“Uniting people through the art form of Jazz” – Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace™

Jazz for Peace™ rose from the ashes of the horrifying tragedy of 9/11 starting with a poem written by acclaimed Jazz Pianist, Vocalist, Composer and Founder Rick DellaRatta that was written witnessing those very events on a rooftop less than a quarter of a mile away from Ground Zero on that fateful morning.

Six Unprecedented Achievements in Jazz

UNITED NATIONS CONCERT – For the first time in Music history, a single musical event plays a prominent role in World history. In 2002 Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace performed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City leading a band consisting of Middle Eastern (both Arab and Israeli), European, Asian, and American jazz musicians in concert for an international audience. This exceptional contribution to the advancement of Jazz has now also become a memorable part of World History as detailed below.
UNITING WORLD LEADERS – This event and Benefit Concert Series has united more world leaders and prestigious supporters than any other previous musical event including Woodstock and Live Aid combined making this another exceptional contribution to the advancement of Jazz.
UNPRECEDENTED FUNDING FOR OVER 850 OUTSTANDING CAUSES worldwide through a Benefit Concert Series that is now considered The Most Significant Cultural Event of Our Time! While “Uniting people through the art form of Jazz”, another first in both Jazz and Music History making this an exceptional contribution for the advancement of Jazz.
HELPING CHILDREN – His dedication to helping children (“our future”) via his Education Series & Instrument Donation Program is truly an exceptional contribution through the advancement of Jazz as detailed in the links below while at the same time using this platform to promoting musicians rights via his partnership with the Local 802 and other musicians unions.
UNPRECEDENTED MUSICAL PERFORMANCE – Achieving each of these goals because the most unprecedented quality of all: THE MUSIC! (Click on videos for the Music!) This Unique Combination of Vocals in both English and Portuguese along with Virtuoso Piano Playing and Outstanding Compositions featuring both Latin and Brazilian rhythms makes Rick DellaRatta ”one of the most unique and exciting live performances in music today!” Through his worldwide performances which have included taking Jazz both figuratively and literally where it has never been before, Rick is widely considered one of only a handful of Jazz Artists who can make a successful musical presentation to a large audience without having to abandon the true art form of Jazz.
SUCCESSFULLY BRINGING THE ART FORM OF JAZZ TO PEOPLE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.
In addition to his Jazz for Peace CD which features this unique artist at Birdland and Troy Music Hall with the worlds finest Jazz Musicians (Eddie Gomez, Lenny White, and Paquito D’Rivera) along with The London Symphony Orchestra.

Having performed with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Paquito D’ Rivera, Rick DellaRatta is now considered by many to be one of the finest Singer/Pianists performing today and one of only a handful of Jazz Artists who can make a successful musical presentation to a large audience without having to abandon the true art form of Jazz. His unique and original piano playing and composing has been compared in print to Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, Joe Zawinul, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson and Thelonius Monk while his signature vocal sound and style has been likened to Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Joao Gilberto, Ivan Lins, Michael Franks and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

His current “Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace World Tour” has included historic performances in the US, Europe, Africa and Brazil and his landmark Jazz for Peace concert at the United Nations in New York in 2002 uniting Israeli, Palestinian and American musicians in concert is now considered one of the most significant cultural events of our time! This U.N. Concert has led to a benefit concert series that has gone on to raise funds, publicity and awareness for over 700 non-profit organizations, garnered support and praise from distinguished Americans such as President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator John McCain, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, activist Noam Chomsky, actor Ed Begley Jr., New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and many more; and attended and enjoyed by ambassadors, celebrities, humanitarians, and music lovers worldwide! Jazz pianist, vocalist and composer Rick DellaRatta was included by The Foundation Center in their list of the top musician philanthropists of our time along with Bono (U2), Elton John, Peter Gabriel and Sting.

Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and nutritional consultant of Natural Health with over fifty years of experience. She teaches Herbal Medicine at Naropa University and has taught at Omega Institute, Esalen, Kripalu, Sivananda Yoga Ashram, Envision, Tribal Visions, Unify, Sister Winds, Arise Festivals, and even The Mayo Clinic. She is a founding and professional member of the American Herbalist Guild.

Brigitte is the author of many books and DVDs, including The Natural First Aid Handbook, Natural Remedies for Mental and Emotional Health, The Country Almanac of Home Remedies, The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, Beauty by Nature, Addiction Free Naturally, The Sexual Herbal, Healing Herbal Teas, Rawsome! and co-author of The HempNut Cookbook. Her latest project is a phone app called IPlant and an online Herbal Healing Course through https://sevenroots.com/herbal Brigitte is also a psychedelic sitter and end-of-life doula.

