Delbert Anderson

(Excerpted from) Interview: The Swing of the Navajo Heartbeat and the Improvisation of Navajo Chants – Smithsonian Voices, National Museum of the American Indian, April 20, 2018:

“Thank you for making time to talk with the museum during Jazz Appreciation Month. Please introduce yourself."

"Hello, my name is Delbert Anderson. I am a part of the Navajo Tribe and born on the Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico. My clans are the Folded Arms People (maternal), Red Cheek People (paternal), Red House People (maternal grandfather), and Bitter Water People (paternal grandfather)."

“Can you give us your Native name and its English translation?"

"My Native last name is Tsi’naajinii. Tsi’naajinii translates to Black Streak Wood People. When my grandfather attended boarding school in Oregon, the teachers had trouble saying Tsi’naajinii. The school changed his last name to Anderson."

 “Where did you grow up and where do you call home now?"

"Although I was born on the Navajo Reservation, I grew up in Farmington and Kirtland, New Mexico. I've been living in these areas most of my life. I now reside in Farmington with my wife and four children."

“How old were you when you became interested in jazz music?"

"I began playing drums and singing in my home church band at the age of three. However, it wasn’t until I was nine years old that I found my passion for jazz music. During my fourth-grade year, a local jazz combo came to our school to perform. The combo performance guided our decisions about what instruments we wanted to play in beginning band. The trumpet has been primary since the first day I started to play. My secondary instruments include drums, piano, and vocals."

Jazz, Traditional Navajo

Musician, songwriter, bandleader, educator

Drums, Piano, trumpet, Vocals