Carlos Nakai's Voyagers: A Native & Jewish Musical

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Carlos Nakai's Voyagers: A Native & Jewish Musical Journey

By Tara W. Pretends Eagle 6/4/2007


For the first time ever, traditional Native flute has been beautifully
intertwined with Jewish- and Israeli-themed classical cello music,
creating magnificent cross-cultural dialogues between world-renowned
musicians R. Carlos Nakai, Navajo-Ute, flutist, and cellist Udi
Bar-David, Israeli emigre. From these dialogues, the ''Voyagers''
recording evolved, creating an unforgettable unique collection of
musical and cultural history.

Preparing for the recording, Bar-David, a 20-year veteran cellist for
the Philadelphia Orchestra, listened to American Indian traditional
music as well as Jewish- and Israeli-themed music. Once in the studio,
Bar-David explained, ''We expanded on themed music and entered an
artistic dialogue. We created it at the moment. It was an improvisation,
a natural revolution. We created a cross-cultural recording, a first of
its kind.''

Each musician had a piece or two that meant something special to them.
For Bar-David, who studied at the prestigious Julliard, ''Lech
Lamidbar,'' meaning ''go to the desert,'' and ''Hayu Leilot,'' meaning,
''those were nights,'' were special to him because they reminded him of
his childhood.

''Amazing Grace'' is Nakai's favorite piece on the CD. For him it seemed
to depict the challenging journeys of the American Indians and how they
grow, communicate and deal with the constant changes in life. ''As
American Indians, we are growing and we are a culture of many
experiences. There is no written way to be. It has to be what we know,''
Nakai furthered explained.

The two musicians first came together in 2005 at a concert series in
Arizona sponsored by Bar-David's organization, Intercultural Journeys,
which promotes cross-cultural dialogues through the arts, particularly
music. Bar-David said he looks forward to working more with Nakai and
other American Indian musicians in the future and plans on visiting
Native communities in the Southwest.

Nakai, the multi-GRAMMY nominee, felt this collaboration was ''a way to
communicate how we feel about ourselves and our culture. We envisioned a
conversation between two people in a language of music and the audience
got to listen. This encourages us to share our stories with the world,
our creations stories, and how we came to be. Israeli and the Jewish
people have been through a lot of the similar things ... the important
thing is that we are both still here.''

Nakai, a Navy veteran, has spent the last 25 years playing traditional
Native flute and has sold more than 4 million records. He was
classically trained on the trumpet but switched to traditional flute
after learning it was in jeopardy of becoming an instrument of the past.

''Voyagers'' included a special appearance by GRAMMY nominee Will
Clipman, and was recently released by the Phoenix-based Canyon Records,
a Native record label.

For more info on Nakai and Bar David's organization you can check
out:
www.rcarlosnakai.com
www.interculturaljourneys.com