Possibly Narada, the inventor of the Vina.

Narad redirects here; for the village in Slovakia, see Ňárad.

Narada (Sanskrit: नारद, nārada means Naara = Wisdom + Da = Giver) or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana. Narada is the author of the Pāñcarātra, a standard text for Vaisnava's priests which contains the technical and philosophical meanings of the temple Deity worship. Narada is portrayed as a travelling monk with the ability to visit distant worlds or planets (lokas in Sanskrit). He carries a veena as his musical instrument—and not a Tampura as is commonly assumed^[1][2]—which he uses to accompany his singing of hymns, prayers and mantras as an act of devotion to his Lord, Vishnu. In the Vedas, Narada is described as a saintly traveler who sometimes while remembering Vishnu by singing His Glories through his Brahminical holy thread breaks, because of bodily expansions through the emotions he feels of pure bhakti (love of God) in separation, which he derives from his unalloyed devotional service. In the Vaishnava tradition he is held in special reverence for his chanting and singing of the names Hari and Narayana and his promoting of the process of devotional service, known as bhakti yoga as explained within the text accredited to Narada himself, known as the Narada Bhakti Sutra. Narada is also said to have orated the maxims of the Nāradasmṛti (100BC-400CE), which has been called the “juridical text par excellence” and represents the only Dharmaśāstra text which deals solely with juridical matters and ignoring those of righteous conduct and penance.^[3]

Enlightenment[link]

The Bhagavata Purana describes the story of Narada's spiritual enlightenment: He was the primary source of information among Gods, and is believed to be the first journalist on Earth. He never married but claimed to have 60 wives. In his previous birth Narada was a Gandharva (angelic being) who had been cursed to be born on an earthly planet due to some offense. (citation needed). He was born as the son of a maid-servant of some particularly saintly priests (Brahmins). The priests, being pleased with both his and his mother's service, blessed him by allowing him to eat some of their food (prasad), previously offered to their lord, Vishnu.

Gradually Narada received further blessings from these sages and heard them discussing many spiritual topics. After his mother died, he decided to roam the forest in search of enlightenment in understanding the 'Supreme Absolute Truth'.

Reaching a tranquil forest location, after quenching his thirst from a nearby stream, he sat under a tree in meditation (yoga), concentrating on the paramatma form of Vishnu within his heart as he had been taught by the priests he had served. After some time Narada experienced a vision wherein Narayan (Vishnu) appeared before him, smiling, and spoke "that despite having the blessing of seeing him at that very moment, Narada would not be able to see his (Vishnu's) divine form again until he died". Narayan further explained that the reason he had been given a chance to see his form was because his beauty and love would be a source of inspiration and would fuel his dormant desire to be with the lord again. After instructing Narada in this manner, Vishnu then disappeared from his sight. The boy awoke from his meditation both thrilled and disappointed.

For the rest of his life Narada focused on his devotion, meditation upon and worship to Vishnu. After his death Vishnu then blessed him with the spiritual form of "Narada" as he eventually became known. In many Hindu scriptures Narada is considered a saktyavesa-avatara or partial-manifestation (avatar) of God, empowered to perform miraculous tasks on Vishnu's behalf.

Footnotes[link]

See also[link]

• Narad Bhakti Sutra
• Bhagavata Purana
• Four Kumaras
• Nāradasmṛti
• Vishnu

References[link]

• Translation by Richard W. Lariviere (1989). The Nāradasmr̥ti. University of Philadelphia. 

External links[link]

• Complete Narada-Bhakti-Sutra
• Narada's Instructions on Srimad-Bhagavatam for Vyasadeva
• Translation from Sanskrit of Narada Bhakti Sutras at www.urday.com/narad.htm
• References to Narada in Gaudiya Vaishnava texts
• Ruesi Narot - Narada in Buddhist Thailand

v t e Avatars of Vishnu Dashavatara Matsya Kurma Varaha Narasimha Vamana Parashurama Rama Krishna Balarama1 Buddha1 Kalki Other avatars Catursana Narada Nara-Narayana Kapila Dattatreya Yajna Rishabha Prithu Dhanvantari Mohini Vyasa Prsnigarbha Hayagriva Hamsa 1 Buddha or Balarama is considered the avatar of Vishnu, depending on the tradition. In North India, Buddha is included and in South India, Balarama.

v t e Hindu deities and texts Gods Deva Ganesha Brahma Vishnu Shiva Rama Krishna Murugan Hanuman Indra Surya more Goddesses Adi parashakti Devi Saraswati Lakshmi Sati Parvati Durga Shakti Kali Sita Radha Mahavidya Navadurga Matrikas more Texts Vedas Upanishads Puranas Ramayana Mahabharata Bhagavad Gita more Hinduism Hindu mythology

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2009)

Narada Michael Walden (born Michael Walden on April 23, 1952 in Kalamazoo, Michigan) is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. He was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s and his musical career spans three decades, in which he was awarded several gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards. Walden has also owned and operated Tarpan Studios, a well-known recording studio in San Rafael, California, since the mid-1980s.

