Grammy Award-winner R. Carlos Nakai releases his latest instrumental CD, Canyon Trilogy: Deluxe Platinum Edition
(Canyon Records) Some artists are instrumental in creating the soundtrack of our lives. For me, Grammy Award-winner R. Carlos Nakai is one of those. The first time I heard a piece of his music, I was transfixed by the combination of Nakai’s sheer musicality, the lyricism of the cedar flute, and the transmission of something more than simply music.
Based on the fact that Nakai’s seminal 1989 release, Canyon Trilogy, has achieved platinum status, I’m not the only one who feels this way. In January 2015, Nakai was presented with the Platinum Record commemorating the milestone of one million copies sold—a first for a Native American artist playing a traditional instrument. The Deluxe Platinum Edition of Canyon Trilogy, newly released by Canyon Records, contains the classic favorites of the three-part album with five previously unreleased tracks, grouped together in the segment “Recollections.” Even the first few notes of the opening track “Song for the Morning Star,” is transformative. It is soothing salve for mind, body, heart, and spirit—a feeling that continues throughout the album’s 75 minutes. The five new additions to the deluxe edition continue the artistry we expect from Nakai. And the titles such as “Within the Sacred,” “Mysteries of the Past,” and “That Which Surrounds Me,” provide evocative clues to the immersive experience. Even if you already have a copy of the original Canyon Trilogy, this is a must-have addition to a conscious music library.
Reviewed by Felicia Tomasko, President of the Bliss Network, and editor in chief of LA YOGA Magazine.
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.