BIOS INFORMATION
R. Carlos Nakai – Of Navajo-Ute heritage, RC is the world’s premier performer of the Native American flute. Originally trained in classical trumpet and music theory, he was given a traditional cedar wood flute as a gift and challenged to see what he could do with it. His first album, Changes, was released on the Canyon Records label in 1983 and since then he has released over thirty more recordings. In addition to his solo appearances throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, Nakai has worked with guitarist William Eaton, flutist Paul Horn, pianist Peter Kater and various symphonies throughout the US and Canada. In 1994 his third collaboration with Eaton, Ancestral Voices, was a Grammy Awards finalist in Best Traditional Folk Music. His albums, Inside Monument Valley, with Paul Horn and Inner Voices were Grammy finalists in 2000 in the New Age category, and In A Distant Place, with Eaton, Clipman and special guest, Nawang Khechog was a Grammy finalist in 2001, again in the New Age category. Mr. Nakai has received the Arizona Governor’s Arts Award, an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the First Americans in the Arts. Nakai see his role as a performer of the traditional flute not to reiterate the traditional sounds, but to find new avenues of expression for both the traditional and contemporary native cultures of America.
William Eaton – Acknowledged as one of the world’s great designers and builders of unique guitars, Eaton began playing stringed instruments when he was given a ukulele as a boy. As an apprentice of to John Roberts, he built his first guitar in 1971 and co-founded the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix in 1975, where he continues as director of the school. An innovative artist and composer, Eaton has performer as a soloist, with the Nouveau West Chamber Orchestra, the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, and with his own group, the William Eaton Ensemble. His recording career includes six collaborations with Nakai for Canyon Records, including two Grammy nominations. Separately, Eaton has released four recordings on the Canyon label with his third, Where rivers meet, earning a Billboard Critic’s Choice.
Will Clipman – Will began playing his father’s drums and his mother’s piano at the age of three. He played his first professional gig at fourteen, embarking on an eclectic career that has spanned jazz, rock, fusion, blues, new age, Native American and world music. Will has performed on over forty recordings, including fifteen for Canyon Records. In addition to his avant-garde adventures with Nakai, Eaton and Clipman, Will performs and records with R Carlos Nakai Quartet, the William Eaton Ensemble and the Conrads, playing everything from acoustic world jazz fusion to electric roots rockin’ blues. Will has also created a solo performance called Global Village Musical Story Theater, which combines his original masks and mythopoetic storytelling with live music on a multicultural array of indigenous instruments.
For more information on the music contact www.canyonrecords.com
Nawang Khechog is a Tibetan avant-garde musician and composer, international recording and performing artist. Nawang was a monk for eleven years, studying Buddhist philosophy and meditation with H.H. the Dalai Lama and many other Tibetan masters. The heart of Nawang’s inspiration is Tibetan spiritual traditions and his spontaneous musical expression. He has released solo and collaborative albums, contributed to many compilation albums and composed music for plays and films. He joins the Nakai trio on Tibetan flutes, long horn and overtone chanting.
For more information Nawang Khechog go to www.nawangkhechog.com