Speak/Sing Native™ Artist Archive
Delbert Anderson
Diné (Navajo)
(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."
Professional Information
Media:
The Swing of the Navajo Heartbeat and the Improvisation of Navajo Chants – Smithsonian Voices, National Museum of the American Indian, April 20, 2018
Navajo Fusion: DDAT Crosses Genres and Generations, The National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Winter 2018
Meet Delbert Anderson, A Native American Trumpet Master Interweaving Navajo Melodies With Jazz – Grammy.com News – May 2021
To 'honor the shoulders we stand on:' Big band premieres with nod to history of Native jazz musicians – NW News Network - May 2022
Delbert Anderson’s Mission: Putting ‘Native Sound Back Into Jazz’ – New York Times, Feb 24, 2023
Forge Project Awards $150,000 to Native American Artists – Native News Online, May 2024
Delbert Anderson's Musical Journey Home – New Mexico Magazine, June 26, 2024
Delbert Anderson Takes Inspiration from Navajo Culture – Jazz Times, August 2024
Julia Keefe,.....many others
Jazz, Traditional Navajo
Musician, songwriter, bandleader, educator
Drums, Piano, trumpet, Vocals
Video
- Delbert Anderson Quartet
Iron Horse Gallop/Outer Inner/Heart Passage/Groove Warrior - Delbert Anderson Quartet
Venue: Hawaii Public Radio
Format: Live
Duration: 28:01
- Delbert Anderson, Julia Keefe
Improvisation Workshop - Delbert Anderson, Julia Keefe
Venue: Sante Fe Indian School
Format: Live
Duration: 5:23
- Avotcja Jiltinilro (spoken word), Delbert Anderson (trumpet), Mike McCluhan (bass), Nicholas Lucero (drums)
The Pepperization of Music - Avotcja Jiltinilro (spoken word), Delbert Anderson (trumpet), Mike McCluhan (bass), Nicholas Lucero (drums)
Venue: Jim PepperFest 2015, Portland, Oregon
Format: Audio
Duration: 11:35
- Delbert Anderson (trumpet), Robert Muller (Keys), Evan Suiter (Bass), Khalill Brown (Drums)
Delbert Anderson Quartet - Live on Hawaii Public Radio - Delbert Anderson (trumpet), Robert Muller (Keys), Evan Suiter (Bass), Khalill Brown (Drums)
Venue: Hawaii Public Radio
Format: Live
Duration: 28:01
Tribal Information
Diné (Navajo)
also known as "Navajo"
"The Navajo Nation extends into the states of Utah , Arizona and New Mexico , covering over 27,000 square miles of unparalleled beauty. Diné Bikéyah, or Navajoland, is larger than 10 of the 50 states in America.
"Visitors from around the world are intrigued and mystified when they hear the Navajo language – so, too, were the enemy during World War II. Unknown to many, the Navajo language was used to create a secret code to battle the Japanese. Navajo men were selected to create codes and serve on the front line to overcome and deceive those on the other side of the battlefield. Today, these men are recognized as the famous Navajo Code Talkers, who exemplify the unequaled bravery and patriotism of the Navajo people.
The Navajo Nation flag
"The Navajo Nation Flag, designed by Jay R. Degroat, a Navajo from Mariano Lake, New Mexico, was selected from 140 entries, and was officially adopted by the Navajo Nation Council on May 21, 1968 by Resolution CMY-55-68.
"On a tan background, the outline of the present Nation is shown in copper color with the original 1868 Treaty Reservation in Dark Brown. At the cardinal points in the tan field are the four sacred mountains. A rainbow symbolizing Navajo sovereignty arches over the Nation and the sacred mountains. In the center of the Nation, a circular symbol depicts the sun above two green stalks of corn, which surrounds three animals representing the Navajo livestock economy, and a traditional hogan and modern home.
"Between the hogan and the house is an oil derrick symbolizing the resource potential of the Tribe, and above this are representations of the wild fauna of the Nation. At the top near the sun, the modern sawmill symbolizes the progress and industry characteristic of the Navajo Nation's economic development." (source Tribal website)