| Liner notes:
"There is Love" was
not a labor of love, because love is not labor when given
away. In fact, love is not love unless it is given away.
This then is a short story about a long process… where
people gave of themselves for a special idea… love.
Just
over four years ago on a working commute from Miami
to Jupiter, Florida, I heard a song on the radio that
inspired me so much I had to learn more about it. The
station didn’t mention the artist or song title, so
I wrote down the call letters and the time and phoned
the station later that day. The DJ told me the song
was "The Holy Land of the Broken Heart" and
the singer was a guy named Michael Kelly Blanchard.
He told me Michael’s work was very good but that it
didn’t get the airplay other artists enjoy because "many
of his songs are lengthy and tell stories with descriptive
lyrics that you have to follow closely in order to
understand" (obviously this DJ didn’t grow up
in the 60’s). That evening I went to the local Christian
bookstore and picked up the tape Mercy in the Maze
that contained "The Holy Land of the Broken Heart" and
played it several times over the next few days. The
song poetically reflected some of what I had discovered
in my own life and some of what I hoped to achieve.
It was one of those pieces where lyric, melody, and
my life, all blended together. I had found a new favorite
song.In my work
at the time as an independent television writer/producer,
I was in the very beginning stages of an idea that
a fellow producer had encouraged me to pursue and one
I had never attempted before - a music pledge (fundraising)
special for PBS. I had been working quite a bit with
WPBT, Florida’s premier PBS station located in Miami
and had made some good friends there. At the same time
I had discovered the music of a European artist whose
work was particularly inspiring. His blending of Norwegian
and Irish pop with its Celtic feel and ethereal mood
seemed perfect for a PBS pledge program. After talks
by phone with the artist, we began the first steps
in this effort.But in a short
time, something didn’t seem right somehow. It was as
if I were being led away from the project by a force
greater than my ability to resist. And as anyone who
has enjoyed an inspiring entrepreneurial moment knows,
simply giving up on it is pretty hard to do. It was
evident then that it wasn’t my idea to back away because
of how hard I tried to resist. But wise counsel from
my daughter helped me put it all into perspective as
only a 12 year old could do. So after two or three
weeks more the project was dropped.Then, as mysterious
as the feeling to back away, came another to move forward,
but in a different direction. It seemed that dropping
the project wasn’t the object at all, dropping the
artist was. I felt led to pursue the musical pledge
program idea with Michael Kelly Blanchard. This was
out of left field because Michael’s music was… well, "religious".
So true to form I fought this too. The reason was a
selfish one. I thought the music was great - that was
not the issue. The issue was, by going forward with
this project I might be revealing some of my own personal
leanings toward the idea of a greater Being. But You-Know-Who
has a way of wearing you down. I called the number
on the back of Michael’s CD and lo, and behold, a baritone
voice picked up on the other end.All good stories
have a beginning, middle and an end. That was the beginning.
The middle part was filled with new friends, new discoveries
and a realization of just how quickly things can happen
when you’re not busy working and defending your idea.
Before I knew it, things clicked. Michael and I had
agreeable visions of the project from the beginning.
The original program title was "Heart Songs".
But as the concept began to grow and the more we talked,
the more a feeling of incompleteness began to surface
for us both. So once again, the maker of all good ideas
decided it was time to reveal the rest of the story… Noel
Paul Stookey.Noel and Michael
were longtime friends, and Noel was very much a mentoring
force in Michael’s musical life. Like millions of others
around the world, I too am a Peter, Paul & Mary
fan. Not only are they icons of social conscience in
music but they’ve also been consistent in this passion
for 40 years. I was thrilled when Michael asked Noel
to be part of the project. Noel agreed right away and
his commitment brought an avalanche of ideas that really
shaped the program concept. WPBT showed interest. A
marketing tape was developed and financial "feelers" went
out to secure the funds needed to underwrite the production.
Our plan was to shoot the program in an old and very
beautiful Episcopal Cathedral near downtown Miami.
But though some parts of the project momentum moved
forward, others stalled. Finding dollars is never an
easy thing. But even in difficult times we never gave
up because it wasn’t ours to give up on.About two years
into the project I was asked to join WPBT’s production
team, where I enjoy the company of good and very creative
people. With their help, things began to happen. Michael
called to say he and Noel were doing a concert together
in Southington, Connecticut and couldn’t we look at
that venue as opposed to Miami. After all, it is a
holiday show and winter in Connecticut makes for the
quintessential holiday setting. They were to perform
at the First Congregational Church in Southington,
Connecticut in February 2000, with Senior Pastor Gordon
Ellis coordinating. WPBT’s Senior Vice President of
Programming & Production, Jack Gibson, sent me
to the concert to observe. Four months later PBS gave
us a grant for the program. And exactly one year from
the week of that February concert we were rolling tape
on the holiday music special, "There Is Love",
the concluding line in verses from Noel’s famous "Wedding
Song".And now, the
end of the story. Many people in the First Congregational
Church and in the town of Southington gave of themselves
to help this idea come together. Gordon Ellis gave
a great deal of time to coordinate all the many efforts.
Noel and Michael gave countless hours of planning and
creative collaboration. The national offices of PBS
gave their commitment to help us all create a warm,
and inviting Christmas pledge special – a focused goal
of our efforts. We brought on director George Veras:
Doo Wop, Yanni, etc., etc. And our musicians, Greta
(Blanchard), Cam, Susan, Richard and Joe gave more
than we could have hoped.In the program,
Noel performs "Facets of The Jewel", a new
favorite song (sorry, Michael). It talks about the
connectivity we all have with each other. No matter
who we are or what our life’s experience might be… "our
lives are connected". That doesn’t have to be
a spiritual message but I’m glad it is. It’s the great
equalizer of life. For Noel, Michael
and myself (with encouragement from our families) that
connectivity brought us together to work on an idea
that would eventually manifest itself in a small town
in Connecticut after four years of work. This December,
(close to the beginning of our fifth collaborative
year) we hope many thousands, if not millions, of people
will be settling down on a cold December’s evening
to watch the final product, think about the message
of the season, and oh yes, make a call to support their
local PBS station for bringing such an inspiring program
into their homes.
Wish I
had thought of that.
David Counts
CREDITS:
Musicians:Greta Blanchard
(vocals), Joe Nerney (recorder, saxaphones, harmonica,
whistle and vocals),Cameron Kotler Sawzin (cello),
Richard Kniss (bass), Sue Evans (drums and percussion).
Assistant to MKB: Marion Dietrich
Assistant to NPS: Joyce Hall
Recording Engineers: Paul Whitehead, Bob Wright and Phil
Barnett
Remixed by Bob Wright and Jim Mason at Iliad Studio, Nashville
Digital Mastering: Jim Mason at FTM studios, Steve Sundberg,
Denver, Colorado
Photography: John Atashian
Art design: Oscar Lopez
Graphic transformation: NPS
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