Originally a performer of the classical trumpet, Nakai was given a Native American flute and challenged to see what he could do with it. Mixing the traditions of his Native American heritage with an iconoclastic outlook, Nakai was on the cutting edge of the renaissance of Native American culture. Following his first release in 1983, Changes, he would go on to release more than thirty albums with Canyon Records plus additional albums and guest appearances on other labels.

In 2004, the R. Carlos Nakai Quartet released its fourth and finest adventure in global native groove, People of Peace, featuring R. Carlos Nakai, vocalist Mary Redhouse, multi-instrumentalist AmoChip Dabney, and percussionist Will Clipman.

Mutual fans of one another's musical careers, Keola Beamer and Nakai met when Nakai was organizing a workshop at Kalani Honua in Hawaii. Nakai wanted to include Hawaiian culture in the workshop and Beamer offered his services. Nakai, who has brought the traditional Native American flute into new musical genres, including jazz, new age and classical, constantly seeks new collaborators and new musical worlds to explore. Therefore, it was natural that he would approach Beamer to see if he would be interested in doing a musical collaboration mixing disparate cultures. The result is Our Beloved Land.

Our Beloved Land features the sound of the Native American flute accompanied by the harmonies of the slack key guitar. Several songs also feature Beamer's soulful vocal renditions of original and traditional Hawaiian songs.

R. Carlos Nakai (solo works)

Changes(Canyon Records CR-615)

Cycles (Canyon Records CR-614)

Desert Dance (CH13033)

Journeys (Canyon Records CR-613)

Earth Spirit (Canyon Records CR-612)

Canyon Trilogy (Canyon Records CR-610)

Emergence (Canyon Records CR-609)

Mythic Dreamer (Canyon Records CR-608)

Spirit Horses (Canyon Records CR-7014)

Native Tapestry (Canyon Records CR-7015)

Inner Voices (Canyon Records CR-7021)

Sundance Season (CH13024)

Two World Concerto (Canyon Records CR-7016)

Kokopelli's Cafe

Big Medicine (Canyon Records CR-7024) www.canyonrecords.com/cr7024.htm

Ancient Future (Canyon Records CR-7040) www.canyonrecords.com/cr7040.htm

With the Wind Travelin' Band

Island of Bows (Canyon Records CR-7018) www.canyonrecords.com/cr7018.htm

With Paul Horn

Inside Canyon de Chelly (Canyon Records CR-7019) www.canyonrecords.com/cr7019.htm

Inside Monument Valley (Canyon Records CR-7020) www.canyonrecords.com/cr7020.htm

With William Eaton

Carry the Gift (Canyon Records CR-7006) www.canyonrecords.com/cr7006.htm

Winter Dreams (Canyon Records CR-7007) www.canyonrecords.com/cr7007.htm

Ancestral Voices (Canyon Records CR-7010) www.canyonrecords.com/cr7010.htm

Feather, Stone &Light (Canyon Records CR-7011) with Will Clipman www.canyonrecords.com/cr7011.htm

Red Wind (Canyon Records CR-7017) with Will Clipman www.canyonrecords.com/cr7017.htm

With Peter Kater

Honorable Sky (Silverwave Records SD807)

Improvisations in Concert (Silverwave Records SD910)

Migration (Silverwave Records SD704)

Natives (Silverwave Records SD601)

How the West Was Lost, Vol. 1 (Silverwave Records SD801)

How the West Was Lost, Vol. 2 (Silverwave Records SD901)

R. Carlos Nakai articles:

• R. Carlos Nakai Quartet's People of Peace Wins Best World Album Nammy Award
• The Best of 2 Worlds: A Tribute to Native American Flautist and World Musician R. Carlos Nakai
• Sharing the Land
• R.Carlos Nakai and Jack Miller to Be Inducted to Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall Of Fame
• Keeping the Peace
• Rocky Mountain high
• Nakai, Eaton, Clipman, Nawang