Cherokee Spirit Pride

Music:

Member Since: 4/8/2007
Band Website: mywdot.com/terikiajazhara
Band Members:

Like Patsy Cline ! You'll LOVE Ann Pascoe !
Persenting Ann Pascoe !
From New Zealand !

Ann Pascoe Web-site
Ann Pascoe Fan Club
Ann Pascoe's Myspace

Some have described Ann Pascoe as the one of the best country singers currently
within the New Zealand shores. She is certainly an authentic country girl who was
born on a back country sheep farm, milked cows after her marriage, and raised
five children.

It was only in the last few years after listening to lyrics of Merle Haggard
the Statler Brothers, and Hoyt Axton, and always having been a writer; and
also a poet (of simple verse) that it seemed a natural progression to write
country song lyrics.

“I started writing songs and wanted someone to sing them, but nobody seemed keen.
I thought I should do them myself,” she says. She took singing lessons
and learned the basics of singing, then stylised to country music.

Her first public singing was in September 2001, singing with a live band at a country music club and Pascoe hasn’t looked back.

Making it on the world wide country music scene.
A big talent and a clear, sweet voice with songs to match.
On stage, winning audiences with her sincere stage presence
that can warm the words of any song, many she has written herself,
Annie is filling a niche for herself in her unique style.
Collier USA

PLEASE BE KIND AND RESPECT MY WORLD AS I YOURS WHEN POSTING COMMENTS.
I PROMOTE NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS HERE ON THIS BAND SITE OF MYSPACE.
Brent Blount
Native American /Jazz /Blues
Brent Blount Web-site

Michael Searching Bear
Indie / Acoustic / Healing & Easy Listening
2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards WINNER
for album of the year 'Voice From Within' cd release.
Michael Searching Bear Web-site
Michael Searching Bear Voice From Within CD
Michael Searching Bear Un Earthed CD

D Johnson
New Favorite Male Vocalist - February 2007
New Country Star
"Midnight Song" - 1 Hit Single January 7, 2007
Super Country Hits
"Only Wind Blowing Sand" 9 of Top 50 Songs of 2006
Super Country Hits
D Johnson Web-site

Finding Windsong
Brad Clonch
Ambient / Acoustic / Indie
Brad Clonch Finding Windsong CD

Canyon Records Has Given Me Permission To
Promote These Fine Native American Artists.

Peter Phippen
Will Clipman & Robert Tree Cody
Robert Tree Cody & Will Clipman
Nakai
Kelvin Mockingbird

The Native American Ten Commandments
1. Treat the earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.
2. Remain close to the Great Spirit.
3. Show great respect for your fellow beings.
4. Work together for the benefit of all mankind.
5. Give assistance and kindness whenever needed.
6. Do what you know to be right.
7. Look after the well being of mind and spirit.
8. Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.
9. Be truthful and honest at all times.
10. Take full responsibility for your actions.
Amazing Grace

This hymn was written in 1779 by John Newton who, until his early 20's, was an unbeliever.
A decade later he had become a devout preacher.
The tune was known as "An Early American Melody" and became a favorite of the Cherokees.
It was sung on the Trail of Tears and can be considered the
Cherokee National Anthem.

Trail of Tears"On September 15, 1830, at Little Dancing Rabbit Creek, the Chiefs of the Choctaw Nation and representatives of the U.S. met to discuss the impact of a bill recently passed by the Congress of the U.S. This bill, with all the same good intentions of those today who believe they know better than we how to conduct our lives, allowed for the removal of all Indian peoples to the West of the Mississippi River.

It had been made clear to the Choctaw, that the Whites in Washington cared little for our situation, that either we willingly moved, or by military force we would be moved. We were not ignorant savages, but industrious farmers, merchants, and businessmen of all types. We were educated people, many were Christians. We had an organized system of government and a codified body of law. Some of these people were
not even Indians, many strangers and orphans had been taken in over the years.

The Chiefs and Warriors signed the treaty, realizing they had no option. For doing this the government officials guaranteed, in the body of the treaty, safe conveyance to our new homes. (Do not forget for a moment that in this treaty, the Choctaw traded 10.3 million acres of land east of the Mississippi for 10.3 acres in Oklahoma and Arkansas that we already owned under previous treaties) Further, it included provisions and monetary annuities, to assist the people to make a new start. One half of the people were to depart almost immediately, the rest the next year.

After the signing of the treaty, many saw their land and property sold before their own eyes. The "conveyances" promised turn out to be a forced march. At the point of a gun, the pace killed many of the old, exposure and bad food killed most. Rotten beef and vegetables are poor provisions, even for the idle. Many walked the entire distance without shoes, barely clothed. What supplies were given had been rejected by the whites. This cannot directly be blamed on the government, nearly all of this was done by unscrupulous men, interested only in maximizing their profits. Their government's fault lies in not being watchful of those taken into their charge. Many of the old and the children died on the road. At each allowed stop, the dead were buried.Hearing of this many escaped. They knew that as they signed the rolls, to be "removed", that this might as well be their death warrants. They took refuge in the hills, the swamps, and other places too inhospitable for the whites. Even as this occurred, those in charge reported their "peaceful progress" to Congress, who looked no further.

Those of us who evaded the rolls were accepted by neither the whites nor the "papered" Indians. Still others claimed to be "Black Dutch," Spanish, Creole, or Black. (My own grandfather later lied to the census taker, saying he was one sixty-fourth. At that degree, he could still live and own land on the reservation. He was "enrolled" at that number. Granny claimed to be Black Dutch). Many others fled to Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana, even into the swamps of the Okefenokee.

