“Chan Chan”: Playing for Change

rredick January 12, 2022

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Every one of these “Playing for Change” musical collaborations lifts my heart. But as millions around the world have discovered since the advent of the Buena Vista Social Club album and film, there’s something especially warm and nurturing about Compay Segundo’s “Chan Chan.” Simple and sensuous, it’s derived from the Cuban folk tale of Juanica and Chan Chan, two poor guajiros (rural Cubans) sifting sand to build a home. The chorus, meanwhile, evokes the long loneliness of the road, where perhaps the memory of love is all the sweeter.

Hearing these virtuoso Cuban musicians (the 83-year-old Teté Garcia Caturla nearly steals the show!) would be enough to brighten anyone’s day. But here, they’re joined by peers in Mali, Japan, Lebanon, and Brazil, in a flawless rendition of a classic. Enjoy! And check out the other Playing for Change recordings. Each one is a testament to how good people can be when they make something beautiful together.

rredick

“Ave Maria” Acapella: The Sublime In a Stairwell

A work of A work of artistic genius can feel immune to the passage of years. But for works meant to be performed, “timeless” does not Mean “static.” This stairwell recording of Schubert’s “Ave Maria,” by four gifted young Texans, imbues new life and grace into a song loved round the world.

rredick November 28, 2023

Dr. Gabor Maté: The Power of Addiction, the Addiction to Power

Across four decades of work on issues of trauma, addiction, childhood development, stress, and illness, Dr. Gabor Maté has become an internationally recognized thinker, author, and public speaker. But his brilliance is only one side of the coin. The other side, evident in all his remarks, is profound compassion. In this TED talk, both qualities are on full display.

rredick November 7, 2023

Dopamine, Addiction, and the Brain: Understanding the Science Can Help Us Change

The research has taken three quarters of a century (and counting). But the findings are truly remarkable: pain and pleasure are naturally balanced in a healthy brain. Substances can drastically disrupt that balance, however. In the effort to restore it, our brains go into overdrive. Fortunately, we can help it along—and help ourselves at the same time.

rredick October 31, 2023

Using ChatGPT To Fight Depression: Some Creative Ideas

ChatGPT is not a living mind, let alone a therapist. It is, however, proving to be an immensely useful online assistant for people across the world. Little wonder that professionals and others are finding ways to apply its powers of information gathering and synthesis to the challenge of living with depression. This article offers one emotion expert’s tips on how ChatGPT and related technology might be able to shoulder a bit of that burden.

rredick October 24, 2023

Dating Someone With Depression: A Brief Guide

More than one quarter of U.S. adults report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives. The disease makes life challenging in all kinds of ways, and relationships are no exception. For partners of those suffering depression, the inability to “fix” the other’s condition can be difficult and frustrating. But even though we can’t cure our partners’ depression, we can learn skills that strengthen our relationships and make them more fulfilling for both parties.

rredick September 26, 2023

Light, Hope, Healing: Anohni Sings Leonard Cohen’s “If It Be Your Will”

With “If It Be Your Will,” Leonard Cohen wrote a modern psalm. With her 2006 recording at the Sydney Opera House, Anohni flings open the doors on the song’s deep longing for grace.

rredick August 29, 2023

Coldplay’s “Yellow” Like You’ve Never Heard It Before

Think you know what a Coldplay song sounds like? Think again. But the re-imagining of the song is just one of the surprises in store when you watch this moment from America’s Got Talent 2023.

rredick August 15, 2023

The Evidence Is In: A Walk in the Woods Really Is Good for the Soul

Many of us know it from our own experience. Now there’s science to back it up: time in nature brings a host of benefits for our bodies, minds, and emotional wellbeing. This article from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine provides an overview of the latest research. Spoiler: it’s all good news.

rredick August 9, 2023

A Work of Genius In the Hermitage

It was a gift of General Potemkin to Catherine the Great; it was a challenge for one of the great inventors of 18th-century England. It remains an extraordinary, and entirely functional, work of art.

rredick July 18, 2023

Out of the Mouths of Babes (and Comedians)

Comedian DJ Pryor says that he’s always spoken to his children (even when they were toddlers) as if they could understand his every word. The approach seems to be working with 15-month-old Kingston, who holds detailed conversations with his dad. Sure, it’s in a language known only to the two of them, but that hasn’t stopped the world from being charmed.

rredick June 28, 2023

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