An evening with R. Carlos Nakai

Having released over forty albums since his debut in 1983, R. Carlos Nakai is the world’s premier performer of the Native American flute. Originally trained in classical trumpet and music theory, Nakai was given a traditional cedar wood flute as a gift and challenged to see what he could do with it. An intimate audience joined us in the intimate Clive Davis Theater to find out first-hand what makes this nine-time GRAMMY nominee such a dynamic force. Hearing Nakai in discussion about his continuous exploration of new musical settings and about how his career has been shaped by a desire to communicate a sense of Native American culture that transcends the common stereotypes presented in mass media. After the discussion, led by GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Bob Santelli, Nakai took questions from the audience and performed a selection of songs.