Sound Travels

I grew up in the Southwest and spend some time each year in the Four Corners area of the U.S. More specifically I go to the Navajo Nation and enjoy the peace and quiet that I can experience there. One of the things I like most is the way the Navajo converse. They do not dive right into "what I came to see you about," but spend a bit of time chatting about life in general before getting down to business. They do not engage in verbal tennis and do not talk over each other or cut in when the other pauses for a breath. Conversation is not a race, but instead it is paced with one person speaking while the other listens. It is common to allow a period of silence after someone finishes speaking in order to assure that they have finished expressing their thought. I usually need a few days to slow down after leaving my own fast paced environment and the wide open spaces with endless skies and deep canyons definitely help me to adjust my pace. Sitting alone on the edge of one of my favorite canyons and watching the sun rise usually starts the de-stress process for me. It is soothing to watch and hear the earth come alive and to be reminded of the natural rhythms that we tend to dismiss in a more urban environment.

So what does all this have to do with Sound Travels? In order to allow myself mini-breaks from my sometimes frantic life, I keep a small collection of Navajo flute music on hand to listen to when I find myself needing some Southwest soothing. One of my favorites is "Canyon Trilogy" by R. Carlos Nakai.


Go here to listen and see if it transports you.

Other favorites are:
"Inside Monument Valley" by Paul Horn and R. Carlos Nakai
"Ancestral Voices" by R. Carlos Nakai and William Eaton with the Black Lodge Singers

Artist website:
R. Carlos Nakai

Where is music transporting you today?