Ep. 74 - Joachim Cooder

Drummer, songwriter and producer Joachim Cooder joins me on the show this month. Joachim is the son of legendary slide guitarist Ry Cooder, and grew up around music in a way that few of us can comprehend. Living in an old firehall in Los Angeles, Joachim was exposed to music from the time he was born. With regular visits to the house/studio from Jim Keltner, Joachim understandably developed an interest in drumming, grew and developed a unique style and went on to play on many of his Dad’s great albums from the 90’s on. Albums like “My Name Is Buddy”, “Election Special”, “Buena Vista Social Club” and the spellbinding “Mambo Sinuendo” all feature Joachim’s incredible percussion and drumming. In more recent years, Joachim has developed a voice on the Array Mbira, a sort of complex, electrified kalimba. He released an album featuring his own original songs last year entitled “Fuchsia Machu Pichu” that bears a sonic resemblance to Ry’s album “Prodigal Son”, which displays the importance Joachim’s sounds are to his Dad’s contemporary music. I spoke to Joachim about growing up in the Cooder household, drumming with Keltner, songwriting, the Mbira, and some of the incredible sessions he’s been involved with. Enjoy my conversation with Joachim Cooder and please subscribe to the podcast! Get ad-free episodes and access to all early episodes by subscribing to Patreon.

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