Narada Michael Walden and The Narada Band

Last night I caught the latest Narada Michael Walden retrospective at Yoshi's in Oakland where Narada performed his own tunes with an all-star band of local studio musicians, most of whom appeared on Narada's more than 50 #1 hit records produced for divas and artists Narada launched into stardom and himself. Narada was unbelievably amazing as he led the band in recreating more than a dozen hits on stage that were originally written for Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and others, and honored jazz greats like the late Joe Zawinal, the eclectic keyboardist/composer from Weather Report.

Narada's successes date back to tunes he wrote for and recorded with Jeff Beck in the '70s to a string of hits for mega stars like Whitney, Aretha, Mariah, Shanice and others, in the '80s and '90s. His bio below is a who's who in music. And it's no surprise that Narada is ranked among the top 10 most successful record producers of all time by Billboard magazine. In his long and ongoing career, he has earned an Emmy, 3 Grammy Awards, and countless accolades. Most recently, he was awarded a grant to write a symphony for the Oakland Symphony Orchestra!

His performance last night was classic Narada. He was at once the high priest exhorting us to forgive him and ourselves, to love Him and ourselves, to support Obama, and to celebrate life and be joyful. He was the jazz/rock/fusion drummer - still one of our greatest living today - who powered the Mahavishnu Orchestra and later went on to record with Jeff Beck, Weather Report and others. He was the solo artist who had a string of his own #1 hits in the early 80's. And he was the consummate record producer whose signature sound was THE sound of hits during mid '80s into the '90s.

Long live my friend and brother Narada Michael Walden. Connect to him on Facebook.

NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN
Among a handful of the most innovative, original and influential artists of our time, Narada Michael Walden's stature as an authentic musical renaissance man is a matter of record - a lot of records, in fact.

Artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin and Wynonna Judd; Stevie Wonder and Tom Jones; The Temptations and Jeff Beck - these and literally scores of others have sought out this consummate creative catalyst to fashion some of the biggest hits of their careers. The multi-Grammy winner (with Producer, Album and Song Of The Year awards to his credit) has been at the helm of hit music that spans decades and flows freely from pop, rock, soul, hip-hop and country, to the rarified realms of jazz, fusion, world music and back in again. Along the way, Walden was an integral part of introducing such superstars as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to millions of fans worldwide, by creating the breakthrough hits that first brought these divas in to the spotlight. Small wonder Billboard Magazine honored him as one of the Top Ten Producers of all time.

Yet, as impressive a production and songwriting resume as Narada Michael Walden has assembled over the past thirty years and counting, he has earned equal acclaim as a recording and performing artist in his own right. Beginning with his stint as part of the pioneering Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early Seventies, through eleven acclaimed solo albums and numerous appearances at the top of the Pop and R and B charts, Walden has given a whole new meaning to the term "multi-tasking." Along the way he has branched into a wide range of sonic arenas, from groundbreaking soundtrack work on such smash films as The Bodyguard and Stuart Little to the Emmy-winning "One Moment In Time," perhaps best known as the theme to the 1988 Olympic Games.

The list goes on, but the artistry of Narada Michael Walden is about more than charts positions and record sales. There is a powerful spiritual component at the heart of everything this richly gifted artist 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 matter, about matters of the heart.

It's a commitment that reaches into the philanthropic arena as well, where Walden consistently lends his time and talent to causes ranging from the Cancer Society to funding music programs in the nation's schools. For six straight years he has served as Music Director for the Rain Forest Concert at Carnegie Hall, the high profile conversancy benefit spearheaded by Sting and Trudie Styler that has featured such marquee names as Elton John, Billy Joel, Ravi Shankar, Nina Simone and, of course, Sting himself.

Walden's prodigious energies have consistently kept him on the cutting edge of today's, and tomorrow's, music. Following up on the founding of his Marin County-based Tarpan Studios, he has recently announced the creation of his new custom label, Tarpan Records and recruited a number of promising young songwriters for his thriving publishing and production company. Aside from playing on key tracks for the new Stevie Wonder album, as well as producing the smash all-star tribute to late great genius of soul, Ray Charles and Friends, Walden has also written and recorded soundtrack material for the intriguing documentary, Guitar Man, which explores the world of vintage guitars and is set to premier at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Walden has also recently completed production on the debut album from acclaimed new vocalist, Naomi Streimer, whose debut single, "Cars" features special guest Carlos Santana.

In the midst of this flurry of activity, Walden is simultaneously hard at work on an eagerly awaited new solo album, highlighting a stellar line-up of friends and fellow musicians including Chris Botti, Clarence Clemons, Sting and many others.

With awesome abilities matched by a truly humble spirit, Narada Michael Walden is not only one of the most sought-after talents of our era: he is also one of the most admired, emulated and authentic. You can hear it in his music.