composer

Geoffrey's warm and generous spirit have illuminated recordings, theater, dance, film and concert stages around the world. He taught on the faculties of both Sarah Lawrence College and City College of New York. He's recorded and performed with Robbie Robertson, Rita Coolidge and Walela, Coleman Barks, Julie Taymor (Across The Universe, Frida ) & Elliot Goldenthal (Final Fantasy, Titus), Carter Burwell (Raising Arizona, The Big Lewbowsky), David Torn (Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Tori Amos), Krishna Das, Jai Uttal & The Pagan Love Orchestra and many others. Geoffrey began performing on drum set in 1968 with guitar wizard and film composer David Torn. Beginning in 1970 Geoffrey studied music, psychology and philosophy at Ulster College and New Paltz University. He studied Shamanism and Psychology with author and scholar Stephen Larsen (The Shaman's Doorway). Through his study with Stephen Larsen from 1970 -72, Geoffrey also took class with Stan Grof, Buckminster Fuller, Joseph Cambell, Jerome Rothenberg, Alan Ginsberg and Ram Dass. In 1971 Geoffrey took initiation into Tantric meditation and Ashtanga Yoga practices. At New Paltz University he studied comparative religion with Amiya Chakravarty (literary secretary to Rabindranath Tagore and close associate of Mahatma Gandhi). Geoffrey completed yoga teacher training in 1972 and began teaching Hatha Yoga. From 1971-73 he played drums in several well known rock and roll bands in Woodstock and Ithaca NY. He attended the first sessions of Naropa University in 1974 and was introduced to Buddhist meditation and Buddhist studies with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In 1975 he began playing music with Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Bhagavan Das, Badal Roy, and Steve Gorn.

In 1975 Geoffrey became a tabla student of Ustad Allarakha and in 1977 a student of North Indian Classical Music with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. In late 1977 Geoffrey joined the faculty of City College of New York's dance department in Harlem, NY where he collaborated with professional dancers from Martha Graham Co, Merce Cunningham Co, Eric Hawkins Co, Pilobolus Dance Co, Alvin Ailey, Dance Theater of Harlem as well as teachers from Kenya, Haiti, India, China, Bali, Brazil, Mexico, and more. In 1977 he toured with John Cooper and The East West Chamber Ensemble and performed with violinist L. Subrananiam. In 1978 he began performing with Visant Rai in various venues including The Bottom Line and The New School in NYC. Visant Rai was a student of the great master Ustad Allauddin Khan who was the father and guru of sarodist Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and the guru of of sitarist Ravi Shankar. Also in 1978 Geoffrey began playing regularly with violinist Steven Kindler who had been touring and recording with Jeff Beck, John McLaughlen and Jan Hammer. They played and practiced Indian Classical music together and developed an east west fusion group that toured to various islands in Hawaii in 1979. Geoffrey began working with Gabrielle Roth in 1979 working on many events and retreats with her including several as master drummer for her teacher training at Esalen Institute into this new millennium. In 1981 he studied Indian classical vocal music with Pandit Pran Nath. In 1982 he began a close collaboration with writer/scholar Diane Wolkstein peforming 'Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth' at Lincoln Center and The United Nations in NYC. In 1985 he met film composer Carter Burwell ('Rob Roy', 'The Last Samuri', 'No Country for Old Men') and worked on his film scores in both Hollywood and New York. In 1985 Geoffrey recorded his first major worldwide release on ECM Records, a duo improvisation with David Torn titled 'Best Laid Plans'. From 1986 - 1990 Geoffrey taught music for dance on the dance faculty of Sarah Lawrence College and eventually became musical director working with Viola Farber, Bill T Jones, Kei Takei and many others. Geoffrey opened for Miles Davis in 1986 at the Hollywood Bowl playing drums in a Jazz trio with violinist Charles Burnham (Cassandra Wilson, James Blood Ulmer). In 1988 he joined the cast of 'M. Butterfly' and performed on stage in this Tony Award winning show on Broadway with John Lithgow, Tony Randall, B.D. Wong (Law and Order) and Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty) in over two hundred performances. In 1988 Geoffrey performed and toured for two years with Julie Taymor (director of 'Across the Universe', 'Frida' and 'The Lion King' on Brdwy) touring to Festival De Lille in France, The Israel Festival in Jerusalem, The Edinburg Theater Festival Mainstage in Scotland, the Montreal Theater Festival in Canada, The Marines Memorial Theater in San Francisco and at Lincoln Center Theater. Geoffrey produced cds for many artists including Shiva Rea- 'Yoga Trance Dance'; Rita Coolidge & Walela- 'Unbearable Love'; Diana Rogers- 'Unveiled'; Jai Uttal, Geoffrey Gordon and Jai Lakshman- 'The Hanuman Chaleesa: Songs in Praise of Hanuman'; Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, and Geoffrey Gordon for Ali Akbar Khan's 'Garden of Dreams'; Geoffrey Gordon and Stephen Kent- 'Baraka Moon' with Sukhawat Ali Khan; Swami Vishwananda- 'Love Beyond Word's' and Love Beyond Words II'; Yuan Miao and Lama Norbu 'Crossing the Himalayas'; and Geoffrey's own CD 'Breath of Rama'. Since 1992 Geoffrey has resided in the San Francisco Bay. He has recently been living teaching and performing part of each year in Ubud, Bali. Geoffrey is continually performing, teaching, composing, producing, and sharing his musical skills around the world.