The "fertile lands, alive with game, lush with forests" turned out to be bone-dry and covered in "alkali pits", and a strange black ooze that stank and caught fire easily. Blistering hot in the summer, freezing in the winter, this land was still their own. And then the whites decided they needed more land. Again, pressure was brought to bear on the Choctaw. By this time the 'Cherokee', 'Chickasaw', 'Cree', 'Kickapoo', 'Seminole', 'Wyandotte', 'Lena pi', 'Mohawk', and others whose names you would not recognize, had their reservations shrunk around them. The Choctaw had only been the first to be removed, the government drunk with power and in fit of lust for land, had removed nearly all. The Mississippi Band of the Choctaw had temporarily avoided displacement, but had their land stripped down to 500 acres, but within five years none of that land was in Indian hands. Already Arkansas had begun to be settled by whites, who ignored the treaties. Even those who fled to California were being displaced by miners, farmers and ranchers. The discovery of gold galvanized the vise forming around the Indian people, so that expansion from the East was equaled by expansion from the West.

The altruistic government, in love and charity removed many of the young to
"boarding schools" where they were "civilized," which meant being given white names, speaking only English, and being forbidden to worship their "pagan" gods.
To this day most Indians, even full-bloods, are not fluent in their own mother-tongues.

The final blow came when the white decided he needed the black ooze and again the process accelerated. By that time, Custer, making illegal sorties into the Black Hills, had discovered gold there too. The Lakota watched their lands, cut to almost a third and then again until nearly all was gone.

In the 1880's, came Wovoka, who offered a message of hope and peace.
With him he brought the Ghost Dance and all tribes listened to that Siren song.
At the peak of this frenzy came Wounded Knee. There, unarmed and innocent men, women, and children were murdered by scared Cavalry, who never took the time
to find out what this was all about. Adding insult to injury, Medals of Honor were given to these men. Every white child knew, "the only good Indian is a dead Indian."

Even now, when the tribes speak of sovereignty, men like Senator Gorton wonder why. All we ever asked for was the dignity of free men, to live at peace, and worship God in our own ways."
As told by Ron La Fitte (Warrior)

Journey Is My 1 Favorite Group

Add Journey to your page
Influences: The List Is Endless. I Have Always Had A Heart And Ear For Music. Though My Passion Has Become Country. I Am Eclectic In My Favorites of Artists, Groups/Bands And Music.
I Am A Huge Fan Of The Native American Sounds Flute music and anything to do with percussion.
Very Soothing After A Hard Day. Along With A Hot Soak And Candles.
Many voices Have Recorded My Song's. I Write Lyrics And The Voices You Hear Are Those Kind Enough To Help Out And Demo Them For Me.
My Deepest Thanks Too.

My Lyric's
©2006-2009 Terikia Jazhara

Proud Member Of BMI

Brent Blount
Native American /Jazz /Blues
Brent Blount has been a foundational piece of the Oklahoma Jazz and Blues community for the last 19 years. Doug Hill of Pop Magazine describe the experience of his performance as “ Falling into a slow grove, he found intonations that escalated from the icy depths into bright crisp sunshine. Staccato stutter-steps danced off into brass oblivion. Blount played entire long solos with eyes closed, opening at the conclusion as if waking from a sweet dream” (2000).
He began as a saxophone player at Bianca’s in 1986 in Oklahoma City at the tender age of 16 and fell in love with the Blues. At the age of 12 Jazz would invade his world with confusion at the induction of John Coltrane into his ear, love it or hate it, he was obsessed. By his nineteenth year on earth Ernie Watts would provide clarification and cement the relationship with jazz that would last a lifetime. Brent is classically trained in the art of Saxophone and Clarinet performance and rounds off this talent with outstanding clarity in blues guitar and the Native American flute.
He is truly a musician’s musician. Ameritone records referred to him as an artist “who melds tradition and originality into his musical range from Bach to late John Coltrane” (2004). Brent’s eclectic talent is well represented in his vast experience. Brent was awarded outstanding soloist at the Wichita Jazz Festival in 1994 and 2001. He has performed with a variety of renowned artist’s from the Scott Keeton Band and Danny White to Smilin Vic and the Temptations. He regularly performs at local venues such as Maker’s Cigar Lounge and Bourbon Street Café. He has also been a staple at local events such as Chocolate Decadence, the Paseo Arts Festival, Oklahoma City Festival of Arts and Stillwater Blues Festival. A varied recording history is available on “Get Some Sauce on Your Monkey” Big Daddy and The Sauce Monkeys, saxophone and guitar, 1998; “A Suncrush for Sweethearts” by Eric Sarmienta, tenor sax, 1997; and “After All These Years” Brent Blount, soloist and producer, 1996. Composed, recorded and produced an original acoustic jazz album, "Breakfast at Jim's" Album has saxophone, clarinet, electric guitar, and a Native American cedar flute. Performed it live in 2005 at "Jazz in June" in Norman, Oklahoma; opening up before Cathy Cousins and Thelonious Monk Jr.

