Promoting social change through music comes alive again at the World Economic Forum in Brazil

Guillermo Romo, Fernanda Abreu, Sandra de Sá, El Niño Josele, Ilo Ferreira Among Celebrities and CEOs Promoting the A Ritmo de Cambio Social Initiative

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – APRIL 28, 2011 – During the World Economic Forum on Latin America 2011, the Americas Business Council (ABC*), a nonprofit group that facilitates high-impact projects for change, will host the second annual A Ritmo de Cambio event, an initiative which uses music to educate, heal and create societal change. Led by Emilio Azcarraga, Chairman of Grupo Televisa, the ABC Foundation has partnered with Mark Johnson, the creator of Playing for Change, to showcase Brazil’s cultural richness by uniting over 35 artists from diverse musical backgrounds to record a song with a social purpose. This year the featured song is “Satchita” as “Una Canción por Brazil” (“A Song for Brazil”). “Satchita” will be the second song of “Un Disco por Las Americas” (“Album for the Americas”).

A samba written by Enzo Buono, that combines Brazilian and classical South Indian grooves. The vocals are in Portuguese and Sanskrit. The vocalists are Sandra de Sá from Brazil, Ilo Ferreira from Cape Verde, Saindhavi and R. Shruti from India. The Brazilian percussion was recorded in Salvador, Bahia. When the Playing for Change team asked someone on the street where we could find a drummer, they said, “If shake a tree a dozen will fall out.” In Brazil musicians are as common as water and that energy shows in this song.

The song features seventeen Brazilian and South Indian percussionists and a Jamaican drummer set “Satchita” bouncing along with their intertwining rhythms. Samba, soca, reggae and the improvisational traditions of Carnatic music produce a rich melodic and rhythmic tapestry highlighted by the Cuban bass lines of Rigoberto Lopez and the Flamenco guitar of Spain’s Niño Josele.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Enzo came to the United States in 1991 settling in Chicago. Quickly forming his own band, Enzo started playing in all the local clubs, opening up for artists like Liza Minnelli, Peter Frampton, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and ending up with his first US record deal with Polygram. In 2000, he traveled to India to begin a new music adventure, recording artists such as Rajhesh Vaidhya, Venkat, Kamalakar, Saroya, Punya Srinivas, The Oneness Choir, Hariharan, Maneesh de Moor, Suresh Oberoi and Bombay Jayashri. So far, Enzo has produced more than 16 albums in India.

In 2004, Enzo became part of the Playing for Change team, serving as a music producer, recording engineer, cameraman, and photographer. Traveling the world over, Enzo has had the chance to work with artists like Bono, Manu Chao, Jackson Brown, Poncho Sanchez, America, Keb Mo, Los Lobos, Taj Mahal, Baaba Maal Tinariwen, Jeff Bridges, T-Bone Burnett and Stephen Marley; while helping to create the Playing For Change project. Enzo is currently dedicated to the Playing For Change movement.

The song will be unveiled during the “Carioca Night” event, an evening co-hosted by the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro and APEX. This event will give the World Economic Forum attendees a glimpse of Rio de Janeiro’s vibrant culture, music and food, building on why the city has been chosen to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.

The festivities in Brazil are a continuation of the A Ritmo de Cambio project launched last year at the World Economic Forum in Cartagena, Colombia. The ABC* Foundation harnessed the energy of the song and concert to invite the business sector to engage in a partnership to support the culture traditions of Palenque, a town visited during the recording of “Una Canción por Colombia.” In Brazil, A Ritmo de Cambio will promote the work of Afro Reggae, a music and culture group that harness the ingenuity and creativity of their communities to provide positive alternatives for young people in Brazil’s favelas.

“We are delighted to continue our work with A Ritmo de Cambio in Brazil,” said Azcarraga. “Like other ABC* initiatives, we hope it serves as a catalyst for positive social change. Being part of this talented and committed group of people who truly believe in the healing power of music is extremely gratifying.”

The A Ritmo de Cambio project’s objective is to further foster music as a tool for social betterment, in an expansion of Playing for Change’s breakthrough concept. By mobilizing artists in various Latin American countries and the U.S. Hispanic community, artists can showcase their best musical talent in a unifying example of cultural solidarity. The project, which aims to touch eight more communities across the region, will be featured during an Interactive Lunch Session on Thursday, April 28th titled “Social Impact through Culture” at the World Economic Forum. During this session, a panel of experts will discuss how cultural initiatives can transform communities, unite people and generate income. A Ritmo de Cambio will be showcased as one of these initiatives, focusing on the power of music to unite people and transform lives.

Guillermo Romo, ABC* Co-Chairman and World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, will be introducing the A Ritmo de Cambio concert scheduled for 10:00 p.m. which will feature performances and appearances by celebrities including Fernanda Abreu, Sandra de Sá, El Niño Josele, and Ilo Ferreira.

The culmination of the A Ritmo de Cambio project will be a 10-song compilation album and concert tentatively planned for late 2014 in Miami, Fla., bringing together musicians from each country for a multicultural reunion to display the magnificence of Latin America’s musical heritage.

“It’s a truly magical experience to work with such high caliber people who share my belief that music can help heal the world,” said Mark Johnson, Playing for Change Founder.

Playing for Change is a multimedia music project created by producer and sound engineer Mark Johnson with his Timeless Media Group and the Concord Music Group that seeks to bring together musicians from around the world. Playing For Change also created a separate non-profit organization called the Playing For Change Foundation which builds music schools for children around the world.

The ABC* Foundation brings together emerging leaders from the Americas and distinguished, thought-provoking figures from around the world to work on creative and long lasting solutions to the most pressing issues in the Americas.

The Americas Business Council is a nonprofit organization that provides a platform for Latin America’s emerging leaders to use their influence, networks, and resources to bring about lasting positive change in their organizations and communities, and across the Americas.

ABC was founded by leaders of Latin American media and business who desire to create a stronger culture of philanthropic engagement among emerging leaders in the Americas. The Co-Chairmen of the foundation are: Emilio Azcarraga, Chairman and CEO of Grupo Televisa, Guillermo Romo, President and founder of Grupo Mega, Angelica Fuentes, CEO of Omnilife and Jorge Vergara, President and founder of Omnilife who also owns ‘Las Chivas’ soccer team.

Since its founding in 2007, ABC has hosted a diverse group of world leaders at its forums, including Al Gore, Mikhail Gorbachev, Desmond Tutu and Jean Michel Cousteau.