Red Tail Chasing Hawks

Representing the combined efforts of cedar flute player and vocalist Calvin Standing Bear and piano and keyboard player James Torres, Red Tail Chasing Hawk combines Native American musical traditions and spirit-driven melodies. Although Standing Bear and Torres hail from different heritages, their love of music serves as a powerful bridge. A full-blooded Rosebud Sioux, raised on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, Standing Bear inherited his creative talents from his father, Chief Luther Standing Bear, and grandfather, Chief Silas Standing Bear. While his father continues to work as a traditional singer and lecturer on Native American spirituality, his grandfather has written numerous articles and books including My People the Sioux, The Story of the Sioux, Land of the Spotted Eagle, and My Indian Boyhood. Although he sang in a church choir and taught himself to play guitar, as a youngster he discovered his natural musical voice after switching to the cedar flute. Standing Bear has been a featured soloist with the Colorado Chorale under the direction of Dr. Daniel L. Grace. He teaches spiritual drumming, Native American flute, and singing. Torres has balanced his Chiricahua Apache and Mexican-American heritage with his love of Latin music, playing with such Latin musicians as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Flora Purim, and Airto Moreira. ~ Craig Harris