Native American Music

R. Carlos Nakai. Coyote Oldman. Both excellent.

I recommend the catalogs of Coyote Oldman and R. Carlos Nakai. Two of my favorites by Coyote Oldman: Compassion and Tear of the Moon and Nakai: Big Medicine and Journeys vol.3.

Budrew & Rec, do those recordings also include percussion? Thanks (I'm a big fan of all kinds of percussion).

The Coyote Oldman albums do not. However, Nakai does various collaborations and some of them do include percussion. Go to Amazon.com and listen to some sample of the various albums. I don't recall offhand which ones do.

Budrew and Rec--thanks much for your help.

If the instrument you mention is made of cedar and doesn't seem to be in any particular standard key, it may well be a traditional cedar flute. As mentioned by Budrew and Rec, Coyote Oldman and R. Carlos Nakai will provide the best examples. Personally, I prefer the works of R. Carlos Nakai. For some of the best of his solo flute recordings with a traditional flavor, may I suggest 'Emergence: Songs of the Rainbow World'.

Nakai produced two albums with Paul Horn, "Inside Monument Valley" and "Inside Canyon de Chelly" which are excellent. Agree with Goinbroke about "Songs of Rainbow World" and also recommend "Inner Voices" by Nakai. I believe all are released thru Canyon Records.

I should mention that Coyote Oldman does some more traditional stuff but then also does some "space music" styled flute playing with electronic effects. I really enjoy all of it. Nakai is more traditional.

CDBaby.com has tons. You can listen before you buy, also.

Brad Day
Atlanta, GA

My "dear old Mom" picked up a CD at an arts-n-crafts fair for me.
Pretty good flute, chanting and drumming.
Artist is Navajo-Apache.

Perry Silverbird/The Blessing Way
Distributor:
Celestial Harmonies
Tuscon, AZ

Also, liked the Navajo flute in "Wind Talkers" movie.

If you want to hear how a tradional flute sounds pick up Canyon Trilogoies from Carlos Nakai. Awesome! Truly hauntong sounds and melodies, even an eagle bone whistle on one of the tracks.

Much thanks for all your helpful suggestions--just one of the many reasons I find this site so valuable.

Check out Inca Son @ Incason.com. I have seen them on several occasions at festivals and public events in Boston. They are wonderful, and always draw sizable audiences. I've picked up one of their cds at these events, but I think they're also available on-line.

http://www.marinaraye.com/ Her husband makes recorder/flutes and she makes CD's playing them.