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Geoffrey Mays : Journeys Within & Afar
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Acoustic and electric new age and jazz soundscapes that celebrate life and nature. "This CD hits the bull's eye for delivering some creative goods from ethereal textures to energetic cosmic wavefiles." - Joe Ross (top 300 reviewer for Amazon.com)
Genre: Jazz: Smooth Jazz
Release Date: 2002
Journeys Within & Afar Record Label: Toya Music SCD-043
  • Download Album (MP3) - $9.99
  • Buy CD - $12.00
SPECIAL: 30% discount if you buy more than one copy of it today!
Preview Song Name Time Format Price Select
Aidan's Dream 4:32 $0.99
And It Keeps On Rolling Along 4:34 $0.99
All Saints Day 5:11 $0.99
Rola's Roadster 4:02 $0.99
Lieber Bengel 5:55 $0.99
Rain By The Sea 6:22 $0.99
Tanzig Mit Die Sonne 4:17 $0.99
Highland Breeze 4:46 $0.99
Mother's Day Blessing 2:09 $0.99
The Red Bird 6:23 $0.99
A Major Glow 3:56 $0.99
Day In Day Out 3:34 $0.99
Barefoot and Smiling 4:13 $0.99
High and Dry 5:09 $0.99
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Album Notes

Born and raised in Japan, guitarist Geoffrey Mays blends wisdom from the East and West into his philosophy on life and music. His inspired guitar-playing 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.

Geoffrey Mays' recordings include:
--A Rash of Midnights
--Blues for Kidz (of all ages)
--Healing Muses for the Earth...for 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). This highly-acclaimed album is receiving excellent reviews and radio airplay around the world.

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REVIEWS

Soothing, uplifting, grooving, ethereal
author: Martin P. Jawanehrul
Geoffrey Mays paints soundscapes.... Multitudinous and varied soundscapes... Soothing, uplifting, grooving, Ethereal, Down to the bone, and all shades of in between. And it's all original material straight from the heart. Some vocal, some instrumental, all of it impassioned with a deep love of music and of life in general. -- Martin P. Jawanehrul
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Stirring, emotion-filled and stunning!
author: Kim Loftis
This stirring album by Geoffrey Mays will prove a delight to any fan of acoustic or electric guitar music. Mays is a true master of the instrument, and guides the listener through a broad spectrum of human emotions on this glorious 70-minute journey. The composer plays each of these creative pieces with great skill and equally great passion. The musicians who join Mays on his journey are equally skilled and passionate. The few vocals we hear on the album are well placed and beautifully executed, adding a special touch of variety to the album. Many reviewers have commented on the melancholy to be found on this album, and they are correct. There are moments of darkness, loss and profound sadness expressed on Geoffrey’s guitar, but there are also moments of profound joy, peace and uplifting to be had in abundance. There’s a song for every mood and temperament here, which adds to the exceptionality of the album. Each piece exudes its own special spirit, and each is sure to touch the listener by provoking a series of images, emotions, memories, etc. When one gives his / her full attention to this album, it becomes obvious what a clever composer Mays truly is. But you don’t have to be a musician to enjoy these compositions. They’re great to listen to while cooking dinner, soaking in a hot bath after a long day, or pretty much any other occasion where music may be appreciated. Despite the heavy jazz influence in the album, you don’t even have to be a hard-core jazz fan to enjoy it… you simply need an open heart, a listening ear, and a stereo. This is a stellar piece of work, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves contemplative, beautiful music. A top of the line, first rate recording!
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"the album itself is a crafted piece of textures and moods. the harmonic develo
author: jim kanas, guitarist, muti-instrumentalist, composer
ok, i dug this! geoffrey paints music. this wasn't a "blow your doors off with how fast i can play" effort. but it is clear he can do that too. you have to listen to the whole thing though. each piece stand on its own but the strength in the recording as a whole that does indeed take you on a journey of emotions and imagery. the album itself is a crafted piece of textures and moods. the harmonic development is evident as the project proceeds from head to tail. i liked geoffrey's use of complimentary styles to produce good feelings! this album is very unique and we get to know the artist as a person through his music. his personality (although we have never meet) seems to transcend the music. good vibes come through! there is a sense of exploration in his music, almost like guided imagery at times. this cd is an example of how those styles have come together in an almost seamless collection original music. it is also clear from listening to this entire project that geoffrey mays has many years of experience as a musician, and that he has reached a point in his music where the broad scope of his musical intelligence has culminated in a montage styles. i like this!
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Well crafted, nice melody, rich feeling
author: Mark Gensman, Ground Zero Sound
Very well crafted songs, nice melody and a dark, rich feel to the production. His guitar playing took me back to my Wes Montgomery days. The CD has a very analogue color to it and it will occupy a place in the CD changer for a while. Very talented band. Nice smooth horn. (Mark Gensman, Ground Zero Sound, gzsound@hotmail.com)
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