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.

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...

Followers of this blog know that I try to spotlight some of the interesting musicians and world music projects that are working here in NYC. Sylvain Leroux is someone I'm going to focus on shortly, and you can see him in this clip by one of his bands, "Fula Flute." Link TV helped to make this clip a reality when we initiated a program with the Eyebeam Center for Art and Technology to put talented media students together with world music musicians to make videos. The song "Djandjou" is ceremonial, something that would be played to accompany the arrival of a dignitary.

The technique for playing the Fula flute, or "Tambin", is fascinating, using a combination of singing and overblowing to create overtones. More about this soon.

Continuing with my theme of how preconceptions can get in the way of hearing something simply for what it is, I give you two much maligned instruments: the accordion and the banjo. The accordion started out innocently enough, but due to its capacity for playing rhythm, melody and harmony simultaneously, and being incredibly loud and portable, it became immensely popular and supplanted older instruments, ending up becoming the heart and soul of many folk idioms. Eventually, it became the most conspicuous member of the Polka ensemble, and from there it was a short hop to the Lawrence Welk Show, where its fate was sealed to an entire generation of young people who simply HATED the instrument, and were enamored of the electric guitar. It is only recently that the accordion has lost some of its stigma.

Next, turn back the clock to the late late 70’s and banjoist extraordinaire Tony Trischka’s fascination with the African roots of the banjo. Who knew? But yes, that instrument which we associate with Country music (plus bluegrass and old-timey), minstrel shows and Dixieland comes from Mama Africa. Years later, I interviewed Angelique Kidjo who told me how much she hated the banjo.  Why? Because her father loved American banjo music! Now fast forward to this week, when the soundtrack to the film “Throw down your heart” about banjoist Bela Fleck’s journey to Africa to commune with musicians and find common threads of sound, is now available. What is it about these instruments that has aroused so much emotion?  They are only instruments, things to make music with!  All I can say is let’s hope that Bela’s explorations bring us al a little bit closer to throwing down our preconceptions about music.

If you love Afropop, and enjoy the Afropop Worldwide radio shows that have pioneered the dissemination of the music throughout the US, AND if you're in the NYC area (or will be), come to the world-famous Tavern On The Green for a truly classy 20th Anniversary Gala, in which Angelique Kidjo and Harry Belafonte will be inducted into the Afropop Hall of Fame. Here at Link we just have to tip our hats to the Afropop team, both as fellow world music crusaders and as co-producers with us for the film "Festival in the Desert: the Tent Sessions". They've worked tirelessly to bring the music they love to an ever wider audience. They're ready to go just about anywhere on earth to learn about, to collect, to archive and to trumpet every manifestation of the African musical diaspora and they've been doing it for twenty wonderful years. To find out more, click on the button just to my right…up a bit--- there you go... And Bravo!

Several wonderful music documentaries will be making their last appearance on the channel in the next few weeks, and among my favorites showing this week is “Amadou and Mariam Live at la Gout D'Or.”  We don’t generally show full concerts, but this one had such great energy coming from both the stage and the audience, and the entire neighborhood, for that matter, that we bucked our own directive and licensed it. The band is tight, and the songs are simple, but catchy. No wonder Manu Chao decided to produce the blind couple's CD, as these elements are similar to his own music. Not only is the performance great, but you get to see one of Paris' most ethnically colorful neighborhoods, as both North and West Africans make La Gout D'Or their home.

Another great film that will be bidding us adieu soon is Jupiter's Dance.  If you haven't seen it yet, make a point to check it out in the next few weeks, and you'll hear some of the wonderfully sweet singing that Congo is famous for.

With the feast behind us, and hopefully some well targeted toasts given, the Friday after Thanksgiving becomes a day to recover, relax and gear up for the holiday barrage. This year, as the season bodes poorly for commerce, perhaps it's best to focus on those intangible things that give us great value and joy. Although I have called  your attention to our music documentary Soweto Strings before, I would like to approach its virtues from another angle today. The film, about a classical music school for South African children is noteworthy for the way it shows how music can flourish and change lives no matter where it finds itself. But it is also about a remarkable teacher, Rosemary Nalden.  I have been lucky to have had some inspiring teachers in my life, and she reminds me of them, with her fierce devotion to education, and her delight at the receptive nature of her pupils. So may I suggest, as you watch Soweto Strings this week, that you think on some of the pivotal teachers in your life, and say a private "Thanks" for their efforts.

I was very lucky that growing up, my dad loved to bring home all kinds of music. He was what was called, back then, a "hi fi nut," which meant we had the best sound system in the neighborhood. He'd put a record on and crank the speakers up so that the whole house would fill with music. He played classical music, Broadway musicals, and folk music.

One day he brought home a recording that changed my life. It was full of joy and rhythm and beauty. It was Miriam Makeba's "The Voice of Africa."  I had never heard a voice like that, or such melodies. I sang along, I danced, and the music became a part of me. On the jacket of the album I read something about her attitude toward South Africa that I did not understand; I did not know anything about apartheid.

Miriam Makeba passed away on November 10th. She left a legacy of countless recordings, and is considered one of the first "world music" stars. There is no doubt that she paved the way for the careers of the many world musicians that have since graced us with their songs. For my part, I remember the last song on that album my dad brought home. It was called "Qhude" and it's a beauty...if you can find it, give it a listen and think of Miriam, Mama Africa.

This week we are showing Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony as part of our continuing theme of "What change looks like." The film focuses on the role that singing played in the successful struggle against apartheid, and ends with a message of hope and joy. But since those days, much has changed and along with the sweet has come the bitter. The issue of poverty has not been sufficiently addressed in South Africa and when people are poor, crime rises. The country lost one of its most significant musicians, in the senseless murder of Lucky Dube at the hands of a carjacker. When I spoke to Vusi Mahlasela (one of the artists featured in Amandla!) about contemporary music in South Africa, he did not hide his disappointment with how easily so many of the youth turn away from their roots to embrace Western pop or expect musical mastery to come easily. In his efforts to turn this trend around, he has established music schools to revitalize traditional music. So, when we watch Amandla, let's keep in mind that what change looks like keeps changing.

This week we're airing The Festival in the Desert: the Tent Sessions. This isn't a new program by any means, but it put me in mind of two very good friends and heroes of world music: Banning Eyre and Sean Barlow. Together, they are the heart and soul of Afropop Worldwide, the pioneering radio program and website that has been bringing the sounds of Africa and the African diaspora to millions of listeners. It was their idea to go to Timbuktu and videotape the festival. Had they ever done anything like it before? No. Did this discourage them? No. They came back with hours of remarkable footage - and with some expert editing - made the program you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home. Sean and Banning definitely "roughed it" making this film, but when you watch it, all you will feel is the joy of music - and their joy of capturing it.