Soloist:

* Box Talent, Norman, OK 2033- Present * Tom and Jerry’s, Oklahoma City, OK * Danny’s Blues Saloon, Oklahoma City, OK * Oklahoma Visual Artists Coalition, Oklahoma City, OK * Bourbon Street Café, Oklahoma City, OK * Maker’s Cigar Lounge, Oklahoma City, OK * JRB Art, Oklahoma City, OK * City Arts Center, Oklahoma City, OK * IAO Art Gallery, Oklahoma City, OK * Gary Good Entertainment & Speakers Bureau, Oklahoma City, OK * Nena’s Wine Bar & Bistro, Oklahoma City, OK Band Participation:

* Brent Blount Blues Band 2005 to –Present * Big Daddy and The Sauce Monkeys 1995 to 2005 * Scott Keeton Band 2003 to 2004 * Blue Cats – 2000 * Blue Eyed Soul Man - 1999 * Danny’s Blues Saloon House Band – 1998 to 2002 * Smilin Vic and The Sauce Monkeys - 1998 * Medallion Hotel Jazz Trio – 1997 to 1998 * Temptations – Oklahoma City Performance – December, 1996 Recordings:

* “Breakfast at Jim’s” Brent Blount, soloist, composer, producer 2005 * “Get Some Sauce on Your Monkey” Big Daddy and The Sauce Monkeys, saxophone and guitar, 1998 * “A Suncrush for Sweethearts” Eric Sarmienta, tenor sax, 1997 * “After All These Years” Brent Blount, soloist and producer, 1996 Jazz Festivals:

* Stillwater Blues Festival, Stillwater, OK - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 * Paseo Arts Festival, Oklahoma City, OK – 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 * Festival of the Arts, Oklahoma City, OK - 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001,2004 * Wichita Jazz Festival, Wichita, KS - 1994 and 2001 * Jazz in June, Norman, OK - 1997 and 2001, 2005 * Edmond Arts Festival, Edmond, OK - 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005 * Night of the Whale, Maui, HI - 1996

Michael Searching Bear is the owner/craftsman of Searching Bear Flutes. Michael is an accomplished musician who's love for music and search for his native heritage led him to the Native American Wood Flute. With over 35 years of experience and as a performance and studio musician, as a drummer and percussionist, Michael developed his talents and perfected his gift for mastering intricate rhythms. He later learned, under the teachings of Kenneth Leonard, the electric, acoustic and classical guitars as well as music theory, history and ethnomusicology as a private student. With this knowledge, Michael desired to incorporate as many different types of instruments and backgrounds into his recording compositions - especially Native instruments. Michael began incorporating the flute into his music in 1996 and soon found that he desired to make them for himself. Of Cherokee and Powhatan descent, Michael desires to keep the craft alive and pass on the traditions of the flute. Nearly a lost art, the Native American Wood Flute is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. The haunting melodies and soothing tones have found a wide and accepting audience in today's hectic society. Michael's passion and interest has always been in the music arena. He is a perfectionist and feels it lends well to this craft. With this passion Michael has followed his heart and has begun teaching on the ancient methods, as well as today's methods, of construction and uses of the flute in the Native ways of life. His informal classes are taught in a variety of settings and age groups. From toddler day care centers to college level workshops to a variety of churches. Cooperation from many businesses has given Michael the opportunity to perform for an insightful lunch meditation time, to informative diverse cultural experiences at hospitals to other varying public groups and cultural gatherings. Michael lives in Ohio at present and has traveled throughout the country performing and educating on the Flute and the Native way of life. Michael not only makes these wonderful flutes but also performs for a variety of audiences. Michael has dedicated his life to educating and teaching his Native culture and using his expertise in the flute as a catalyst for this training. With the release of his CD, Voice From Within, Michael has been performing concerts to select locations all over the country. Un earthed is his second effort in this genre and has found a comfortable niche here. 2006 Just Plain Folks Music Awards WINNER
for album of the year 'Voice From Within' cd release.
Just Plain Folks Music Awards WINNER for ALBUM OF THE YEAR - 2006 & nominated song of the year for The Gathering. (Native American genre catagory) Description: You have known Michael Searching Bear for his wonderful hand-crafted Searching Bear Flutes in the past. Now enjoy the wonderful tones of his flutes and musical background with his new CD release, "Voice From Within". "Voice From Within" has a variety of emotions which will take you on your wonderful journey within. 18 songs fill this release which is instrumented with solo flute and an array of percussion and natural sounds. The solo voice of Windwalker, Michael's sister, is a special highlight celebrating the beauty of the Cherokee language. All original recordings went into this journey which was mainly written and inspired by the Cherokee Trail of Tears journey in the 1830's. As Michael put it, "I was in mourning when I conceived this music. It is truly a journey from track 1 to track 17. See if you can feel it and come join in the journey." The final track is a duet with Windwalker and Michael which was captured in it's entirety with a fire being the atmosphere. " I wanted to capture the purity of the instrument," states Bill Hartzell, recording engineer for the project. Michael Searching Bear Smallridge is the owner/craftsman of Searching Bear Flutes. Michael is an accomplished musician who's love for music and search for his native heritage led him to the Native American Wood Flute. With over 34 years of experience as both a performance and studio musician, as a drummer and percussionist, Michael developed his talents and perfected his gift for mastering intricate rhythms. He later mastered the electric, acoustic and classical guitars and desired to incorporate as many different types of instruments as possible into his recording compositions - especially Native instruments. Michael began incorporating the flute into his music in 1996. Of Cherokee and Powhatan descent, Michael desires to keep the craft alive and pass on the traditions of the flute. Nearly a lost art, the Native American Wood Flute is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. The haunting melodies and soothing tones have found a wide and accepting audience in today's hectic society. As a musician, Michael takes special care to ensure that each flute he makes possesses quality in tone and key. Michael's passion and interest has always been in the music arena. He is indeed a perfectionist and feels it lends well to this craft.

