Product Description

This album best captures the timeless serenity of the solo Native American flute. R. Carlos Nakai's music speaks to the spirit with a simplicity that transcends place and time. Includes original compositions, traditional Athabascan and Omaha melodies.

Track Listing

1. Shaman's Call
2. Canyon Reverie
3. In Media Res
4. Gateway
5. Athabascan Song
6. Coyote Animus
7. Song of the Evening Star
8. Ancient Dreams
9. Catfish Muse
10. Star Chant
11. Aura Aurealis
12. Crystal Canyon
13. Omaha Song
14. Nemi
15. Earth Spirit

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15629 in Music
• Released on: 1993-11-23
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com essential recording
This collection of solo flute pieces from Navajo-Ute musician R. Carlos Nakai is an evocative delight. The album consists of mostly original material, from the composition "Canyon Reverie," to the improvisational "In Media Res," to "Athabascan Song," an arrangement of a traditional song. The latter in particular stands out, with a faster rhythm and more lilting melody than most of the other pieces. There's also "Ancient Dreams," performed on a bone whistle; the instrument almost exceeds the upper range of human hearing, and Nakai occasionally sounds like he's imitating birdcalls. A classically trained musician, Nakai blends musical traditions to create a whole that reminds one, on occasion, of Japanese shakuhachi music. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews

Earth Spirit
This has to be one of the most beautiful, "serenity-inducing" recordings I've found in a long time. It seems to induce that wonderful meditative state in which one is calmed and yet energized. Nakai is a true master of the Native American flute -- he has an incredible knowledge and feel for the traditional works and this informs his own exquisite compositions. A real find.

Wonderfully Done
Nakki produces a romantic, healing, while vaguely haunting music that gently transports you back to a time when music was more than just entertainment. Nakki emulates the traditional music of his Navajo-Ute in a way that is both touching and mystic. Be prepared to be taken on a journey where you will be introduced to the feelings an impressions that Nakki himself experiences. He will show you through his music what the world around his means to him, and he will instill that awe of life in you.

Nakki doesn't fall into the trap of giving the musical tourist exactly what he expects. There is no chanting or jingling bells, no corny sound effects or war cries. Instead he simply taps into that inner peace that we all look for. Perhaps that's the reason so many people have come to appreciate his music. The universal understanding of, and need for, peace and insight.

Pure and Sweet!
I bought this CD without really knowing what I was getting into after I spent a week on the Shoshone and Arapaho Reservation. I especially enjoy "Athabascan Song" and "Ancient Dreams". If you really focus on relaxing and listening, the true beauty of these songs will wash over you. Words are not needed.