Rick DellaRatta on Jazz for Peace: When Music Becomes a Movement
- Mary McCorvey
- Sep 18, 2025
- 2 min read
Originally published on Mary McCorvey's Substack.
Sometimes the most powerful movements don’t begin in a boardroom or a battlefield. They begin with a single piano on Christmas morning and a boy discovering that sound itself can raise the human spirit.
This week on Experience Over Expectation, I sit down with Rick DellaRatta—a world-class jazz pianist, composer, and the founder of Jazz for Peace. His story is one of those rare reminders that art is never “just entertainment.” It can be activism, healing, and hope.
Rick tells us about the poem he wrote in the shadow of 9/11 that became the seed for Jazz for Peace, leading to concerts across the world—from the United Nations to Rwanda—where music literally helped communities rebuild. He shares the wonder of improvisation, how music raises human consciousness, and why his philosophy is simple but profound: the final solution is love.
We talk about:
How a six-year-old’s improvisations revealed the magic of raising frequency
The United Nations concert that brought together Israeli, Palestinian, and American musicians
The Jazz for Peace Empowerment Grant Program that strengthens nonprofits with funds, sponsors, and new supporters
Why Rick believes even “1% funding for peace” would transform our world
And yes—he plays for us. A moment of improvisation and poetry you won’t hear the same way twice.
Rick’s work is a reminder that we all hold potential awards in our hands: creativity, compassion, the drive to make a difference. The question is whether we’ll accept them.
🎧 Listen here:
Learn more about Rick DellaRatta’s movement: https://jazzforpeace.org/
📖 And don’t forget—my new book Experience Over Expectation launches September 23. Pre-order today at marymccorvey.com and join me in challenging the myth of the perfect plan.
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With gratitude, Mary
P.S. What role has music played in your own life? A memory, a song, a concert that lifted you higher? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.
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