Laraaji

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Laraaji is an American musician. Born Edward Larry Gordon in 1943 in Philadelphia, he studied violin, piano, trombone and voice in his early years in New Jersey. He attended Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C. on a scholarship to study composition and piano. After studying at Howard, he spent time in New York pursuing a career as a stand-up comedian and actor.

In the early seventies he began to study Eastern mysticism and believed he'd found a new path for his music and his life. It was also at this time he bought his first zither from a local pawn shop. Converting it to an electronic instrument, he began to experiment using the instrument like a piano. By 1978, he developed enough skill to begin busking in the parks and on the sidewalks of New York.

The following year he was "discovered" by Brian Eno while playing in Washington Square Park. The result was his most widely-recognized release, Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, the third installment of Brian Eno's Ambient series. This was his first album released under the name of Laraaji.

This international exposure led to many requests for longer versions of his compositions which he supplied to many meditation groups on cassette tapes. It also resulted in an expansion of his mystic studies with such gurus as Swami Satchidananda and the late Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, founder of the Ananda Ashram in Harriman, New York.

Another product of Laraaji's increasing enlightenment was the creation of the Laughter Meditation Workshops which he still presents around the globe. Laraaji's releases include:

Releases

Celestial Vibration (Swan - 1978)
Day Of Radiance (Editions EG - 1980)
I Am Ocean (Celestial Vibration - 1981)
Rhythm And Bliss (Third Ear - 1982)
Om Namah Shivaya (Celestial Vibration - 1984)
Sun Zither (Laraaji - 1984)
Open Sky (Celestial Vibration - 1985)(w. Brother Ah)
Live At WNYC (Laraaji - 1985)
Celestial Realms (Spirit Music - 1986) (w. Lyghte a.k.a. Jonathan Goldman)
Essence/Universe (Jem - 1987)
Music For Films III (Opal - 1989) (various artists)
Zither Bliss (Laraaji - 1987)
Selected New Music III (Clear Music - 1991) (various artists)
Flow Goes The Universe (Gyroscope - 1993)
Automatic (Gyroscope - 1994) (as part of Channel Light Vessel)
The Way Out Is The Way In (Gyroscope - 1995) (with Audio Active)
Islands (Sine - 1995) (w. Roger Eno)
Excellent Spirits (Gyroscope - 1996) (as part of Channel Light Vessel)
Divination/Sacrifice (Meta 1998) (w. Bill Laswell)
Celestial Reiki (Etherean - 2000) (w. Jonathan Goldman)
Shiva Shakti Groove (Collective - 2000)
Celestial Zone (Laraaji - 2002)
My Orangeness (VelNet - 2002)
Celestial Reiki II (Etherean - 2002) (w. Jonathan Goldman)
Water & Soft Zither (Laraaji - 2004)

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