D Johnson is a full-blood Dine’ (Navajo) American Indian, born in Shiprock, New Mexico (United States),
in 1961. In the Navajo cultural clanship structure, D Johnson's maternal clan is Kinlichíi'nii (Redhouse People), with the paternal clan Bít'ahnii (Folding Arms People). Maternal grandfathers are the Ashiihi (Salt People), and the paternal grandfathers are Tódích'íi'nii (Bitter Water People). Johnson’s family consists of his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces. The family father passed on in the late 1990s. D Johnson is the youngest of three brothers; the oldest brother passed on in the early 1970s.
Johnson released his first CD Album, entitled "Midnight Song", in 2001 with VPR label. His debut CD is a compilation of songs he had written during prior years. Two songs from this debut CD, "Only Wind Blowing Sand", and "One Winter's Day",
became the theme tracks to two national Silver Telly Award - winning documentary videos. Billy Williams of MCA Records, who had produced several albums with MCA Country Music Recording Artist Lyle Lovett, produced both songs. Additionally, "Only Wind Blowing Sand" is Song Number Nine in the 2006 Super Country Hits.Com Top 50 Songs List for the year.
Johnson is currently performing again. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Johnson had formed "Night Gun Band". They played with many national artists, including John Anderson, Asleep At The Wheel, Mark Chesnutt, Faith Hill, The Kendalls, the Kentucky Headhunters, Doug Kershaw, Tracy Lawrence, Michael Martin Murphy, and Johnny Rodriguez. Johnson and Night Gun Band performed at many prestigious concerts in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, as well as throughout the country. After a ten-to-fifteen year absence from the music scene, Johnson returned to performing in 2004, with a full - scale band beginning in September of 2005.
How much more Johnson will do in the future remains to be seen, but it’s apparent that he never lost his pizzazz, and wonderfully rich musical voice. You can never get enough of listening to Johnson. See his performance, and you'll know why Johnson continues to have such a large and loyal following.
Born July 25, 1961, in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Indian Reservation
Raised in Teecnospos, Arizona
Graduated from Shiprock High School ~ Shiprock, New Mexico (Home of the Chieftains)
Fine Arts Study at Highlands University
B.A. Degree from University of Colorado
Attended American Academy in New York, New York, and in Los Angeles, California; 1985 - 1988
Volunteer with At-Risk Native Youth
Volunteer Grant Writer for Senior Home Improvements
Currently reside in Cortez, Colorado
Great Fan of Mark Chesnutt
Wild Game Hunter, Colorado Fisherman and
Wild Game Protection Volunteer (Visit Wild Game Protection)
Music has always been in my family. My oldest brother, who had passed-on in the early 1970s, used to play guitar at home; nothing big, just a home pass-the-time entertainer, who used to make me sing for people while he played guitar. So, I've been on stage performing sometime prior to the age of five. What keeps me going to this day is that music just seems to be naturally in my blood. It's not that I strive to keep music within my life, it's just there—it’s a part of who I am, and probably always will be.
About the song "Only Wind Blowing Sand"...
I wrote the song when I was twenty-nine years old, when I returned home after being away for about twelve years attending higher education. When I left my homeland for college, there were many things in place like cattle, horses, homesteads, family unity, Navajo Indian traditional values, etc. When I returned home twelve years later, there was absolutely nothing. Where there had been homes, ranches, livestock and certain strong family members, it was all gone. The area where there was once life for me was barren, as if it was only a dream. I stood where life once existed during my younger years, and I was deeply saddened. That's when "Only Wind Blowing Sand" came about. The song talks about returning home from pursuing advancement in life, away from my so-called desolate Indian Reservation; otherwise known as quality education. The song also references how Western influence refers to the present North America as the Promised Land, and how living and having been within that Promised Land environment, I only saw power struggles amongst countries taking from each other, what they can obtain to be better than the other, leaving almost no room for thoughts of family values or unity--of course, my opinion, in comparison to the lifestyle that I came from. So, leaving homeland to get an education caused much to disappear at home. I came home to where life once existed for me, and there was only the sound of wind across the land blowing sand, as if nothing ever existed there. I only heard voices and traditional healing and blessing songs of the past in the slow whispering wind. I stood on the ground where I once ran across the country as a young boy, and thought to myself...Even though I can now live in two worlds; the Promised Land society and my own Navajo cultural life, I will never be able to bring back what I once had that was true and real to me. Now, I can only sing about it and share with anyone who is willing to listen.
~D Johnson

