R. Carlos Nakai

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R. Carlos Nakai
Grammy Award nominations
Websitewww.rcarlosnakai.com

Raymond Carlos Nakai (born April 16, 1946) is a

Grammy Award
nominations for his albums.

Biography

Early life and education

Raymond Carlos Nakai was born in

Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona, he sought to play the flute in the school band, but was assigned the cornet instead, which, he later said, he was less interested in.[4]

He began studying at

Armed Forces School of Music, and was 28th on the waiting list for admission. Playing with the Armed Forces Band became impossible after an auto accident damaged his mouth, making it impossible to produce the correct embouchure to continue playing brass instruments.[4][6][7]

Musical career

After his accident, Nakai had a brief struggle with drugs and alcohol.

Bachelor's Degree in 1979 and later earned a master's degree in American Indian studies from the University of Arizona.[4][7] He taught graphic art at a high school until 1983; his wife also worked as a teacher at the time.[4]

Nakai began recording his music on

slack key guitar player Keola Beamer.[1]

Genre and style

Nakai's music prominently features improvisations on the Native American cedar flute. He also plays the

New Age music, he has disagreed with that categorization.[4]

Recognition and legacy

Many of Nakai's records have been critically and commercially successful. Two albums, Earth Spirit (1987) and Canyon Trilogy (1989), were certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[9][10][11] Music review website AllMusic called Canyon Trilogy "[elegant] in its simplicity",[13] and referred to Earth Spirit as "an outstanding CD from a soulful man."[14]

Nakai's 1995 collaboration with

Grammy Award eleven times: first in 1993 for Ancestral Voices in the Best Traditional Folk Album category, and later eight times in the Best New Age Album category, and twice in the Best Native American Album category.[15] He has been described as one of the "most prolific and innovative artists" within his genre.[2]

Nakai developed a system of

Western classical music. It could be used across different flute types, as notes in it corresponded to intervals from the fundamental frequency of the flute, rather than to an absolute frequency.[16][17]

Nakai was featured on the 1999 film Songkeepers, which depicted five Native American flute players — Nakai, Tom Mauchahty-Ware, Sonny Nevaquaya, Hawk Littlejohn, Kevin Locke — talking about their instruments and songs, and the role of the flute and its music in their tribes.[18] Nakai's 1985 composition Cycles was used by the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1988 as the music for its ballet Nightchant.[19][20][21] In 1993, Nakai played the flute as a soloist for the Phoenix Symphony's world premiere of a concerto for the ceder flute, composed by James DeMars.[20]

In 2005, Nakai was inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame.

The Library of Congress has more than 30 of his recordings preserved in the American Folklife Center.[23]

Discography

Main article: R. Carlos Nakai discography

Nakai's first album was released in 1983 by Canyon Records. He has since released forty other albums through Canyon and appeared as a guest on other labels.[24]

Publications

  • Nakai, R. Carlos; DeMars, James; Light, Ken;
    ISBN 9780964788602
    .

References

  1. ^ a b c d Kohanov, Linda. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8165-3864-5
    .
  3. ^ "Former Navajo Nation tribal chairman dies". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8061-5469-5
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e Frank, Kathleen. "Celebrating Cultural Differences Through Music". Native American Cultural Center. Arizona Board of Regents. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Wein, Gail (April 8, 2009). "Native American Composers". NewMusicBox. New Music USA. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-1-57859-608-9
    .
  8. JSTOR 41699400
    .
  9. ^ a b c d Nakai, R Carlos. "Inductee Biography". Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on April 25, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Artist Profile". World Music Central. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  12. ^ "Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  13. ^ "Canyon Trilogy". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  14. ^ "Earth Spirit". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  15. ^ "R. Carlos Nakai". Grammys.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  16. ^ Goss, Clint (2011). "Nakai Tablature the Native American Flute". Flutopedia. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  17. ISBN 978-0-9740486-2-8
    .
  18. International Native American Flute Association. Archived from the original
    on March 3, 2006. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
  19. ^ "R. Carlos Nakai". PBS. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Cycles". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  21. ^
    ISBN 978-1-111-79477-4
    .
  22. ^ Nakai, R Carlos. "2001 Award Recipients". Northern Arizona University Office of Alumni Relations. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  23. ^ Nakai, R Carlos. "R Carlos Nakai, All Items". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
  24. ^ "R. Carlos Nakai's Biography". December 23, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2020.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=R._Carlos_Nakai&oldid=1169605963"