The early 20th century was unforgiving on many women. Writer Celia Ryker’s grandmother was one such woman who had more than her fair share of a hard life. Ryker has written a powerful, insightful novel (Augusta) based on the exploits and overwhelming challenges her grandmother faced during the Depression.

Raised on a hard-knock farm in Arkansas and married off to the father of one of her classmates at the age of 13, lead-character Augusta was not set up for a life of bliss. Then, abandoned by her second husband in 1920s Detroit, with four children to provide for and only an eighth-grade education, she is forced into a decision that will haunt her forever.

From the author of Walking Home: Trail Stories, Ryker's Augusta is gripping historical fiction based on the true, against-the-odds story of her grandmother, a woman who fled the hardships of the Ozarks at the turn of the 20th century for a new city, and a chance at a better life. She had to confront the kind of poverty that you can almost smell, the kind that is in the background of the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante and The Grapes of Wrath. All three novels tell us that poverty has to do with a lot more than money. Self-worth is measured differently by the poor, so are luxury, duty, comfort, and success. The poor are snared by forces outside their control.

Some readers might find this a heroic story, but there were millions of farm folk like Augusta at the beginning of the 20th century. They did what they needed to do to survive. Men were sheared of their dignity when they lost the farm or lost a job, and couldn’t support their families. Like Augusta’s two husbands, they often turned to alcohol in their shame. The women made do, taking responsibility for the children.

Her particular struggle was common in the early 1900s: Marriage at 13, children born as they came, a move from the farm to the grinding, dirty, dangerous city, and meeting new immigrants who had fled similar hardships.

Details carry the story and are constantly surprising. The reader learns how the first washing machines worked, how unwelcome a hospital birth was after knowing the intimacy and convenience of having your baby at home, and what tenements were like.

Historical novels require strong characters with heart -- and Augusta’s heart shines through a life filled with adversity. Augusta puts her head down and does what must be done to provide for her children. Her unshrinking strength is an inspiration.

Ryker's previous book, Walking Home: Trail Stories, is about more than mud, sweat, and blisters while distance hiking the Long Trail. Reminiscent of Cheryl Strayed's Wild, Ryker's mind wanders as her legs carry her forward, beyond a woodland path, to places and people she thought she had forgotten. Her grandmother's spirit appears on Mount Baker. A lost cousin waits for her at the bottom of every ladder. Her late father's words reverberate among the calls of barred owls. There were days when she didn't see another hiker, but she was never alone. Ryker began writing about a difficult hike and ended up writing about the people who inspired her throughout her life. These are her "trail stories."

“Augusta shows women everywhere that no matter how hard one’s journey is, the key is to keep moving, and to not let one’s past or rough start dictate their life’s outcome,” concludes Ryker.

Thank you to being open to the magical QHHT experience.
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Roger Nelson, PhD, is Director of the Global Consciousness Project (GCP). He studied physics and  sculpture at the University of Rochester, and experimental psychology at New York University and Columbia. He is the author or co-author over 100 technical papers and two books, Connected: the Emergence of Global Consciousness, and Der Welt-Geist: wie wir alle miteinander verbunden sind (German) with Georg Kindel.

He was Professor of Psychology at Johnson State College in northern Vermont, and in 1980 joined Princeton University’s PEAR lab to coordinate research. His focus is on human consciousness, mental interactions, anomalous information transfer, and effects on physical systems by individuals and groups. He created the GCP in 1997, building a world-spanning random number generator network designed to gather evidence of coalescing global consciousness.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Petaluma, California. He is married to Reinhilde (Lefty) Luedtke and has one son, Greg. He lives in Princeton, NJ, USA.

Band Members:

Sherry Rayn Barnett – Founder of the Band / Electric Guitar Player / Vocals

Suzanna Spring – Main Lead Singer / Songwriter / Acoustic Guitar

Holly Montgomery – Bass Player / Vocals

Aubrey Richmond – Fiddle Player / Vocals

Suzanne Morissette Cruz – Drummers / Vocals

Back when the Palomino was ground zero for the post-cowpunk California country scene, the Mustangs were a young, all-girl band who were long on chops and strong on harmonies. In a world where Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller shared a band, Lucinda Williams, Rosie Flores and the late Candye Kane had a roots, rockabilly and blues take on country and you never knew if Dave Alvin or Dwight Yoakam might show up at Ronnie Mack’s Barn Dance, The Mustangs made their debut at The Pal. They had a beautiful sound, making original music that was equal parts Emmylou Harris and Stevie Nicks, mixed with the three- and four-part harmonies reminiscent of The Eagles.