Duane "COWBOY" Deemer
DUANE DEEMER is known as "COWBOY" in Nashville -- which should tell you something in a city that is populated with men in boots and cowboy hats. Duane leaves an impression, and is not easily forgotten. He literally stands head and shoulders above the crowd, but has gained the reputation as one of the kindest and most humble guys around. As much for his attitude and work ethic as for his talent, Duane has become a favorite among musicians and songwriters from all walks of life. His Choctaw and Cherokee Indian heritage has played a strong role in inspiring the way he looks at life, and the way that he lives it every day. His passion and love for life and living it can be felt in his song lyrics and his live performances. The prolific singer/ songwriter has been a Music City resident for almost 3 years now, but had been a regular on the songwriters' scene for over eight years prior. Duane enjoyed a busy music career in Iowa before heeding the call of Nashville. He spent his time playing in numerous bands, performing countless solo gigs, as well as writing award-winning TV and radio commercials. One of his original compositions won “Commercial of the Year in the Midwest” in 1999 and also won various other national awards. Duane also started the first Iowa Chapter of The Nashville Songwriters' Association International in 2001 and acted as Regional Coordinator for two years. In spite of his local successes and strong hometown following, he found himself commuting to Nashville more and more frequently. Duane eventually reached a crossroads, and decided to make the move permanent in the fall of 2003. Working with Robbie Wittkowski and Larry Merritt of Kid Kody Music in Nashville , Duane has since been blessed with 30 independent cuts and the opportunity to co-write with so many awesome writers like Grand Ole Opry star Ernie Ashworth, Bobby G. Rice, Jenny Duke, Marc Alan Barnett, Mark Steven Jones, Trent Jeffcoat, Jessica Ford, Robbie Wittkowki, Adam Fears, Shelby Merchant and Billy Hester, who are only a few of Cowboy’s friends and associates. Writing with awesome writers from Nashville to Iowa, Texas to Los Angeles, Duane’s writing is very versatile, and various artists have interpreted Duane's song writing in styles ranging from pop to southern rock and gospel to hard core country . One tune in particular, “How’s a Girl to Know” has been recorded four times. Duane is very active in the Nashville music scene with writing , co-writing, studio time and performing regularly at writers' nights and shows in and around Nashville performing hits like Down On My Knees, Trying To Ride The Wind, and Wherever You Run . Duane loves everything about being a part of the Nashville music scene. His down-to-earth, cowboy attitude is to take one day at a time, and that every day is truly a blessing. Duane's style is often compared to the likes of Waylon Jennings, Charlie Daniels, Cash and Chris LeDoux. He's a Cowboy to the core , been called the real deal and one of the last true outlaws. From ballads to love songs, southern rock to straight-from-the-gut hardcore country, what you see is what you get. Duane still owns his 60-acre horse ranch in rural southern Iowa near Osceola and Weldon. When he..s not performing in and around Nashville or on the road performing , Duane takes the opportunity to travel back home to the wide open spaces that inspire his music and very way of life. "RIDE THE WIND" Oonoley Soquelee
Duane "COWBOY"Deemer

Finding Windsong
Brad Clonch
Ambient / Acoustic / Indie
Brad Clonch Finding Windsong CD
Injunuity Myspace
Injunuity Website
Band Members
Brad Clonch - (High Spirits) Native Flutes and Korg piano's
Jeff Carpenter - (Ibanez) Acoustic and (Carvin) Electric
James Monroe - (Fender Jazz) Bass
Boyd Weldon Gross II - (Ibanez) Electric
Nate Balls Sweeney - (Pacific) Drums
About Injunuity
Beginning in 2007 with an odd span of events that led this unlikely group to become the new, all native, all original band that will be known as Injunuity, started with Nammy Nominated and ADDY Award Winning solo native flute artist Brad Clonch (Mississippi Choctaw) collaborating together with guitarist Jeff Carpenter (Chickasaw). Performing as a duet with their first performance at the Riverwind Casino, the music turned heads of all ages and Brad and Jeff collaborated together on several new pieces. The duet wasn't enough. Along came Mr. Boyd Weldon Gross the 2nd (which he will introduce as a full title as if he were English) an extraordinary electric guitar player who happend to be Choctaw, as well as an old school mate of Brad's. The odd connection was that while in Dallas studying at Media Tech before Brad and Jeff met in Ada working together in a multimedia studio, Jeff (Audio Engineer Guru) had recorded a past project of Boyd's. Boyd decided to jump on board and the trio was born. After playing a few shows and starting a small following, the group lacked some thump and some soul. Turning to the virtuosso bassist of Ada Oklahoma, James Monroe (Chickasaw Plus Several Other Tribes!) a past school mate of both Brad and Boyds, and ironically another musician who Jeff had recorded in the past in Dallas before knowing Brad. The quartet was formed! Performing several shows and gaining more attention and prospective CD sales...oops I mean fans...the group now named "Injunuity" was branded! Long time friend and school mate of Jeff's, Nate Sweeney, put the finishing touches on the anticipated EP "Unconquered". Injunuity is ALL NEW, ALL ORIGINAL, ALL NATIVE band coming to a pow wow near you soon!

This one I met him personaly at Gallup, NM while fueling at the Navajo Truck Stop they had by the refinery on I40 where the new Pilot sits now. Dang ! he is better looking in person then on his album cover.
It was such a pleasure talking to him. Soft spoken , a very gentile person. Wooo!

CANYON RECORDS
Has Given Me Permission To
TO Help Promote These Great Native American Artists.
3131 W. Clarendon Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85017 (800) 268-1141 (602) 279-9233 (fax)
Peter Phippen is an innovative performer of ethnic flutes from around the world. Researching the performance technique and history of his vast collection of anthropological wind instruments ultimately led him to bring this knowledge to concert stages and schools. Since 1993, Phippen has performed concerts, workshops, artist residencies and assembly programs across the country that are both educational and entertaining - an enchanting mix of the very old and very new in music. As a recording artist for Canyon Records, Phippen has released three CDs of original music. "Book of Dreams" (1996, CR-7031) was named 17 among the top national albums in the New Age Voice Magazine. "Echoes of the Past" (1999, CR-7032) was a finalist in the Crossroads Music Awards for 2000. In January 2003, Phippen released "Night Song" his third recording for Canyon Records. Aptly named, its spare, haunting melodies, evoke dreamscape images of fading twilight and gentle slumber under a full moon. Phippen's recordings have received airplay on "Sacred World Music," "Atmospheres," "Music Choice," "Digital Music Express" and Public Radio International's syndicated show "Echoes." Phippen's song "Masked Dance" was chosen for the compilation CD "Songs of the Spirit, Vol. 2" released by Trilonka Records. Experience Peter Phippen's timeless world of sound images through concerts, workshops, lectures, assembly programs and residencies. His educational and entertaining program covers the folklore and history of flutes from around the world and throughout time.
More information about Peter Phippen

