Birds and Bees Do It

Musicians do it, symphonies do it even the birds and bees do it, let’s do it, let’s collaborate. Collaborate,this week’s word. 

As I googled the terms “best Collaborations” and “worst Collaborations” it resulted in some hilarious musical misfits. Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson; Bing Crosby and David Bowie; David Bowie and Mick Jagger. 

There was one titled best duets of all time. It’s an eclectic mix -- there are three Nancy Sinatra duets!

The most poignant one (and apropos for this week) is a brief clip of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez at the March on Washington in1963 -- you can scroll through this clip here. It's number 8.  

There's such beauty in this collaboration. Not just with Baez and Dylan, but the collaboration of the stage participants, the collaboration of the marchers --- all there to make a statement in a peaceful, yet powerful way. The longer version is here.

Collaboration can happen unexpectedly. As it did during King’s famous speech. According to CNN Reporters, Jim Polk and Alicia Stewart (and an example of collaborative writing) in an article about 9 things about MLK's famous “I Have a Dream” speech, they write: 

King was the last speaker to address the crowd in Washington that day. As he spoke, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called out to King, "Tell 'em about the dream, Martin." Then he paused and said, "I still have a dream."

Planned or not planned, I love collaboration. There is a euphoria when I work with a group and we collaborate. I’m also guilty of not being collaborative. It’s usually when my ego gets in the way. I wonder what great collaborations I missed. 

I can’t help myself but end today’s blog on an up note. I don’t know why, every month or so, this tune pops in my head and I start laughing to myself.

Please enjoy Eddie Murphy as Stevie Wonder and Joe Piscopo as Frank Sinatra doing their special rendition of Ebony and Ivory. 

Enjoy and Collaborate.