Geoffrey's compositions with scholar, writer and storyteller Diane Wolkstein include versions of the ancient sacred stories of Sumeria, Mayan, Chinese, Biblical, Native American and Inuit traditions. They have performed in New York City at The United Nations, Avery Fisher Hall, The Asia Society, The Jung Foundation, The American Museum of Natural History, The Jewish Theological Seminary, The National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee, in Austria and in England at The British Museum. Geoffrey plays on many classic movie soundtracks including 'Raising Arizona' with Nicholas Cage, 'The Big Lewbowsky' with Jeff Bridges, 'The Locusts' with Vince Vaughn, 'The Corruptor' with Mark Wahlberg, 'Storyville' with James Spader, 'A Dangerous Woman' with Deborah Winger, Kalifornia' with Brad Pitt, 'Airheads' with Adam Sandler, 'Titus' with Jessica Lang, 'Demolition Man' with Sylvester Stallone, and more. Geoffrey performed on the Broadway stage in the Tony award winning Best Play 'M.Butterfly' at the Eugene O'Neil Theater and in the national touring company. Geoffrey performed with Robbie Robertson and Rita Coolidge at the First Native American Music Awards. He worked with Rita Coolidge and Walela at Symphony Space in NYC, The New Orleans Jazz Festival, and The Great American Music Hall in S.F. Geoffrey appears with Rumi poet Coleman Barks in the PBS documentary 'Rumi: Poet of the Heart'. He's also performed with Coleman Barks at the State of the World Forum, Omega Institute, CIIS in San Fracisco, Puerto Villarta Mexico, Santa Fe NM, Dominican College in San Rafael CA, The New Age Journal Conference in NYC, and KPFA Concert in Berkeley, CA. Geoffrey toured in the Knitting Factory Soundtrack Festival with Carter Burwell performing his soundtrack music live from 'Fargo', 'Rob Roy', 'Gods and Monsters', 'Raising Arizona', 'Kalifornia' and more.

Geoffrey worked with Jai Uttal at The Prophet's Conferences in Victoria BC and Monterey CA, Joseph Papp's Public Theater in NYC, Omega Institute in NY, Lama Foundation in Taos NM, Esalen Institute in Big Sur CA, Spirit Rock in Woodacre CA, Breitenbush in Detroit OR, Hollyhock on Cortez Island in Canada, with Shiva Rea at Samasati in Costa Rica and Kalani in Hawaii, at Yoga Journal Conferences in LA and NYC, Holotropic Breathwork/Chanting Retreats in Palm Desert and Marin CA, International Transpersonal Psychology Conferences in Manous Brazil, Palm Springs and Sant Clara CA, The Shantipi Festival outside Tel Aviv in Israel, The Santa Fe Jazz Festival, The San Diego Jazz Festival, The Sacred World Music Festival in San Francisco CA, Monterey World Music Festival, Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival, The House of Blues in LA, Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, ABC Television's LIVE IN CONCERT, BET Jazz Cable TV, with Goldie Hawn and Robbin Williams for Operation Smile in LA, and opening for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan at the Universal Ampitheater in LA and the Greek Theater in Berkeley CA.

Geoffrey has played on albums with Robbie Robertson 'Contact from the Underworld of Redboy'; Krishna Das 'One Track Heart'; Elliot Goldenthal 'Juan Dairen'; R. Carlos Nakai & Nawang Khechog 'Winds of Devotion'; David Torn 'Best Laid Plans'; Carter Burwell 'Storyville'; Gabrielle Roth 'Trance'; Coleman Barks 'Rumi: Poet of the Heart'; Bhagavan Das 'Now'; Tulku 'Trancendance', Little Wolf 'Wolf Moon', MC Yogi 'Elephant Power', and Stephen Kent 'Family Tree'. Geoffrey has performed and recorded alongside many great musicians including David Liebman, Don Cherry, Reggie Workman, Rashied Ali, Eddie Gomez, Don Byron, Mickey Hart, Simone Shahine, Peter Apfelbaum, Trilok Gurtu, Jaya Lakshmi, Richard Teitelbaum, Skip LaPlante and Music for Homemade Instruments Ensemble, Lucia Hwong, The Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble with Raphael Mostel, and The Ali Akbar Khan Orchestra.

Geoffrey met Ram Dass in 1972 and became a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba also know as Maharaji who was written about in Ram Dass's book 'Be Here Now'. Geoffrey worked on faculties with Ram Dass at Pura Vida in Costa Rica, Omega Institute, Breitenbush, and Hollyhock; in Austin Texas, Durham North Carolina, Santa Fe New Mexico, New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco; at The Prophets Conferences in Carmel Ca and Maui Hawaii and much more. He played the tabla and drum parts on Ram Dass's CD 'Chord of Love' and is also heard on the soundtrack of the film 'Fierce Grace'. He's taken refuge and Bodhisattva vows with Kalu Rinpoche, The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Dudjum Rimpoche, and The 14th Dalai Lama. He studied Vipassana meditation with S.N. Goenka. Geoffrey is honored to have had direct teaching from several great masters including J. Krishnamurti, Aido Roshi, Swami Muktananda, Pir Vilayat Khan, Swami Chitananda, Murshid Hassan, Sheik Musafere, and Guru Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.

Performances

Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory | May 22, 2009