Following their debut at The Palomino, The Mustangs were named the Southern California Country Music Vocal Group of the Year. Headlining around L.A., the band was discovered and invited to play in Europe and Scandinavia, touring the US and Europe three times. The Mustangs played clubs and festivals, including SXSW and the renowned Roskilde Festival in Denmark.  

Members of the group parted ways in the mid-90s to pursue other musical interests, following their hearts to different parts of the country. Lead vocalist/songwriter and acoustic guitarist Suzanna Spring relocated to Nashville, where she worked as a staff songwriter for EMI Music and Bluewater Music, and wrote the radio single, “Time,” for country recording artist Doug Stone. Spring later released a solo album, winning Music Row Magazine’s Discovery Award. She has performed at The Bluebird Cafe, Tin Pan South, as a featured artist on WPLN’S “Songwriter Sessions’, and as a representative of NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International), she performed for members of Congress in Washington, DC. Lead guitarist Sherry Rayn Barnett, a concert photographer since her teenage years in NYC, saw her work featured in Rolling Stone and The New York Times. Her first book of concert photography, the widely-praised “Eye of the Music,” was published in 2020. Bassist/vocalist Holly Montgomery headed to the east coast and successfully pursued a career as a solo artist and studio musician, releasing two acclaimed solo CDs. Her latest album, SORRY FOR NOTHING, was released on Los Angeles-based label KZZ Music in 2022.  

The Mustangs began their renewal in 2017. Remembering how strong their sound was, the three original members of the group reconnected, with a new name, Mustangs Of The West. They added two dynamic new players to complete the line-up: Canadian drummer Suzanne Morissette, and violinist/vocalist Aubrey Richmond from Shooter Jennings’s band. Barnett was soon sizing up potential record labels to find the new band a musical home. After hearing the band rehearse at Clear Lake Audio, Los Angeles label Blue Élan Records offered the band a deal on the spot.

Mustangs Of The West’s 2020 album release on Blue Élan Records, “TIME”, was produced by Mark Howard (Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, U2).  “TIME” received acclaim from the San Francisco Chronicle, Americana Highways, Goldmine Magazine, No Depression, Pulse, Guitar Girl Magazine, renowned Nashville journalist Holly Gleason, and many other music writers.

As the music business slowly recovered from COVID shutdowns, Kirk Pasich, the visionary founder of Blue Élan, started new music imprint KZZ Music. Mustangs Of The West joined him at the new label. The result is “SEA OF HEARTBREAK” to be released in July 2023.
Co-produced by Pasich and Irish producer Colin Devlin, the album is a powerful showcase for the vocals of Spring, Montgomery, Richmond and Morissette, with the atmospheric signature sounds of electric guitarist Barnett and some incredibly beautiful violin work from Richmond.  

Coming full circle, band members Spring and Barnett were recently interviewed for the upcoming documentary “Palomania”, adding their stories to the rich musical history of The Palomino club. “Crooked Road”,  a song written by Spring and the late Rusty Young from Poco, is also a featured track on the album “MY FRIEND: A TRIBUTE TO RUSTY YOUNG”, debuting in the Top 10 on the Billboard Compilation albums chart.

Dr. Furlich produces research with the goal of understanding human behaviors. In particular, he focuses on the analysis and comprehension of communication behaviors both personally and professionally. Two particular areas are those communication behaviors that often go unnoticed and those communication behaviors that people can intentionally communicate to achieve their goals. His work heavily emphasizes the benefit of applying academic research: it is not enough to only learn about communication. Developing nonverbal communication skills to communicate more effectively is vital. His most recent research interest is exploring the role of biology and communication. His perspective is that only focusing on social influences limits understanding. One's biology influences their communication and their communication influences their biological reactions.

Dr. Furlich has published two books, both of which were Amazon #1 bestsellers in their respective categories. Additionally, he has presented his research on national television, national radio and national podcasts. In his free time, he enjoys working out, watching sports, traveling and reading to learn more about human behaviors, spirituality and Christianity.

Education
Ph.D, Higher Education, Texas Tech University
M.A., Communication Studies, Texas Tech University
B.A., Psychology, Texas Tech University