Joachim Cooder: Emlen Hall: Blue Hill

Joachim Cooder is an American percussionist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist known for his innovative blend of world music, Americana, and folk traditions. Born in Santa Monica, California, he grew up immersed in a deeply creative household and began playing drums at age five, later touring and recording with his father and producer Ry Cooder.

On his Nonesuch debut, Cooder draws on the plain-spoken songs of country-music progenitor Uncle Dave Macon as a jumping-off point for an album that feels less like scholarly excavation than compellingly soulful reverie. Family anchors the project — Cooder enlisted relatives to join him as he explored tunes his father had once played for him, songs he now sings to his own young children. Banjo melodies are reworked for his electric mbira, a variation on the African thumb piano, and the novel arrangements owe as much to ambient and world music as to country. It is an unexpected — and utterly original — act of reimagination.

Presented by Bagaduce Music and First National Bank