Inside Monument Valley

Paul Horn, R. Carlos Nakai | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 16, 1999)
• Original Release Date: February 16, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Canyon Records
• ASIN: B00000I17O
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,249 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #33 in Music > World Music > North America > Native American

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

The sublimity of Inside Monument Valley isn't in the lovely flute music created by jazz musician Paul Horn and Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai, or in the informative, clear liner notes and crisp photos, but rather in the exquisite interplay between Arizona's Monument Valley (the birds, insects, rain, thunder, and echoing canyon walls) and the highly inspired, all-improv music created by two immensely talented artists. The 1998 release Mythic Dreamer was special for the lyrical, spiritual music Nakai created on his first solo flute album after several years, and Inside Monument Valley picks up where Nakai's inspiration left off, like the inhalation of one breath after the exhalation of the last. Horn adds an interesting texture playing European-style transverse flutes and soprano sax. He complements Nakai's Native American flutes perfectly too, never overwhelming the listener with busy or distracting notes. The two musicians wandered into Monument Valley ready to record whatever their muses gave them, and the field-recording aspect of this CD worked wonderfully--probably because in some instinctual way the two artists knew it would. The power of bubbling thunder makes itself heard on "Rain God"; a fly makes a sizzling cameo past the mic on "Alhambra"; even Horn's doggy has something (quite comical) to say. But the recurring playful duels between the ravens' assertive calls and Nakai's flute are the best highlights--and well typify the beautiful essence of this album: living beings speaking to one another through song. --Karen Karleski

Product Description

With the towering spires and sky framing canyons of Monument Valley as their stage, flutist Paul Horn and R. Carlos Nakai create a music that is at once intimate and majestic. Wind, thunder, bird song, the keening of falcons and even the raucous cries of curious ravens provide counterpoint to the lyrical grace of Horn's transverse flutes and the haunting tone of Nakai's traditional Native American flute.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for relaxation/meditation, March 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Inside Monument Valley (Audio CD)

My yoga teacher played this last night, and it was so amazing that I had to obtain it for myself. Wonderful haunting flute music that helps create a meditative space.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music that takes you to another place, May 9, 2005

By 

Richard M. Affleck (Lake Hopatcong, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside Monument Valley (Audio CD)

I find it hard to beat the editorial review of "Inside Monument Valley" by Paul Horn and R. Carlos Nakai. For anyone who's been to canyon country, this cd will conjure up images of an otherworldly landscape. Horn and Nakai ably complement one another, Nakai on Native American flute and eagle bone whistle and Horn on transverse flutes and alto sax. What makes their music so compelling is the fact that it is purely improvisational, each musician responding to the sights and sounds of this magnificent place. And, since it was recorded live, their music incorporates the natural sounds of Monument Valley--thunderstorms, raven calls, and the buzzing of insects. This is more than just music to relax to; it demands that one listen, and the listener will be amply rewarded.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes even knuckle-draggers like me appear to have taste., June 11, 2008

By 

Steven Clem Haley "Steve is in Stillwater" (Stillwater, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside Monument Valley (Audio CD)

OK, I get the whole "native flute"thing to stimulate/simulate our general feeling of multicultural- I really do. But this particular CD blows me away on a level WAY beyond any thing having to do with the multicultural myth. Although I did not expect this CD to convert me to being more sensitive to the any stereotypical native wanna-be feelings that are so prevalent to some today, I did expect this CD to be beautiful, emotional, serene. It was all that and WAY more.

First, the feeling of total seclusion I get simply from listening to it- Whether at home or driving somewhere with my lovely and talented wife. The canyon wrens and ravens recorded live in the background remind me of some of my favorite camping trips out west. Hearing these sounds take you a million miles and a million years away.

Second, the mixture of the ancient and modern-dare I say it- postmodern tunes and tones that may or may not be tens of thousands of years old (how would I know, I'm an illiterate Caucasion?) blend perfectly with saxophone improv call-and-responses that are the perfect ambiance for a quiet pinon fire out on the back deck at sunset while sipping an anejo and enjoying the fragrant smoke of a very fine Rocky Patel.

I admit, I'm not the most aesthetically astute peon in the world, but listening to this sure makes other people think I am.