R. Carlos Nakai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids R. Carlos Nakai
Nakai playing in Moscow in 2012
Born	(1946-04-16) April 16, 1946 (age 79) Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
Occupation	Native American flute player
Years active	1982–present
Awards	Grammy Award nominations

Raymond Carlos Nakai (born April 16, 1946) is a famous Native American flute player. He is from the Navajo and Ute tribes. Carlos Nakai first played brass instruments in school. Later, an accident made it hard for him to play the trumpet. This led him to learn the traditional Native American cedar flute.

He mostly taught himself how to play the flute. His first album, Changes, came out in 1983. After that, he joined Canyon Records. This company helped him release over thirty albums. His music often features new songs for the flute. These songs are inspired by old Native American melodies. Nakai has worked with many other musicians. He has also been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards for his music.

About R. Carlos Nakai

Early Life and Learning

Raymond Carlos Nakai was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, on April 16, 1946. His family has roots in the Navajo and Ute tribes. His father, Raymond Nakai, was the leader of the Navajo Nation from 1963 to 1970.

As a child, Carlos Nakai helped with a Navajo language radio show. His parents hosted the show. During this time, he heard a recording of William Horn Cloud. He was a Lakota musician playing the flute. When Carlos Nakai went to high school, he wanted to play the flute. But he was given the cornet instead. He later said he was not as interested in the cornet.

He started college at Northern Arizona University in 1966. There, he played brass instruments in the marching band. After his second year, he joined the United States Navy. He spent two years studying communications in Hawai'i and the South Pacific. He tried out for the Royal Hawaiian Band but was not accepted. He continued to get music training in the military.

In 1971, he returned to the Navajo reservation. He faced a difficult time after an auto accident. This accident hurt his mouth. It made it impossible for him to play brass instruments anymore. Carlos Nakai now lives in Tucson, Arizona.

His Music Career

After his accident, Carlos Nakai was given a traditional cedar flute in 1972. He slowly taught himself how to play it. He later bought a flute from Oliver William Jones. Jones was a flute maker from California. He continued to get flutes from Jones for many years.

It was hard for Nakai to learn more songs. There were no recordings or written music for traditional flute songs. So, he started learning vocal music. He then changed many traditional songs to be played on the flute. He went back to Northern Arizona University. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in 1979. Later, he earned a master's degree in American Indian studies.

Nakai began recording his music on cassettes. He sold them on the Navajo Reservation. He played his music at an exhibit at the Heard Museum. A person from Canyon Records bought one of his cassettes. His playing impressed the museum leaders. They offered him a job, and Nakai worked there for three years.

He recorded his album Changes in 1983. He sold it on his own at first. Soon after, he signed a contract with Canyon Records. They released over thirty of his recordings in the next decades. By 2016, Nakai had recorded many albums. He had sold over 3.5 million records. He worked with many musicians. These included the Japanese group Wind Travelin' Band. He also worked with cellist Udi Bar-David. Other collaborators were guitarist William Eaton and composer Philip Glass. He also worked with Tibetan flutist Nawang Khechog.

Music Style and Sound

Carlos Nakai's music often features his own ideas on the Native American cedar flute. He also plays the eagle-bone whistle. He uses synthesizers, chanting, and sounds from nature in his music. He sometimes plays traditional melodies. But most of his music creates new songs. These songs capture the spirit of his heritage in his own way.

Nakai says, "I build upon the tribal context, while still retaining its essence. Much of what I do builds upon and expresses the environment and experience that I’m having at the moment." He has worked with musicians from different music styles. These include jazz, classical music, and traditional music from around the world. He has also written some orchestral pieces. His music is popular with fans of New Age music. However, he does not agree with that label for his work.

Awards and Impact

Many of Carlos Nakai's albums have been very successful. Two albums, Earth Spirit (1987) and Canyon Trilogy (1989), earned Gold awards. This means they sold many copies. The music website AllMusic called Canyon Trilogy "elegant in its simplicity." They also called Earth Spirit "an outstanding CD from a soulful man."

Nakai's 1995 album with William Eaton, Feather, Stone, and Light, was very popular. It was number one on the New Age music album charts for 13 weeks. He has been nominated for the Grammy Award eleven times. His first nomination was in 1993 for Ancestral Voices. He has been called one of the "most prolific and innovative artists" in his music style.

Nakai created a way to write down Native American music. It is called Nakai tablature. This system is like the notation used in Western classical music. It can be used for different types of flutes. The notes show how far they are from the flute's main sound.

Nakai was in the 1999 film Songkeepers. This film showed five Native American flute players. They talked about their instruments and songs. They also discussed the role of the flute in their tribes. Nakai's song Cycles was used for a ballet in 1988. In 1993, Nakai played the flute as a soloist. He performed with the Phoenix Symphony.

In 2005, Nakai was added to the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame. He received the Arizona Governor's Arts Award in 1992. He also received an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University in 1994. The Library of Congress has over 30 of his recordings. They are kept in the American Folklife Center.

Discography

Nakai's first album was released in 1983 by Canyon Records. He has since released many other albums through Canyon. He has also appeared as a guest on other music labels.

See also

In Spanish: R. Carlos Nakai para niños