested by management to videotape the whole performance, and I had a perilous perch: just on the apron of the stage, straddling a five foot drop, with one foot on a walkway with rotating spotlights on it, and the other on an inclined plane. Taking a step backwards or forwards meant taking my eye off the band, hence the charming ceiling shot...

Link TV viewers may already be aware of the band Deolinda from their video "Fado Toninho." I was impressed with their CD "Canção ao lado," so I made it a point to video part of their showcase at WOMEX. Although it is tempting to say that the group comes solely out of Fado, as I reviewed my footage I was also reminded of Madredeus, the Portuguese super group -- even though front woman Ana Bacalhau sings in a deeper register than Teresa Salgueiro. (Still, there is something quite bel canto about the sound of each of these songbirds.) The band performed the songs from their CD with precision and sensitivity, and Bacalhau had the audience in thrall. I actually like this rendition better than the one on the CD, perhaps due to the exquisite sound at the venue (provided by the Roskilde festival) which enhanced Bacalhau's rich low resonances.

And of course, my usual apologies for the shaky camera work...it's tough to hold your hand up steady for long periods -- especially when you are getting jostled by the audience!