The mellow music of Barclay Martin has never delivered such a powerful point.</p><p>Martin, the music director and featured musician for the forthcoming documentary &ldquo;Zamboanga: Poverty, War, Music,&rdquo; led a forceful yet poignant benefit concert Sunday at Yardley Hall.</p><p>Martin began traveling to the Philippines three years ago on behalf of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a great privilege and an absolutely brilliant education,&rdquo; Martin said.</p><p>By the end of Sunday&rsquo;s event, most of the audience of about 1,000 probably shared that sentiment.</p><p>The documentary, which Martin said should be completed next spring, focuses on the struggles of the people in the war-torn area around Zamboanga City. Part of Martin&rsquo;s mission there was to connect Filipino youth with their indigenous musical culture.</p><p>The presentation included film footage from a concert performed there as well as interviews with several Filipinos &mdash; an interview with a young, charismatic Filipino provided one of the evening&rsquo;s most compelling moments.</p><p> Remarkable displays by the Sinag-Tala Dance Troupe were similarly mesmerizing. Thanks to excellent production by Quixotic Fusion, the contributions from live musicians and dancers were seamlessly melded with film clips.</p><p>Most of the concert featured the music of Martin. The Kansas City-based artist is a tasteful purveyor of melodic folk music.</p><p>The material he performed from the film&rsquo;s soundtrack retains his gentle approach. &ldquo;Raindrops&rdquo; incorporated Filipino rhythmic elements, but for the most part Martin maintained the familiar approach that&rsquo;s made him a regional favorite.</p><p>His new songs are sympathetic but never patronizing. &ldquo;Demolition Day&rdquo; details the plight of squatters. &ldquo;Dignity&rdquo; deals with environmental crisis. The tender ballad &ldquo;Love Lies Awake&rdquo; was the most instantly memorably song of the concert.</p><p>Martin surrounds himself with exceptional musicians. Drummer Giuliano Mingucci, bassist Rick Willoughby and vocalist Shay Estes provided marvelous support, but the group&rsquo;s ringer is Mark Lowrey. </p><p>His imaginative and lively accompaniment on keyboards prevents Martin&rsquo;s achingly sincere approach from becoming overly insipid. </p><p>&ldquo;I know that learning is all we have to break the chains,&rdquo; Martin and the Sampaguita Choir sang. &ldquo;While the wheel of poverty remains.&rdquo;</p><p>In a different setting, that sentiment might have seemed preachy and cloying. But at this concert, it generated hope.</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> The soundtrack of &ldquo;Zamboanga: Poverty, War, Music&rdquo; is available at www.zamboanga themovie. com.</p><p></div>