Bringing together a stable of musicians as good as any band Cooder has assembled, My Name Is Buddy finds him reuniting with accordion master Flaco Jimenez, as well as soul singers Terry Evans and Bobby King.

NPR: A Dustbowl Lament from an American Chameleon

In the late '70s, when 24-track recording was possible but there was no reliable way to automate mixing, mixing records was a live performance, with the producer, the engineer and half the band called in to push faders up and down as the track was bounced to the master tape.

ENGADGET: Music Thing: Frontier Alphatrack

The band, in its own words, is made up of Maori musicians, a Samoan beat master and a Kiwi horn section.

NPR: Fat Freddy's Drop Blends Reggae, Soul And DJ Culture