Robert "Tree" Cody (also known in the Maricopa language as Oou-Kas Mah Quet or "Thunder Bear") is a Native American flutist, dancer, artist, educator and actor who has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, East Asia, Central & South America and Mexico. Standing 6 foot, 10 inches, "Tree" Cody holds a commanding presence whether on stage or on the pow-wow circuit as a prize winning Northern Traditional dancer, Master of Ceremonies or Arena Director. An enrolled member of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Community, From Lehi., Arizona and of the Canadian First Nation Dakota (Hunkpapa),"Tree" lectures to the many reservations throughout the United States as well as the many reserves of Canada. "Tree" also has lectured at many museums, schools, universities and colleges nationally as well as internationally sharing his knowledge of the Native American culture, songs, dances and music to the world. In 1975 Tree received the 25th Silver anniversary medal from Her Royal Majesty The Queen of England for a command performance of his dancing, and also for his beautiful flute music. "Tree" has a remarkable ability in communicating with people, particularly young people of all cultures. He has given generously of this time and talents for benefits of people in need. This talent he received from his step-father,the late Iron Eyes Cody who taught "Tree" the many different aspects of show business as well as the traditional red road of his people. A versatile flute player and a gifted singer, "Tree" has thirteen albums on the Canyon Records label. Crossroads was released in the spring of 2000. "Tree" is joined by Xavier Quijas Yxayotl who is from Guadalajara, Mexico, of the Huichol Nation on this album. The album, Maze, travels a musical journey through the Southwest. Set prior to European arrival to Turtle Island, a wanderer of the North travels and meets the nations of the Southwest. Maze was a Native American Music Awards winner as Best New Age Album of 1999, and it's track "The Bird Song" was a finalist as Best Song of the Year. Native Flamenco a collaboration with world-renowned Flamenco guitarist, Ruben Romero and percussionist Tony Redhouse won two Native American Music Awards in the World and Latin categories of the year 2000. His most recent project is Heart of the Wind recorded with award winning percussionist Will Clipman was nominated for a Grammy Award album in the Best Native American Music Album category. He currently now lives on the Navajo Reservation with his wife Cynthia and is doing motivational lectures and programs to many schools on the Navajo reservation as well as other schools on many other reservations in Indian Country.
More information about Robert Tree Cody

