This week’s edition of The Jazz House covers all grounds of music (as ever!), so whether your into your vintage Disco, Soulful House, Funk through to a touch of Jazzy Drum N Bass to Hip Hop, i’ve got it all covered from Roy Ayers to Kanye West to The O’Jay’s. I’ll also be playing the full mix of one of the greatest Salsoul records ever made and i’ll chill you out with five fabulous tracks all from major TV commercials.

A documentary project called Playing For Change recently brought together musicians from around the world.

Blues singers in a waterlogged New Orleans, chamber groups in Moscow and a South African choir were just some of the many artists to collaborate on songs new and old.

Producer Mark Johnson traveled around the globe and recorded tracks for such classics as ‘Stand By Me’ and Bob Marley’s ‘One World’ — creating a new mix in which the performers are all playing ‘virtually’ together, even though they were recorded continents apart.

Often recording with just battery-powered equipment, Johnson found musicians on street corners or in small clubs and they would in turn gather their friends and colleagues — in all, they recorded over 100 musicians from Tibet to Zimbabwe.

This cover of Stand By Me was recorded by unknown musicians all around the world with a laptop and microphone.

It all started with a single track of vocals and guitar recorded on the streets of Santa Monica in California by a street musician called Roger Ridley.

This was then taken down to New Orleans, Louisiana, where a blind singer from the French Quarter named Grandpa Elliott added vocals and harmonica while listening to Ridley’s base track via headphones.

In the same city, some metal percussion was layed over the top and the producers took the resulting mix all through Europe, Africa, and South America, adding new tracks with multiple instruments and vocals that were assembled in the final version you see in the video.

The unique composition of the film which has musicians playing together yet in their own traditions, made Johnson think anew about what world music means:

“Just thinking in my mind… what would be unique instruments to juxtapose against each other that had never been heard before: a talking drum and a tabla, they’re very similar but they never really come together, or a sitar and a dobro, very similar but how often do you hear them play together?

The idea was to go to places that would have some sort of instruments that they could add to the spectrum of the global music that we were trying to find.”

The Playing For Change Foundation provides resources (facilities, supplies, educational programs, etc) to musicians and communities around the world.

The foundation is working with South African poet Lesego Rampolokenga to build the Mehlo Arts Center in Johannesburg and building and supporting the Ntonga Music School in the South African township of Guguletu.

In addition, Playing For Change is working to enhance and rebuild Tibetan refugee centers in Dharamasala, India and Kathmandu, Nepal.

You can find news about their benefit concerts and programs, and listen to additional songs, on their website which is www.playingforchange.com

If you have any questions you can email them via info@playingforchange.com

Hour One
Roy Hargrove – Never Let Me Go
Carmen Mcrae – Georgia Rose
Lennie Niehaus – I Wished On The Moon
Pharoah Sanders – Njilo Njilo
Blossom Dearie – Bluesette
Miles Davis – Drad Dog
Septpiece – 20 Small Cigars
Jeremy Pelt – Pioggia Di Perugia
Eliane Elias – Too Marvellous For Words
Jan Lundgren Trio – Here There And Everywhere
Charlie Byrd Trio – Emily

Hour Two
Benny Golson With Al Jarreau – Whisper Not
Cesar Camargo Mariano And Romero Lubambo – Joy Spring
Freddie Hubbard – Up Jumped Spring
Yots.K – Cry Me A River
Cassandra Wilson – Fragile
Enrico Rava Quintet – Lady Urbana
Gerry Mulligan And Chet Baker – Gee Baby, Aint I Good To You
Portino Trio With Jay Ashby – Footprints
Alec Dankworth – Tears Of Rain
Pierre Bensusan – Le Jardin D’adonis

Hour Three
Tina May – After The Love Has Gone
Clifford Brown And Art Blakey – Once In A While
Charles Lloyd Quintet – What’s Ging On
Bill Evans And Stan Getz – But Beautiful
Kurt Elling – I’m Thru With Love
Til Bronner – Tarde
Gary Burton And Pat Metheny – Tiempos Felice
Rosa Passos – Casa Voce
Bobo Stenson Trio – Song Of Ruth
Houston Person – Everything I Have Is Yours

