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All Music Guide:
Tucson-based multi-instrumentalist R. Carlos Nakai is a Native-American musician and cultural anthropologist of Navajo-Ute descent. Though he received classical training on the trumpet, his numerous recordings consist primarily of resonant solo performances of Native-American flute improvisations with a judicious use of synthesizers, chanting, and nature sounds. Nakai only occasionally features arrangements of traditional melodies from various tribes; instead, he is primarily concerned with creating original compositions that capture the essence of his heritage in highly personalized ways. In addition to his solo recordings, Nakai has had the opportunity to create new avenues of expression for the Native American flute through collaborations with various artists over the years, including the ethnic jazz band Jackalope, keyboardist Peter Kater, contemporary classical composer James DeMars, and multi-instrumentalist William Eaton.
Wikipedia:
Raymond Carlos “R.” Nakai (born April 16, 1946) is a Native American flautist of Navajo/Ute heritage.
Biography
Born Ray Carlos Nakai, in Flagstaff, Arizona, he released his first album, Changes, in 1983. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, and two of his records, Canyon Trilogy and Earth Spirit, have been RIAA certified Gold, two of the first Native American flute albums to go gold.
He published The Art of the Native American Flute in 1996 with James Demars, Ken Light and David P. McAllester, which provided resources and support for other musicians playing the Native American flute. It defined a system of tablature notation that could be used across a wide variety of flute keys and tunings.
In 2005 he was inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame. As well as having a large number of solo albums, Nakai has also worked with many other musicians, including Tibetan flutist Nawang Khechog, flutist Paul Horn, and American composer Philip Glass. In 2005 he traveled to Hawaii to collaborate with slack key guitar master Keola Beamer fusing two very different indigenous American cultural forms and producing the album, "Our Beloved Land." He lives in Tucson, Arizona. Nakai earned a Master’s Degree in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona. He was awarded the Arizona Governor’s Arts Award in 1992, and an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University in 1994.
