Vancouver Folk Music Festival

July 14 to 16, 2023

Joachim Cooder | CA

While often identified as the progeny of a famous father, Joachim Cooder has more than earned front row standing in the folk and related music world as an important performer, composer and producer on his own terms. Amongst other credits, he produced the brilliant We’ll Never Turn Back recording of Mavis Staples’ performance of “Freedom Songs”.

More recently, Cooder played drums and bass on his dad’s and Taj Mahal’s Grammy-winning tribute to Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. His most recent recording is his own tribute to legendary old time banjo player and country music legend, Uncle Dave Macon, featuring an electric mbira, a variation on the African thumb piano. Yes… electric mbira…who knew? He traces his interest in Macon to his dad listening to Pete Seeger and playing some songs to him as a child. He recalled some of these songs and would play them for his daughter. From Seeger to Ms. Cooder – five generations of lovers of old timey songs – it became a project featuring an unlikely instrument.

That’s the thing about this artist – with a seemingly endless musical imagination and range that covers vast distances, Joachim Cooder is a tribute to, and representative of, the diversity that American folk music has embraced.