Ryland Peter Cooder is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer and record producer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.
The virtuoso guitarist has been a musician other musicians have followed closely, and no popular musician has a broader or deeper catalogue. He has played songs so simple that they are hardly songs, and songs so complex that they would tax, if not overwhelm, the capacities of most talented guitarists.
Rolling Stone, in 2003, named him the 8th greatest guitarist on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, his influence has been felt more than his records have been heard, with perhaps some exceptions: the group of elderly Cuban musicians whom he assembled and recorded in 1997 and called the Buena Vista Social Club, Also recording with Ali Farka Toure, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and Manuel Galban, to name a few.
On July 11, 1979: The first U.S. digitally-recorded LP of (with vocals), Bop 'Til You Drop by guitarist Ry Cooder, was released by Warner Bros. Records.
Ry Cooder - Look at Granny Run Run
Ry Cooder - Get Rhythm - 2018 Remastered
Ry Cooder - Think It's Going to Work out Fine
Ry Cooder -Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan
Ry Cooder - I Can Tell by the Way You Smell
Ry Cooder - The Dark End of the Street – Live
Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas
Ry Cooder - The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor)
Ry Cooder & V.M. Bhatt Ganges - Delta Blues
Ry Cooder - Let's Have a Ball
Ali Farka Touré, Ry Cooder - Ai Du
Ry Cooder - Across the Borderline
Ry Cooder - Down in Hollywood
Jazz Matters
I built Jazz Matters as my home for contemporary jazz, nu-jazz, and world music — and now it’s also home to a small number of guest shows and mixes from people I rate.
Expect contemporary jazz, nu-jazz, and global sounds — with tracklists, long reads, interviews, and playlists that go deeper than the usual.
Jazz Matters is a not-for-profit hobby project I’m extremely proud of. It began in May 2021 as a weekly radio show on a London community station, and that spirit of discovery still guides everything I do.
Today it reaches 40,000+ open-minded listeners across 57 countries on 24+ platforms.
In 2026, I’m taking things up a gear with clear sections: JM Studio Notes, the Music Player, Show Notes & Playlists, Sleeve Notes, Interviews, and Music Videos.
A full digital relaunch from my new studio follows — and after that, Jazz Matters podcasts and mixes will be exclusive to this website.
A bold new chapter begins soon. New location. New studio. New player.
Jazz Matters — because the music, and everything around it, truly does.