Performing career[link]

His stage career included appearances with John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra (where he replaced legendary drummer Billy Cobham),^[1] Jeff Beck (on Beck's album Wired) and Tommy Bolin Band.

His first album, Garden of Love Light, was released in 1976 and included the track "Delightful", song from Tommy Bolin Band setlist. The lone single released from the album, it charted at #81 on the R&B charts in the spring of 1977.

His 1979 album Awakening peaked at #15 on the R&B charts, spawning a Top 10 hit with "I Don't Want Nobody Else (To Dance With You )". Later that year, his album The Dance of Life yielded the Top 5 single "I Shoulda Loved Ya", which also made the UK Top 10 in 1980. "Gimme Gimme Gimme", his 1985 duet with Patti Austin, reached #1 in Sweden. In 1988, he scored another UK top 10 hit and a #1 US Dance hit, with "Divine Emotions" under the name Narada.

Achievements[link]

Number one hits have included several collaborations

• Whitney Houston
  • "How Will I Know"
  • "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
  • "So Emotional"
  • "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
  • "All the Man That I Need"
• Mariah Carey
  • "I Don't Wanna Cry
  • "Heartbreaker
• Aretha Franklin
  • "Freeway of Love"
• Aretha Franklin & George Michael
  • "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (duet)
• Diana Ross
  • "Take Me Higher"
• Regina Belle
  • "Baby, Come to Me"
• Starship
  • "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
• Lisa Fischer
  • "How Can I Ease the Pain"
• Tevin Campbell
  • "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do"
• Al Jarreau
  • "Heaven & Earth"

He has contributed to a diverse range of musical genres including rock, jazz, pop, R&B and fusion.

He was awarded Grammys for Producer of the Year in 1987,^[1] Album of the Year for the movie soundtrack The Bodyguard in 1993^[1] and the R&B Song of the Year in 1985 for Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love." He was also named as one of the "Top Ten Producers With the Most Number One Hits" by Billboard magazine.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Garden of Love Light - 1976
• I Cry, I Smile - 1977
• Awakening - 1979
• The Dance of Life - 1979
• Victory - 1980
• Confidence - 1982
• Looking At You, Looking At Me - 1983
• The Nature of Things - 1985
• Divine Emotion - 1988

Singles[link]

• "Delightful" (1977)
• "Give Your Love a Chance" (1979)
• "I Don't Want Nobody Else (to Dance with You)" (1979)
• "I Shoulda Loved Ya" (1980)
• "Tonight I'm Alright" (1980)
• "The Real Thang" (1980)
• "Summer Lady" (1982)
• "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" (1983)
• "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" (1985)
• "Divine Emotions" (as Narada) (1988)

Soundtracks[link]

• Beverly Hills Cop II
• Perfect
• Licence to Kill
• The Bodyguard
• Jason's Lyric
• 9½ Weeks
• Crooklyn
• Free Willy
• Mannequin
• The Associate
• Now and Again
• Innerspace
• Bright Lights, Big City

Other collaborations[link]

• Phyllis Hyman
• LaToya London ("Every Part of Me," "Learn to Breathe," and "State of My Heart")
• Stacy Lattisaw "Let Me Be Your Angel" album, "With You" album, Sneakin' Out album, "Sixteen" album and "Perfect Combination" album.
• Al Green ("Your Heart's in Good Hands")
• Shanice Wilson ("I Hate to Be Lonely", "Love Is The Gift" [English theme song found only in Square Enix's video game The Bouncer])
• Ray Charles
• Diana Ross ("If You're Not Gonna Love Me Right", "I Will Survive")
• Wild Orchid
• Tevin Campbell (Tell Me What You Want Me To Do)
• Angela Bofill
• MyTown ("Love Sent Angel" from Mytown)
• Steve Winwood ("Junction Seven" album)
• Phaze II
• Andy Vargas
• Debelah Morgan
• Jai
• Jermaine Stewart ("We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off")
• Natalie Cole ("Good to Be Back")
• Clarence Clemons
• Puff Johnson
• Eddie Murphy ("Put Your Mouth On Me")
• Carl Carlton ("The Bad CC")
• Robert Fripp ("Exposure")
• Weather Report ("Black Market")
• Michelle Gayle ("Sweetness", "Freedom", "Happy Just To Be With You", "Baby Don't Go", "All Night Long")
• Amii Stewart
• Allan Holdsworth ("Velvet Darkness" LP, CD)
• Jeff Beck, album "Wired"
• Sister Sledge, album "All American Girls"
• Sheena Easton, ("So Far, So Good", from the Original Soundtrack of the movie "About Last Night", No Sound but a Heart LP)
• Tommy Bolin, ("Marching Powder")
• Jaco Pastorius ("Come On, Come Over")
• Pia Zadora ("Pia Z")
• Don Novello and Cat McLean ("Everyone Is Free To Wear Camouflage")

