Arizona-based flutist R. Carlos Nakai's 1989 album The Canyon Trilogy became the first ever Native American release to be awarded gold record status. Elegant in its simplicity, the record is divided into three sections: Dawn's Mirage, Dreamscapes, and Resonance, with each section containing nothing more than Nakai's unaccompanied cedar flute. Soothing and spiritual, the album remained a staple on the new age charts for many years. [The 2015 deluxe reissue of The Canyon Trilogy features the addition of a fourth section, Recollections, which contains five previously unreleased songs.] ~ Timothy Monger
