'OZ Vibes Series: Playing for Change

On Friday, July 17, WWOZ will broadcast "Playing for Change" live from our studio during the New Orleans Music Show with Black Mold from noon to 1 p.m.

The broadcast is part of our 'OZ Vibes series, generously sponsored by The Transportation Revolution — the Home of Ducati, Triumph & Vespa in New Orleans.

The group will also play a live show at Tipitina's Uptown on Saturday, July 18, at 10 p.m.

About the show: Traveling the world for a decade, Grammy-winning producer/engineer Mark Johnson and the Playing For Change team brought together diverse musicians in a heroic effort to inspire peace through the universal language of music. Their ambitious journey took them from post-apartheid South Africa, through the ancient sites and conflict regions of the Middle East, to the remote beauty of the Himalayas and beyond.

Using innovative mobile technology, the PFC crew filmed and recorded more than 100 musicians, largely outdoors, in parks, plazas and promenades, in doorways, on cobblestone streets and amid hilly pueblos. Each captured performance created a kaleidoscopic new mix in which essentially the artists are all performing together, albeit hundreds or thousands of miles apart.

The group currently features:

Mohammed Alidu - djembe

Clarence Bekker - vocals

Peter Bunetta - drums

Grandpa Elliott - vocals/harmonica

Mermans Kenkosenki - vocals/congas

Ruth Lipuo Tsira - Vocals

Juan Portillo - electric bass

Louis Mhlanga - Electric guitar

Jason Tamba - Acoustic guitar

Francois Vigue - percussion