It’s the type of instrument that anyone can play.
“There are no wrong notes or right notes,” said Joachim Cooder of the mbira, a type of African thumb piano. “It’s not chromatic. It’s not like a piano.”
Cooder, a percussionist and son of musician and producer Ry Cooder, is one of the featured performers at Saturday’s Blind Willie McTell Festival in Thomson. He plays multiple instruments, but the mbira is one of his favorites.
And it’s a good one for people to get started with.
“I always want kids to play it at an early age,” he said.
Other instruments can be intimidating because of their strict regimen, but mbira is flexible.
For many years, Cooder played an acoustic mbira. Recently he found someone who made an electric version, and it’s been lifechanging, he said.
Cooder’s most recent recording, “Over That Road I’m Bound,” came about while studying the music of Uncle Dave Macon, (1870-1952), a banjo player and singer, who is a forerunner of modern country music.
Cooder didn’t remake Macon’s songs, rather he used them and interpreted them in his own way. That was similar to Macon’s style.
“Some of Macon’s songs are esoteric to the 1800s. He sang about biscuits, skillets and gravy,” he said. “He borrowed his songs.”
An impetus for Cooder’s interest in Macon’s music came from a visit to his dad’s.
“I would bring my daughter over to my parents’ house and my dad would play the banjo, and that’s when I heard ‘Morning Blues’ again,” he said.
His daughter “became obsessed” with Macon’s songs, and he considers her the album’s the executive producer, he said. The songs she liked and played the most were songs he reimagined.
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Cooder said he’s looking forward to playing the Thomson Festival. It’s the third time he’s tried to be part of it. COVID interfered with the other two opportunities. He said he likes smaller venues with smaller crowds,
Also playing this year’s festival is Jimmie Vaughan, a founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. The four-time Grammy winner will be backed by a full band with a horn section. The Texas Gentlemen will also be on the roster for the festival.
In its 28th year, the festival honors William Samuel McTell, a blind musician and songwriter who was born in 1901.
His songs “Statesboro Blues” and “Broke Down Engine Blues” have been recorded by artists such as the Allman Brothers, Taj Mahal and others, according to the Blind Willie McTell Festival website.
Festival tickets are $40 in advance and can be purchased at blindwillie.com or at Forward McDuffie, 149 Main St. Thomson. Tickets are $50 at the gate and children 12 years old and younger are admitted free.
The festival is at 1021 Stagecoach Rd. N.E. with gates opening at 11 a.m. Music begins at noon.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