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider modifying the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points in such a way that it can stand on its own as a concise version of the article. (discuss). (April 2012)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2012)

Patti Austin
Austin on the evening of her appearance at the Ram's Head in Annapolis, Maryland, where she sang an all-Gershwin show on October 29, 2007.
Background information
Born	(1950-08-10) August 10, 1950 (age 61)
Origin	Harlem, New York
Genres	R&B, Pop rock, Jazz
Occupations	Singer, Songwriter
Years active	1953–present
Labels	CTI, Qwest, GRP, Concord
Website	Patti Austin Official Website

Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950)^[1] is an American R&B and jazz music singer.

Life and career[link]

Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents.^{[citation needed]}

By the late 1960s Austin was a prolific session musician and commercial jingle singer. During the 1980s, signed to Jones's Qwest Records, she began her most prolific hitmaking period. She charted twenty R&B songs between 1969 and 1991 and had success on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where she hit number one in 1981 with "Do You Love Me?" / "The Genie".

The album containing that hit, Every Home Should Have One, also produced her biggest mainstream hit. "Baby, Come To Me", a duet with James Ingram, initially peaked at number 73 on the Hot 100 in early 1982. After being featured as the love theme in a prominent storyline on the soap opera General Hospital, the song re-entered the pop chart in October and went to number one in February 1983. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA. She would later team up again with Ingram for "How Do You Keep The Music Playing".

That year, Austin's single "It's Gonna Be Special" was featured on the soundtrack for the Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta film Two of a Kind. Though the film was not the major success envisioned for the re-teaming of the Grease stars, the soundtrack went Platinum and Austin's single, produced by Quincy Jones, became one of her highest-profile hits. "It's Gonna Be Special" peaked at #5 on the Dance charts, #15 on the R&B charts, and charted on the Hot 100 in 1984. The song also appeared on her self-titled album of that year, and its follow-up, "Rhythm of the Street", remixed by John "Jellybean" Benitez, narrowly missed Billboard's Dance Top Ten, though it peaked higher on Hi-NRG charts. The two songs were featured on a double-A-side 12" single. For "Rhythm of the Street" Austin shot her first music video.

Austin released her third album in three years entitled Gettin' Away With Murder. In addition to the title track, she had two more hit singles, "Honey For The Bees" (#24 R&B and #6 Dance) and "The Heat of Heat". Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, noted for their later work with Janet Jackson, the latter track returned Austin to the top 15 of the R&B charts for what would be the last time to date. It would also be her last Hot 100 charting to date, although she would score a top-5 dance hit with the single Reach that appeared originally on her 1994 CD That Secret Place.

She next appeared with Jeff Bridges and Joan Allen in Francis Ford Coppola's critically acclaimed period piece Tucker: The Man and his Dream (1988). That year, Austin released The Real Me, a collection of standards which garnered her the first of several Top 10 showings on the Jazz Albums chart.

She sang the duet "It's the Falling in Love" with Michael Jackson on his album Off The Wall. Other duet partners include George Benson ("Moody's Mood for Love" and "Keep Your Dreams Alive"), and Luther Vandross ("I'm Gonna Miss You In The Morning"). In 1985 she sang lead vocals on a collaboration with her producer, Narada Michael Walden, and the single, "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme", went top 40 on the R&B charts.

In 1991, she recorded the duet "You Who Brought Me Love" with music legend Johnny Mathis, which was received with critical acclaim. That same year she was invited to be a guest on a Johnny Mathis television special that was broadcast across North America.

Austin led a new group of Raelettes for the 2006 album Ray Charles + Count Basie Orchestra = Genius². That group also featured veteran session singer Valerie Pinkston and members of the group Perry.

During a 2007 interview promoting her latest recording, Austin reflected how as a teenager she reluctantly attended one of Judy Garland's last concerts and the experience helped focus her career, stating "She (Judy Garland) ripped my heart out. I wanted to interpret a lyric like that, to present who I was at the moment through the lyric."^[2]

In 2007 Patti Austin participated in the Avo Session Basel with a program dedicated to Ella Fitzgerald.

