We Are Art People in conversation with LARAAJI
LARAAJI is an interdimensional artist, musician and playful laughter therapist— living in Harlem, New York City. LARAAJI is a seven letter word, including three upward facing triangles (A) and the hieroglyphic RA, in reference to the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. Born into the physical world as Edward Larry Gordon in Philadelphia (1943), LARAAJI has embarked on a journey of the soul, a vision quest of remembering and discovering. Engaging in music, playing the violin during his school years, his connection to the string instrument has been a life long bond which led him to the autoharp, which he exchanged for his guitar at a pawn shop in New York City, this was in 1969. After studying Piano and composition at Howard University and a brief moment navigating stand-up comedy in the 1970s, LARAAJI began to explore the complexities of sound and in alignment with his mystical discoveries, he has become a pioneer and composer of ambient and new age sounds. We discuss the role of mentors that have appeared along his path. This has included; Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, founder of the Ananda Ashram, New York, organizers of The Tree of Life, a metaphysical bookstore in Harlem, who blessed LARAAJI with an unofficial naming ceremony during a meeting at Bethseda Fountain, in Central Park and Brian Eno, their connection at Washington Square Park evolved into the creation of Ambient 3: Day of Radiance (1980), which Brian Eno produced.LARAAJI's ambient and extrasensory music is both a celebration of community and a space for communication with the non-dimensional world. We discuss the notion of bouncing between dimensions, and the presence of holding space while co-creating in the physical plane. In a form similar to a yogic shavasana, LARAAJI creates an sonic environment that invites the body to unlock the abstract self, to enter into unexplored states of rest, allowing space to move and connect with greater ease and peace within our self, interconnected as one with the cosmos. LARAAJI's musical and spiritual voice, is a tool of service, to support the growth and evolution of humanity. He continues to celebrate his connection and evocation of the sun’s loving presence and his adoration for orange clothing. Links:https://laraajimusic.bandcamp.com/@laraaji_officialShow Notes:Shavasana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShavasanaOhso https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RajneeshTree of Life https://www.nytimes.com/1976/01/24/archives/a-parking-lot-is-to-replace-the-tree-of-life-in-harlem.html440HZ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A440_(pitch_standard)Zither / Autoharp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AutoharpPentatonic Scale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentatonic_scaleThe Orange Book: The Meditation Techniques of Bhagwan Shree RajneeshFollow @weareartpeoplewww.weareartpeople.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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