#naradamichaelwalden

Digital Crate Digging Continues as we proceed and continue with this Throwback Thursday  / Thankful Thursday edition! Check these menus full of these retro futuristic musings might as well say this is how we’re living! Check these menus no seditious behavior per Trump accusations escalating vigilante type of behavior! Check these menus, nutritious soul food is served per this good word and…

Narada Michael Walden Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson 

Wow! I’ve seen hundreds of photos, loads of videos - I’ve never seen Narada  Michael Walden in an orange bowler. When was the last time I wore orange? InSync! From the first moment to the last, what a glorious, grateful, exuberant lovefest. Narada is as passionate, fun, inviting, and accessible as his music. 

We talked about his first paper drumkit at 5, how he watched, listened, and learned from his heroes. How the soul sounds of Detroit shaped him, how it’s all soul sounds. From his first band at 11 to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which would change his life in all ways… adding prayer. mediation, service, and Narada to his name, gifted by his guru, Sri Chinmoy, thanks to John McLaughlin, and of course, the music, following in Billy Cobham’s big footsteps, touring with Jeff Beck, then recording Wired with him, writing “material” for the album, the full circle back to Beck a decade ago and the story behind their masterpiece version of Little Wing. Ah me! How playing transitioned to producing, inspired by Quincy Jones to service other artists, and the superstar women he championed to great heights - Aretha with their Grammy Song of The Year, Freeway of Love, Whitney with their 6 number one hits including their Grammy Winning Album of the Year, Mariah, with musical knowledge to match her musical chops. We talked our friend, Allee Willis, Keith Moon, Ringo, Jaco, Carlos, Sting, Trudy, Stevie, Marvin, Cissy, his last tour with Journey, and how his devotion to his wife and children brought him home. This very morning Narada was up at 6 readying his kids for school and then driving them there. This interview was held early so that he’d be home when they got home. Quite a man. Respect.

For a taste of what Narada himself is up to musically, check out his The More I Love My Life https://bfan.link/the-more-i-love-my-life with Sting, Carlos, and Stevie, I can’t stop listening!  It seems to so sum up this man of grace. 

And while you’re at it, watch this - and tear yourself away, if you can! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9UQbf_VoQI Perfection! Jeff, Narada, and Rhonda, do Jimi proud.

This is a man as comfortable with pop, soul, funk, rock, and blues as he is with fusion. Brilliant with them all. Loving and appreciating them all, and, as his audience, I’ll gratefully follow him to any of them. I loved every second in Narada’s most excellent company. Grateful girl!

Narada Michael Walden Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson 

Wednesday, 9/25/24, 1 pm PT, 4 pm ET

Streamed Live on my Facebook

Replay here:

Today, LIVE at 1 pm PT! It was almost over a decade ago when I first reached out to multi-Grammy winner (Producer, Album, and Song of the Year) and Emmy winner Narada Michael Walden, who, at the time, was playing drums with Sting. Good things come to those who wait, albeit no matter how impatiently.  

Narada has produced hits for Aretha, including Freeway of Love, Steve Winwood, Ray Charles, Wynonna Judd, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Mariah Carey, Barbara Streisand, Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck and The Temptations! He was an integral part of introducing Whitney Houston (producing 6 of her 7 number-one hits, which broke Michael Jackson’s record) and Mariah Carey to millions of fans worldwide, producing and writing their breakthrough hits that first brought these superstars to the spotlight. Billboard Magazine honored him as one of the Top Ten Producers of all time. Whew! 

Beginning as a drummer, first with the Mahavishnu Orchestra (following Bill Cobham at 21 years old), Narada also toured with Jeff Beck, Tommy Bolin, and Weather Report. With eleven solo recordings, Narada’s music includes soundtrack work on such films as The Bodyguard, Free Willy, Beverly Hills Cops II, 9 ½ Weeks, and Stuart Little to the EMMY-winning “One Moment In Time,”  the theme to the 1988 Olympic Games.

The list goes on, but the artistry of Narada is about more than chart positions and record sales. There’s a powerful spiritual component at the heart of everything he undertakes, an attuned and intuitive approach with a deep appreciation for music’s transforming power. Simply put, the artistry of Narada Michael Walden gets to the heart of the matter, about matters of the heart. 

It’s a commitment that reaches into the philanthropic arena as well, where Narada consistently lends his time and talent to causes ranging from the Cancer Society to funding music programs in the nation’s schools through his own foundation. For over 7 years running he has served as Music Director for the Rainforest Foundation Concert at Carnegie Hall, the high-profile conversancy benefit spearheaded by Sting and Trudie Styler that has featured the likes of  Elton John, Billy Joel, Ravi Shankar, James Taylor, Brian Wilson, Bruce Springsteen, Lada Gaga, Bruno Mars and, of course, Sting himself.

His Narada Michael Walden Foundation delivers its services through a network of non-profit organizations with proven records of success in youth education and community empowerment. The Foundation also endows scholarships for aspiring musicians and enables the stars of tomorrow by offering emerging young artists from around the world access to recording facilities, coaching and production support.

In 2013, Narada established his own Independent Label, Tarpan Records, and released 2 new solo projects, Thunder 2013 and Rising Sun.   In Addition to his own projects, Narada is actively signing and releasing up-and-coming international artists. 

A devoted family man, Narada is an artist who walks his talk. We’re meeting at this earlier time as he prioritizes being home with his children after school. Respect. I can’t wait to share his history and his heart.

Narada Michael Walden Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson 

Wednesday, 9/25/24, 1 pm PT, 4 pm ET

Streaming Live on my Facebook

Narada Michael Walden – The Dance Of Life

Sunday Jazz Continues, check us out as we come through as Sunday afternoon transitions into Sunday evening! The saga / struggle continues aka life goes on as the toil and strife goes on, but your dude will carry on; he kept believing! He kept achieving!!  check the menus as we drop this good word and the funky drummer is drumming; this is what’s up /  this is what it do! Give The Drummer Some?…