In 2008, fifty-three years after getting her first record contract, Patti Austin was awarded her first Grammy Award, winning Best Jazz Vocal Album for Avant Gershwin at the 50th annual Grammy Awards.[1] The award came for her ninth nomination in that category.

On September 11, 2001, Austin was booked on United Flight 93, from Boston to San Francisco. However, she had to change the flight to a day earlier because her mother had a stroke. Austin later said: “I felt that my life had been saved for some specific reason.” “I have yet to figure that out, but I do a lot of charity work now, which I was doing before, but I do a lot more.”^{[citation needed]}

She reported to Jim Newsom of Portfolio Weekly in 2006 “I just lost 140 pounds. “I had gastric bypass surgery a year and a half ago, and my life was saved by it. “I went to a doctor for a complete physical because I had a torn meniscus in my knee. He said, ‘You’ve got to lose this weight —- you’ve got type II diabetes, you have asthma and you’re menopausal. You’ve got to get rid of this weight and you’ve got to get rid of it fast. This is the best way for you to do it.’”

Austin is one of over 70 artists singing on "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti", a charity single in aid of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Live albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Singles[link]

• "All Behind Us Now"

Guest appearances[link]

With Lalo Schifrin

• Black Widow (CTI, 1976)

See also[link]

• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Patti Austin

• Patti Austin Official Website

Bradley Joseph
Background information
Born	1965 (age 46–47) Willmar, Minnesota, United States
Genres	Contemporary instrumental Soft adult contemporary Smooth jazz Classical music Neoclassical (New Age)
Occupations	Composer arranger producer recording artist
Instruments	Piano keyboards Saxophone trombone guitar
Years active	1983–present
Labels	Robbins Island Music Narada/Virgin Records
Associated acts	Dugan McNeill Yanni Sheena Easton
Website	bradleyjoseph.com

Bradley Joseph (born 1965) is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".^[1]

Active since 1983, Joseph has performed in front of more than a half million people around the world.^[2] He played various instruments in rock bands throughout the Midwest until 1989 when Greek composer Yanni hired him for his core band after hearing a tape of his original compositions. He was a featured concert keyboardist with Yanni through six major tours, most recently in 2003 for the 60-city Ethnicity tour. He appears in the multi-platinum album and concert film, Yanni Live at the Acropolis. Joseph also spent four years as musical director and lead keyboardist for Sheena Easton, including a 1995 performance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

His solo career began when he independently released Hear the Masses, featuring many of his Yanni bandmates. This debut was followed by Rapture, an instrumental album recorded with a 50-piece orchestra in which Joseph wrote and conducted all of the scores. It was released on the Narada label and reached New Age Voice (NAV)'s "Airwaves Top 30". He has produced numerous CDs/DVDs and piano books under his own record label, Robbins Island Music. Two of these recordings, Christmas Around the World and One Deep Breath, also held positions on NAV's Top 100 radio chart. His music is included in multiple various-artist compilation albums including the 2008 release of The Weather Channel Presents: Smooth Jazz II.

Biography[link]

Bradley Joseph was born in 1965 and raised in Willmar, Minnesota, graduating from Willmar Senior High School in 1983.^[3] He learned how to play piano from a how-to piano book he found in the piano bench.^[4] One morning his father taught him how to play a boogie-woogie blues tune and by nightfall he could play the entire piece.^[5] He started playing classical piano at age eight,^[5] taking lessons for a year and a half but was self-taught thereafter.^[4] While in junior high, he took a concert field trip where he saw Buddy Rich perform. He recalls, "I sat in the first row and when Buddy's sax player stood up to take his first solo something just clicked — the world closed in around me. I felt the power of music and knew that it was something special, a gift to be shared."^[5] Joseph played piano for the jazz band and choir in high school,^[6] and trombone through high school and college.^[7] When he picked up the horn, he got a whole new perspective on music, gaining insight into all the different timbres available, which was invaluable to him when he started working with orchestras.^[8] The first band he was in was a wedding dance band which allowed him to gain experience in every different style of music from polkas to rock and roll to jazz classics.^[4] After attending Moorhead State University as a music major, he led some of his own bands around the area that toured Midwest nightclubs. He played sax and guitar in some of these earlier bands but left them to concentrate on just the piano/keyboards.^[7] Later, he started performing with guitarist Dugan McNeill, whose U2-like group was signed to Polygram.^[5] McNeill and Yanni had once played together in the technopop band Chameleon in the late 70s and early 80s.

Yanni[link]

In 1989, Joseph recorded his first demo tape and sent it off to Greek composer Yanni, who was looking for someone to replace keyboardist John Tesh, as Tesh was launching his own solo career.^[9] When Yanni heard Joseph's compositions and arrangements, he was hired over the phone to join his core band, without ever meeting.^[7]