Ryland Peter Cooder first picked up a guitar at the age of 4 when he lost an eye and maybe needed a new friend. He found it, and so did the guitar and a world of musicians, from the recording studios of LA to Havana and Timbuktu. He’s been a studio star, recording his slide guitar with groups from Taj Mahal to Little Feat to the Rolling Stones. As a solo performer, Ry Cooder became a distinctive musical pilgrim, bringing his swing and syncopation, warmth and emotional depth first to American Roots… civil war songs and dust bowl ballads and then to the world, playing with talents like V.M. Bhatt, Ali Farke Toure and then with the Cuban sensation, “The Buena Vista Social Club”. In his latest CD, “Mambo Sinuendo”, Cooder has paired his guitar with that of Cuban guitar maestro, Manuel Galban… who Ry Cooder describes as “the last man twanging in Havana.” Tonight, Ry Cooder, an American master who has searched the world for honest music, music with authenticity.

Guests:

Ry Cooder, slide guitarist, uber-sessioneer and world music ambassador.