I
can’t believe it’s
March 17, 2006. What started as a 3-minute
song has grown into a 10-minute piece of music
with an “overture”, 3 main
sections (the middle one being the anthem) and
a jubilant South African reprise. We’ve
produced 80 sessions to include people of diverse
backgrounds from scores of nations. To date 167
people have been recorded for the project. I’ve
flown my brother back and forth from LA so many
times I’ve lost count and logged over 20,000
miles on my Pathfinder, while managing every aspect
of what seemed like a never-ending production
process.
WINTER
’05 N.Y.
Taking the subway to a session.
We drove
to New York, Cleveland, Indianapolis and all over
the Chicago area as we turned my SUV into a digital
editing suite to make use of our limited and costly
time together. We packed up our Apple laptops
(yo Steve) and set up our recording equipment
in houses and apartments, as we made new friends
and formed new bonds, while coming together to
deliver a message of unity and love to the world.
We also held sessions at Musical Expressions to
include students, teachers and parents and had
a cool session with 41 kids at a municipal building
where the Young Naperville Singers rehearse.
The journey
has been overwhelming as it pushed us to personal
and professional limits time and again. We’ve
cried in joy, yelled and screamed in anger and
frustration, prayed and rejoiced in gratitude
and humility, while overall seeing and feeling
the power of “divine grace”
working through and around us during every session
and stage of production. The stories of “synchronicities”
and remarkable occurrences are numerous and profound...