Xavier Quijas Yxayotl
Was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco of Huichol heritage (his indigenous name, "Yxayotl," is Nahuatl for "tears"). Originally an artist, in the 1970’s he left city life and moved to the mountains of Jalisco and Nayarit, Mexico to live with his Huichole relatives and the Tepehaunes people. There Xavier studied and played pre-Columbian instruments, participating in ceremonies and rituals. He developed a passion for making museum quality indigenous instruments – Mayan and Aztec drums and flutes, turtle shell drums, rainsticks, log drums, rattles, gourds.
Xavier has spent most of his life constructing and playing these instruments . He says "All that I do comes from a spirit within me, music is a live representation of nature . In looking at my cultural roots and musioots , I realize music crosses all barriers! It was at this time that I decided to form a group and name it America Indigena. The group is composed of people who share my musical sentiments". During their travels of concerts and ceremonies they interpret the authentic music of the Mayans , Aztecs , Tarahumaras , Yaquis , Tepehuans and Huicholes . Xavier also sings in Tarahumara and his native Huichol and Nahuatl Languages . They perform magical rituals that captivate the audience providing an unforgettable experience to their audiences as their music is said to cure the soul and spirit . "The concerts are not just for entertainment . I give them a special message with serious significance" he says . "Through them I express the origin and true meaning that exists in that "hidden" world unknown to the generations of our times - this is an ancient music for new generation . I hope that with my music I am able to bring you at least a little of the force of our ancestors , and I hope to captivate your soul and your spirit!"
My indigenous name is "Yxayotl", which in Nahuatl means tears. In 1977 during a peyote ceremony, an old Shaman from the Huichol tribe, Don Jose Matsuwa, gave me that name.
I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on December 28, 1952. I am proud to be a descendent of the Huicholes. During the 1970's, I decided to follow my dreams and to investigate and play the pre-Columbian music; that same music that was prohibited for 300 years due to its intensity and deep spiritual impact it had on the people of those times. My passion took me to the mountains of Jalisco and Nayarit, Mexico where I lived with the Huicholes and Tepehuanes for long periods of time.
I participated in indigenous ceremonies and rituals, sharing their knowledge. My passion for the handmade instruments, i.e.; Mayan and Aztec drums and flutes, Tarahumara drums, turtle shells, rain sticks, Teponaxtli log drums, Mayan ocean drums, rattles, gourds, and many others, grew without limits. With the experience and knowledge I acquired, and through the studies I did, I have become one of a few Mexican artists who are able to construct with my own hands instruments identical to the instruments used by the prehispanic peoples. They are replicas of the instruments used by the Aztecs, Mayas, and other indigenous nations from Mexico, and based on ancient manuscripts. The magic of my instruments is a faithful reproduction of the autochthonous musical instruments and the music is authentic and natural.
After researching the museums and private collections for these instruments, I have been able to reproduce these beautiful instruments. I brought the clay Mayan and Aztec double and triple flutes here to this country expressly to share this knowledge of the ancestors. The road traveled has not always been easy, but this music and my art "is my reason to live".
Most of my life has been spent constructing and playing these instruments. In looking at my cultural roots and musical roots, I realized music crosses all barriers! It was at this time in 1985 that I decided to form a group in Los Angeles and I named it America Indigena. The group is composed of people who share my musical sentiments. During our travels of concerts and ceremonies, we interpret the authentic music of the Mayans, Aztecs, Tarahumaras, Yaquis, Tepehuanes and Huicholes. I also sing in Tarahumara and my native Huichol and Nahuatl languages. Besides musical performances and always creating new and different flutes, I am an artist. At the young age of eleven, I was placed into the the University of Fine Arts studying and working hard amongst the adults and other artists to become great at refining and fine tuning different art techniques. As a result, today I can create all styles of art. My preference is to paint very large paintings, and currently my focus has taken me to places of interest with California landscapes. Although, I am most known for my favorite art style of "Surreal-Mystic of Sacred Spirit".
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Will Clipman
Critics have dubbed Will Clipman a "renaissance man," "percussionist extraordinaire," "master improvisor/musical collaborator," "jack-of-all-arts," and "the perfect partner”. He has recorded over fifty albums with various artists, including twenty-one for Phoenix-based Canyon Records, the world’s leading producer and distributor of Native American music, where he is regarded as the house percussionist.
Will's love affair with music began at the age of three, when he began playing his father's drumset and his mother's piano. Will played his first professional gig at the age of fourteen, embarking on a career that has spanned jazz, rock, pop, R&B, soul, blues, reggae, folk, country/western, classical, new age, world, and Native American music. His studies and performances with master African drummers Cornelius Kweku Ganyo, Abdulai Aziz Ahmed, and Kojo Keith Johnson infused Will with the folkloric and spiritual tradition of the drum, and taught him time-honored techniques of drum construction and tuning. Will has since expanded his instrumental repertoire to include not only the drum family--drumset, congas, cajon, djembe, ashiko, doumbek, talking drum, udu, ipu, pahu, songba, powwow drum, Taos drums, bodhran, hang drum, frame drum, and hoop drum--but also balafon (tuned mallet percussion), berimbau (single-stringed bow harp), didjeridu (aboriginal Australian horn), Pima flute, three-chambered ocarina, electronic percussion and synthesizer, as well as a pan-global palette of rattles, shakers, scrapers, chimes, gongs, cymbals, bells, and rhythm sticks.
Will currently performs, records, and tours regionally, nationally, and internationally with the R. Carlos Nakai Quartet & Trio, the William Eaton Ensemble, Quiet Fire, Ananeah, Gentle Thunder, Great Mystery, the Mitzi Cowell Band, and the Conrads. His latest collaboration is with Philadelphia Philharmonic cellist Udi Bar-David’s Intercultural Journeys project. His music has been honored with two GRAMMY nominations (2000 and 2005) for Best New Age Album; a NAMA Award for Best Instrumental Album (1999); and a TAMMIE Award for Best Drummer (1997). Always active as an educator, Will has served since 1980 as an Artist-in-Residence with the Arizona Commission on the Arts, providing residencies, workshops, lecture-demonstrations and performances to students of all ages. In 1988, Will received an ACA Decade of Distinguished Service Award, and in 2003 he was nominated for a Governor’s Arts Award in Arts Education. Will has taught at the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, Kino Psychiatric Hospital, the Arizona State Prison, and in over one hundred elementary, middle, and high schools. He has served on the faculties of the Renaissance of the Native American Flute, Child & Family Resources Summer Fine Arts Camp, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Teacher Institute, the White Mountains Summer Fine Arts Camp, the Tucson Summer Fine Arts Camp, Catalina Foothills Community School, and the Aspen Environmental Dance Symposium; as a panelist for the Healing Through the Arts Symposium, the Tucson/Pima Arts Council, and the Arizona Commission on the Arts; and as Poet-in-Residence for the Modern Poetry Association's Poets-in-Person Series.
