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GEOFFREY MAYS, Guitarist & Composer
Acoustic & Electric Soundscapes



















Born and raised in Japan, guitarist Geoffrey Mays blends wisdom from the East and West into his philosophy on life and music. His inspired music truly captures his experiences, as Mays believes that his path is one to be taken and celebrated. Mays' mixed heritage and world travels have allowed him to develop a great appreciation and understanding of the world's many diverse cultures, resulting in his passionate yearning for world peace and harmony. These beliefs shine through in his music and his way of being. In his music, he embodies the spirit of Zen, following his endless path, floating like clouds, and flowing like water simultaneously with and without form.



Geoffrey Mays has been playing and composing music for three decades. He has been teaching for over a decade and has founded or co-founded musical groups in France, New Mexico, California and Oregon. From 1993-95, he apprenticed with the Don Latarski Group, playing regularly with that nationally-renown jazz band. Mays is currently writing a guitar instruction book, "Simple and Deep: A Zen Approach to Playing with Your Guitar." Mays is presently teaching from his home studio (Soringhart) and also works as an administrator at Crescent Records, founded by Don Latarski. Geoff also enjoys an occasional sushi party and reunion with his friends from Yokohama.

Geoffrey Mays' recordings include:
--A Rash of Midnights
--Blues for Kidz (of all ages)
--Healing Muses for the EarthŠfor Ourselves
--A Butterfly in the Night (with the band, Soringhart)
--Austin-Eugene (with David Mitchell)
--Watermelon Sugar (with David Bowers)
--Moments Beyond Time (with The Muse)

In 2002, Mays released "Journeys Within & Afar" (Toya Music SCD-043). The highly-acclaimed album is receiving excellent reviews and radio airplay around the world. Elle Hatheway (shown here with Geoffrey) adds her voice on "The Red Bird," composed on their seventh anniversary.


With the release of this album, Geoffrey Mays' dream has flown. The songs on "Journeys Within and Afar" were mostly inspired by Mays' magical sourjourn to Germany in 1997 with his duo, "The Muse" (with Jay Bishoff). Geoffrey Mays is a master of acoustic and electric guitars, and he uses multi-tracking very effectively on a number of cuts to paint a brilliant aural palette from new age acoustic jazz to rock and funk. This album is a very professional product with special guests on eight of the 14 tunes. On "Journeys Within and Afar," Mays is joined by Mark Schneider (bass), Jason Palmer (drums and percussion), Don Latarski (acoustic guitar solos on two cuts), and Ricky Sweum (saxophone on three cuts). Ila Kreigh vocalizes beautifully on "Highland Breeze." With a total playing time of over 65 minutes, "Journeys Within and Afar" is a great buy. From the opening riffs on "Aidan's Dream" (written on the day of his nephew's birth) to the closing beat of "High and Dry" (celebrating his time in New Mexico), Geoffrey Mays leads us through a stimulating musical journey of life, inspiration, joy and bliss. Mays takes nature's rhythms, and allows us to feel the circular patterns from within, eliminates illusion as he illuminates his surroundings. "Journeys" hits the bull's eye for delivering some creative goods from ethereal textures to energetic cosmic wavefiles. I give this album two thumbs up.
--Joe Ross, Roseburg, OR.


FOR LESSONS, BOOKINGS or INFORMATION:
Geoffrey Mays
Tel. (541)686-8832
Email: gam@efn.org

Links for CDs and Further Info
CD Baby
Purchase Geoff's albums at this great on-line site
Amazon.com
Another quick and easy place to get the new album
Ultimate Resource for the Independent Traveller
All about Jay Bishoff
The Zen Guitar Dojo
Philip Toshio Sudo's Zen Guitar Philosophy
Yohidevils Yahoogroup
Did you attend YoHi in Yokohama, Japan between 1966-76?