National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Donors from the four corners of the earth are digging deep into their pockets to support a new musical project that merges innovation with the fight against cancer.

Pioneers For a Cure is an ongoing effort to unite all nations to reclaim - and revive - the songs of their founding fathers by having them recorded by artists who then choose the cancer organization that will benefit from the proceeds of the song downloads, a stellar model of artist-driven grassroots philanthropy. The first phase is "The Postcard Project: The Songs that Built Israel."

The immediate goal of Pioneers For a Cure is to sell $100,000 of song download donations earmarked for cancer research and treatment by the end of 2009. To date, 20 cancer organizations have thus far received proceeds from the first round of disbursement the first week of August 2009.

Pioneers For a Cure is produced by musician and composer Rabbi Greg Wall in cooperation with Joodayoh, Inc, a 501(c)3 non-profit arts and education organization whose mission is to cultivate and present genuinely innovative - even subversive - arts projects that promote the trans-denominational, universal values of social justice, kindness and charity.

The first phase of Pioneers For a Cure raises money for cancer research while preserving the lost music of the pioneers. The project involves a unique and creative approach to reviving folk music with a modern edge: recording new versions of songs of each respective nations' Pioneer era.

The seed of the project was planted when Wall, a well-known New York-based saxophonist and music producer, was approached by an anonymous benefactor from a prominent philanthropic family who was "sick and tired" of cancer and wanted to do something to raise funds in a different way.

Conducting research, Wall found information about how Israel's music came to be, which included the dissemination of specially commissioned "folksongs" across the planet on postcards printed with the words and music. A few years later a prominent musicologist sent some of the postcards to famous composers, such as Aaron Copeland, Darius Milhaud, and Kurt Weill, hoping these musicians would create original arrangements of the songs to sustain Jewish identity in and beyond the twentieth century.

After each Pioneers for a Cure artist agreed to be involved, Wall sent them a song on an e-postcard, rather then a recording. Just like the original recipients nearly a century ago, each musician had to stoke their creative fires.

When someone visits the website www.pioneersforacure.org, makes a donation and downloads a song, the proceeds go to the charity each musician has chosen. Alongside the aforementioned musicians, the list has grown to over 55 artists, including Pharaoh's Daughter, Rebbe Soul and Frank London & Joshua Nelson.

Pioneers For a Cure is offering a free download, "Am Yisrael Chai," ("The People of Israel Live") here.

The need to raise money for cancer research could not be more pressing. According to recent statistics, 1.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, joining the 10 million Americans who have experienced cancer in their lifetimes. This is the intent of Pioneers For a Cure, a unique, artist-driven initiative created to provide funding for cancer research and treatment through a growing group of individuals determined to make a difference in the lives of people with cancer, honor so many lost already, and revive as many pioneer songs as they can for a new generation.