Ry Cooder, master of World Music. He has integrated more styles and genres than most people ever listen to, from the Blues to Protest Music with sidestops on every continent. If Ry Cooder brought out an album featuring Antarctic penguins I wouldn't be surprised. He's recorded with musicians from every other continent.
Ry Cooder: No Banker Left Behind
We're starting and ending with an interest I share with Ry Cooder, Protest Music. Enjoy "No Banker Left Behind" a humorous take on the TARP bailout. Then follow me below the fold for a taste of Ry from the sixties to the present and a free download of another protest song he has just released.
Hat tip to Wikipedia for this overview of Ry Cooder's career.
Ry Cooder
The Rising Sons were Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal and Ed Cassidy. They recorded one album in the sixties, unreleased until 1992. Noted musicologist, Fred Wilson, told me that they were recording one day when a record company executive came by to visit. Ry Cooder was working on some slide licks and the executive said, "What's that?" The engineer said that's Ry Cooder playing slide. So the record company executive said, "Well we don't want that."
Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder (Rising Sons) - Last Fair Deal Gone Down
I want it and I wish we had some more. Instead Ry Cooder worked with Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, Randy Newman, and Van Dyke Parks.
He recorded with the Rolling Stones on their finest work, Sticky Fingers and Let It Bleed. Here he is playing slide on Marianne Faithful's version of "Sister Morphine".
Marianne Faithfull - Sister morphine
As a side note Memphis pianist, Jim Dickinson, was also working with the Stones at this time. Later Cooder and Dickinson worked together on another great Blues popularization, Crossroads. But we'll get to that.
Here's "Billy The Kid", released in the seventies on Into The Purple Valley, a blend of blues, gospel, calypso, and country.
Ry Cooder Billy The Kid
Never standing still he went back to the roots of Jazz music on his album Jazz. Here he is performing a Bix Beiderbeck song, "Davenport Blues", live.
Ry Cooder - Davenport Blues
There were two main guitarists on the Crossroads movie, Ry Cooder and Steve Vai. Ralph Macchio did an amazing job learning how to move his fingers but he didn't actually learn how to play like Ry Cooder. And of course, Steve Vai played the Steve Vai parts.
Ry Cooder - Crossroads (1986) "Guitarshop Blues"
Here's Ry Cooder playing with The Moula Banda Rhythm Aces at The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA on March 25'th 1987.
Ry Cooder - How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live
Cooder collaborated with V.M. Bhatt on A Meeting by the River melding the Blues and Hindustani classical music.
Ganges Delta Blues - A Meeting By The River
Then he joined Ali Farka Toure on the album Talking Timbuktu. Ali Farka Toure is a multi instrumentalist from Africa.
Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder - Goye Kur
And then it's on to Cuba for another historic recording, Buena Vista Social Club.
Buena Vista Social Club-Buena Vista Social Club
His album Chavez Ravine is a fictional look at a real place. Set Post WWII Chavez Ravine was an hispanic community that got replaced by urban sprawl.
Ry Cooder - 3rd base, Dodger stadium - Chavez Ravine
And all the way back to some Protest Music. Occupy has sparked interest in Joe Hill who has been featured recently in the Protest Music group. Ry Cooder sings about Joe Hill and Pete Seeger in "Three Chords and the Truth". Pete and Mike Seeger played on some of the other songs on My Name Is Buddy.
Ry Cooder- Three Chords and the Truth
And now to the present. Just released on Nonesuch you can get your free download of this Ry Cooder song, "Wall Street Part Of Town".
Ry Cooder: "Wall Street Part of Town" by Nonesuch Records
Free Download: Ry Cooder's New Song, "Wall Street Part of Town," in Support of Occupy Wall Street
Now that's a lot of music but there's lots more. I saw a YouTube playlist of 100 Ry Cooder songs. He's done session work for most of our favorite musicians. And he's recently got even more political, like all of us stepping up in times of need.
Hat's off to Ry Cooder, an amazing force in World Music.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
guest diarist