Will is also acclaimed as a poet, maskmaker, storyteller, and interdisciplinary performing artist. His solo show Myths & Masks combines his original mask art and mythopoetic storytelling with creative movement and indigenous world music, and has been performed in over one hundred venues throughout Arizona and nationally. Will began writing poetry and stories at the age of six, with the inspiration and guidance of his grandmother. He edited his high school literary magazine, and went on to take a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing and Magazine Journalism with Honors in English from Syracuse University, and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Poetry from the University of Arizona. His publications include a book, Dog Light, from Wesleyan University Press; anthologies such as Syracuse Poems 1975, University of Arizona Poetry Center 1960-1985, The Ellensburg Anthology, The National Poetry Competition Winners Anthology 1991 & 1992, Tumblewords: Writers Reading the West, and Dog Music; and periodicals such as Ironwood, Stone Drum, Shandoka, Intro, Yakima, Obsidian, Coyote, Green Zero, Greenfield Review, Amaranth Review, Rhetoric Review, Syracuse Review, Walking Rain Review, Protea Poetry Journal, Southern Poetry Review, Louisville Review, Heron Dance, and The Circle. His writing has been honored with the Whiffen Poetry Prize (1975), the Academy of American Poets Margaret Sterling Award (1980), the Tucson-Pima Arts Council Poetry Fellowship (1993), and the Arizona Commission on the Arts Award of Merit for Poetry (2002). In 1990, his poem The Quiet Power was selected as the Dedicatory Poem for the new Tucson Main Library.
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R.Carlos Nakai
To become the world's premier Native American flutist, R. Carlos Nakai had to rely more on research and innovation and less on his Navajo-Ute heritage. While the Diné had a strong flute-playing tradition, it was lost when they migrated from the Northwest Plains of Canada to the Southwest over five centuries ago. While Nakai may not have been "born to the flute," it was curiosity about his heritage that led him to it. During the late 1960s while researching American Indian music and traditional instruments, the wooden flute piqued Nakai's interest, but it wasn't until 1972 that he took it up seriously. Prior to that Nakai had devoted his musical energies to classical training on the cornet and trumpet. In his usual determination to have a thorough knowledge of the instrument, Nakai crafted his own. He later learned from a flute-making teacher that rather than the oak Nakai was using, cedar is the only wood that works well. He also discovered that when it comes to flute making, there are no standard dimensions. The finger holes and air column are based on hand and finger measurements and are never the same. As a result, each flute has a different sound and pitch which makes the tonality of the instruments random. Nakai views each flute less as a musical instrument than "as a sound sculpture - a piece of art that also creates sound." Part of Nakai's philosophy is to ensure that the native flute does not become a "museum piece" of a bygone culture. Through his original compositions and other musical collaborations, Nakai intends to show the instrument's versatility and capabilities. Over the past two decades, Nakai has melded his classical training with his expertise on the cedar flute to form a complex, sophisticated sound that not only reveals the flute's uniqueness, but covers the spectrum of musical genres: jazz ensembles, piano and guitar collaborations, and the concert hall. Additionally, Nakai creates new sounds for the flute using electronic technology such as synthesizers and digital delay. A native Arizonan, Nakai's southwestern surroundings as well as his culture, heavily influence his work. He points out that "A lot of what I've been taught culturally, comes from an awareness of the environment. ...How I feel is based on my impressions of being in certain spaces at certain times. Thinking back...on personal tribal stories and the history of my culture figures into how I organize my music." While solo flute albums such as Earth Spirit, Emergence, and Canyon Trilogy are the core of his work, Nakai is ambitious regarding joining forces with other musicians. He views collaborations as "philosophical communication between...musicians" and opportunities to explore beyond traditional musical and cultural boundaries. Evidence of this is heard in the mid-1994 release Island of Bows, recorded with a Japanese group using acoustic and traditional Japanese instruments. This collaboration came about according to Nakai because his Japanese cohorts were "...looking for new areas of musical performance... not strictly traditionally oriented." An on-going fraternity is Jackalope, a culturally diverse jazz ensemble with several recordings to their name, which was founded by Larry Yañez and Nakai. The group's music, self-described as "synthacousticpunkarachiNavajazz" uses electronic and modern instruments mixed with traditional, ethnic instruments allowing Nakai to again "break the rules." Nakai's diversity is apparent through a synopsis of his work. He was a 1994 Grammy Award finalist for "Best Traditional Folk Album" with Ancestral Voices , a collaboration with guitarist and luthier William Eaton. With Arizona composer James DeMars, Nakai offers two classical albums Spirit Horses and Native Tapestry. He has written and performed scores for film and television including selections for the National Park Service, Fox Television, the Discovery Channel, IMAX, the National Geographic Society and many commercial productions. Since 1990, Nakai has also collaborated with pianist Peter Kater. Together they have recorded four albums, Natives, How the West Was Lost, Honorable Sky and Migrations (winner of the 1992 Indie Award). In 1992, Nakai received the Governor of Arizona's Arts Award, the second Native American so honored. In 1994, Nakai was conferred with an honorary doctorate by Northern Arizona University and the Arizona Board of Regents for his "exceptional achievments and contributions to humankind." In 1995, Feather, Stone & Light, a musical trialogue with longtime collaborators William Eaton and Will Clipman, was noted as a Billboard Critic's Choice and quickly debuted on Billboard's Top New Age Albums chart, remaining there for 13 weeks.
Nakai once again broke new ground in the fall of 1996 when he debuted his first jazz album, Kokopelli's Cafe, featuring The R. Carlos Nakai Quartet.
A prolific musician and composer, he has 27 albums in commercial distribution, including 18 releases on the Canyon Records label. Just counting his Canyon titles, Nakai recently surpassed the 2,000,000 units sold worldwide. And when he is not recording, composing or researching, 70 to 80 percent of the year is spent touring throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan performing and lecturing on Native American culture and philosophy. Nakai wouldn't have it any other way. "...We were put on the earth to experience life in its totality. And if you're not doing that, you're essentially wasting your time."
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Kelvin Mockingbird
Born in the month of the cry of the baby eagles, I've experienced most of my youth on the Navajo Reserve in the small town of Piñon, Arizona, which my sister calls "God's Country". Being part of pow-wows and other sacred social gatherings of friends and families, I've been raised to respect spirits, like and death as well as the elements, space and time and other Nations. My Grandmothers, Aunts and Sisters were the people most influential in my upbringing. My first Native American flute was given to me by my Uncle Irvin in trade for a grass dance outfit. He showed my the basic fingering and breathing, then told me to practice and only then would I be able to play my own songs. At first I procrastinated an the flute hung on the wall. Then one night a month later I had a blissful dream and the following morning my family awakened to flute music for the first time. As individuals, we are only a single note lingering gin this cosmos, but as one people we make a strong chord in Harmony with the Universe.
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"The Me In You"

Friend's are like angel's sent from above,
Filled with compassion and precious love.
Though we may be mile's apart,
Know that I am there and you're alway's in my heart.

Through the year's we became such good friend's,
Our kind of friendship in one that'll never end.
I think of those moment's I sat up all night,
Because we had just had some stupid fight.

We never gave into stupid pride,
Together still strong, Side by side.
I send you this note to let you know,
I don't have much time,
My guardian angel just told me so.

Please forgive me just this one time,
As I must now leave you behind,
As you continue to read this letter through.,
Always remember "The Me In You."

©2006 Terikia Jazhara BMI