Joachim Cooder [son of Ry Cooder], Love on a Real Train.Full album streamed here: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/04/joachim-cooder-ry-cooder-love-on-a-real-train.htmlSometimes it takes someone turning the page to come up with new music. Maybe figure out another way to create music, and not be afraid to take a chance on how it may or may not turn out. Joachim Cooder has had a first-row seat on just that kind of experimentation while watching his father Ry Cooder record soundtracks and make music with a veritable United Nations of artists. For his own debut, Joachim Cooder changed the channel. He would record instrumental pieces, and then send them to different people for them to finish, adding their own contributions to create a final song. He called them "space shells," and may have come across the future.
All of the results are, well, stunning, like Petra Haden's "Slowly in the Night Sky." Between them, she and Cooder may have come up with the modern answer to Enya, fashioning a sound that goes beyond music into the world of inspirational healing. Inara George's "Painted into Zoom," is a seductive joy, opening the door to a whole new world. Juliette Commagere's "Gold" captures a spell-binding time that begs for a whole album. Then there's Robert Francis' two contributions, and while they arrive a little from left field they also become quickly addictive, stretching the boundaries of an already mesmerizing style into uncharted land. Jon Hassell takes this journey to its final conclusion on "Shinkansen." To call Hassell a trumpet player doesn't come close to what he does with sound, and with Cooder he has created another majestic soundscape to add to his already impressive resume. Other fellow space shell cadets include Frank Lyon and Matt Costa.
Love on a Real Train goes where no one has quite gone before, or at least not like this. Along with Martin Pradler's studio and musical assistance, Joachim Cooder has found a way to collaborate and push what happens when people work together to a different place. On most of the songs, he wasn't there once he sent the music to the various artists. In our new technology-driven world, where communication often exists in the ozone of email, text messages, and tweets, maybe Cooder has discovered the new jam session. Just hit send, and let the fun begin.
http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/music/bentleys-bandstand-dr-john-joachim-cooder-wes-montgomery/