Guest Artist

R. Carlos Nakai

Of Navajo-Ute heritage, R. Carlos Nakai is the world’s premier performer of the Native American flute. Nakai began his musical studies on the trumpet, but a car accident led him to shift his focus to the traditional cedar flute, which has become his primary instrument. An artist of immense creativity, Nakai embraces his cultural heritage as a dynamic continuum of natural change, growth, and adaptation.

Nakai's career began with his first album, Changes, released by Canyon Records in 1983. Over the years, he has released more than 50 albums, with 40 on the Canyon Records label, and has sold over 4.3 million albums. He has achieved significant milestones, including two Gold Records for Canyon Trilogy and Earth Spirit, and Canyon Trilogy reached Platinum status in 2014, marking the first-ever such recognition for a Native American artist performing traditional solo flute music.

Nakai's contributions extend beyond recordings; he has performed extensively as a soloist across the United States, Europe, and Japan, and has collaborated with artists such as William Eaton, James DeMars, and Peter Kater.

His music has been featured in major motion pictures like New World and Geronimo, and he was involved in the composition for Martha Graham's last work, Night Chant. Nakai also founded the R. Carlos Nakai Quartet to explore the intersection of ethnic and jazz idioms.

In addition to his performance career, Nakai has been recognized with 11 Grammy nominations and has worked with producer Billy Williams, a two-time Grammy winner, on orchestral works of a lighter vein. His cross-cultural endeavors include collaborations with the Wind Travelin’ Band, Tibetan flutist Nawang Khechog, and Hawaiian slack key guitarist Keola Beamer. His recent release, Voyagers, blends Native American melodies with Jewish and Arabic songs.

Nakai holds a Master’s Degree in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona and has been honored with the Arizona Governor’s Arts Award, an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University, and induction into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame. He has also co-authored The Art of the Native American Flute with composer James DeMars, a guide to performing the traditional cedar flute.

Grammy Nominations

Ancestral Voices (1994 Best Traditional Folk Album)
Inner Voices (2000 Best New Age Album)
Inside Monument Valley (2000 Best New Age Album)
In A Distant Place (2001 Best New Age Album)
Fourth World (2002 Best New Age Album)
Sanctuary (2003 Best Native American Album)
People of Peace (2005 Best New Age Album)
Reconnections (2008 Best Native American Album)
Dancing Into Silence (2009 Best New Age Album)
Awakening the Fire (2013 Best New Age Album)

“The haunting sound of the Native American flute is gaining more widespread appeal in recent years, and R. Carlos Nakai is the reason for it.”

- Billboard
“His playing reflects the duality of honoring traditions and developing new musical expressions.”

- Las Vegas Sun
“Deep inside, you know this music, because you can feel it echo in your bones.”

- Greg Fasolino, Reflex Magazine