2pm Hour
George Benson – Kisses In The Moonlight
Keny G – G Bop
Rick Braun – RSVP
Randy Crawford – Who’s Crying Now
Melody Gardot – Baby I’m A Fool
Chris Standring – I Can’t Help It
Tower Of Power – Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel
Richard Elliot – Camella
Janita – No Words
Eric Essix – Hard Work
Rick Braun – All Around The World
Pieces Of A Dream – Vision Accomplished

3pm Hour
Wayman Tisdale& Toby Keith – Never Never Gonna Give You Up
Quincy Jones – One Hundred Ways
Najee – Can’t Wait Another Minute
Euge Groove – Slow Jam
Eliane Elias – Superwoman
Warren Hill – La Dolce Vita
Rick Braun – Grazzin In The Grass
Gregg Karukas – Manhattan
Seal – I’m Still In Love With You
Nils – Jazz Cruise
Queen Latifah – Hello Stranger
Sekou Bunch – Take 5

It’s Bank Holiday, Hoorah! Lots of feel good soulful flavours to spin including more from George Benson ahead of his UK shows and a brand new album. I’m also expecting the brand new single from BeBe & CeCe Winans (fingers crossed) and there will definitely be some Impromp2 and Ledisi.

Also, as a favour to the Chic fan club I’m giving “Judy” by Johnny Mathis another spin.

Doc Sin’s proud boast that his show covers an entire century of jazz is borne out this week with a Scott Joplin rag from over a hundred years ago, cheek by jowl with a hot new release from Tierney Sutton (a singer, not a district of South-West London).

My playmate of the month is stride pianist and singer Judy Carmichael whose CD “Come And Get It” is currently enlivening my Saturday show tune by tune. Recently, I tracked her down in Turkey, shoved a metaphorical anglepoise lamp in her face and subjected her to the following ruthless interrogation.

BOB:
How did someone of your tender vintage become such a devotee of Fats Waller who died as long ago as 1943?

JUDY:
I was studying German in college and had a part time piano job playing ragtime and a fan thought I’d like early Basie, since I liked ragtime,and gave me a recording of “Prince of Wales” with Moten. I instantly loved it and decided to teach myself how to play like that. One thing led to another, as they say.

BOB:
You’re from sunny California – what drew you to New York?

JUDY:
Harold Jones and Freddie Green told me my music and my personality would be better understood there. I’d already felt like a fish out of water my entire life in L.A. and sensed NYC would be the better place for me and the second I was there, I was home.

In addition to feeling more comfortable in NY, Harold and Freddie were exactly right and indeed the jazz community was much more embracing of what I do than they were in L.A. where I got jobs based on my appearance more than on my playing. Also, my contemporaries at the time thought I was nuts to play this music, where the musicians in NY thought it unusual, but wonderful, and supported me.

BOB:
Tell us about the encouragement you received from sassy Sarah Vaughan.

JUDY:
Her first gig was playing second piano for Earl Hines, of course, so she was a big fan of two-handed piano and loved the unlikely fact that a young, white girl from L.A. would be passionate about this music.
It was obvious to her that I could have pursued any number of professions (something she couldn’t have done in her youth) and had an easier, more profitable life, so she especially admired my commitment
to jazz. She loved the shock value of my playing for other jazz musicians and asked me to play whenever we were at a party to show me off, but also to laugh at the surprise of it all.

BOB:
How can my listeners hear your radio show (when they’re not listening to mine, of course)?

JUDY:
The shows are archived at www.jazzinspired.com or they can download it free on iTunes.

BOB:
Thanks for your time, Judy. You’ve made me as chuffed as an old tart.

JUDY:
I just love that word “chuffed”. We don’t use it and it’s a good one. Cheers from Turkey, and thanks for the support.