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With this second album, "Fanamby", a sparkling acoustic opus, Rajery and his quartet have given us an album of a rare authenticity.
Better than that, they succeed in their "fanamby" (bet or challenge) by creating an explosive fusion between the musical heritage of Madagascar and their own personal artistic expression, now soft then strong, now full of warmth then enchanting.
A master of the valiha is born. Listen…
Marc Mondou
Photograph: Didier Blin
Here's some good news for all Madagascar lovers and a great opportunity to discover the talent of Rajery, Prince of the valiha, and his novel quartet. Yes, let's talk about his valiha, this bamboo zither, a diatonic, tubular harp, so emblematic of Madagascar but which actually originates from Indonesia. More than an instrument, it's his great love. A love that he tamed through pain and tears. On his valiha he has bicycle brake cables as strings (!), which you tune with a calabash… In Madagascar everyone plays the valiha, but Rajery caresses the valiha and makes it ring like no one else can. For let it be said: behind this musician is an exceptional man…
Author, Composer, warm-voiced singer, occasional harmonicist and percussionist, a man of the theatre, founder of a festival, writer of musicals, choir leader, conductor of Akombaliha, the amazing ensemble of valihas, creator of his own valiha school, musicologist and leader of projects for development… he has more than one arrow in his quiver and more than one string on his valiha! What predestined this peasant's son, trained as an accountant – who lost all the fingers of his right hand at the age of eleven months – to become the revelation of the bubbling Madagascan musical scene? Nothing. Or rather everything. Too much passion, an immense faith, a mad desire - to live to play, to sing. Above all the desire to share the musical traditions of Gasikara, his island, born from the encounter between a certain melody and a certain rhythm, between a huge sky and a blood-red earth. If life here is hard, and people suffer, no-one has forgotten that it takes at least two to love, three to danse, four to make a feast of music…
With "Fanamby", Rajery and his quartet have come up with an album of a rare authenticity. An acoustic opus that marvellously reproduces the atmosphere, the "soundscape" and the songs of their beloved land. Better than that, they succeed in their "fanamby" (bet or challenge) by creating an explosive fusion between the musical heritage of Madagascar and their own personal artistic expression, now soft then strong, now full of warmth then enchanting. The heady rhythms of Antandroy dances which send you into a trance, the sensual rocking of salegy, melodic blues from the high plateaux, a cappella polyphonies, groove from rija Betsileo or Betsimisaraka compositions: this talented quartet inspires your imagination… A rich encounter that we owe to the complicity of the three artists who accompany him: Raymond super…cussionist (!), Tôty, very subtle on the bass and Charles, an inspired guitarist. A valiha master is born. Listen…
Marc Mondou
Go to :
D'Gary ; Régis Gizavo ; Jajoby ; Vaovy .
Contacts
Agent
Country: France
Name: Corinne Serres/Mad Minute Music
Tel: 01 40 10 25 55
Fax: 01 40 10 17 37
E-mail: corinne@madminutemusic.com
Website: madminutemusic.com
Adress: 5-7, rue Paul Bert
93400 Saint Ouen
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