San Francisco (California), USA - The Rough Guide series travels to the island of Madagascar. The Rough Guide To The Music Of Madagascar (RGNET1163CD) was compiled by Ian Anderson, editor of fRoots magazine, who has personal connections to the island through his marriage. The album includes a rich number of Malagasy styles such astsapiky, kalon ny fahiny and salegy.

Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island, has incredible ethnic diversity and rich history. The Rough Guide To The Music Of Madagascar features music across the broad Malagasy spectrum from the island's spicy dance music to the purest music from the highlands. Featuring the valiha (a tubular bamboo zither) and lokanga (three-stringed fiddle), among other instruments specific to the island, this album explores the diverse Malagasy culture that has been influenced by Arab, Persian, Chinese, Indian and European societies over the years.

In 2001, Tarika were voted by Time magazine as one of the world's ten best bands. Led by Hanitra Rasoanaivo, they formed in 1994 and left Madagascar as an unknown new band developing a unique mix of roots music and instruments. Their live act and hard-hitting songs were honed to perfection with extensive touring and, by the late 1990s, they had become huge stars back home.

Songwriter Hanitra has more recently been involved in the project entitled Vakoka, which gathered together musicians, writers and singers from all over the island in hothouse collaborative sessions in the capital Antananarivo. The resulting album was released in 2004 and `Era' also features percussionist Pana and the extraordinary guitarist Haja and his bassist brother Fanaiky.

The mighty king of salegy (a driving 6/8 electric dance band music), Jaojoby's live band, which features a number of his grown-up children including his son on lead guitar, can rival most outfits from mainland Africa for energy, drive and tight groove.

If Jaojoby is the king of salegy, the Toto Mwandjani is the master of dombolo. A talented guitarist, he played with many contemporary acts before releasing his own hit album Malemylemy, in 2001. His band fuses the local dombolo, salegy and malesa with East African, Congolese and even touches of zouk styles.

Madagascar's best accordion player, Régis Gizavo won Radio France International's Decouvertes and emigrated in 1990, where he worked with Manu Dibango and Ray Lema before finally launching his solo career.

Tarika have influenced many bands to combine tradition and modernity and there are now plenty of groups following this model, such as the excellent one led by hard-working valiha virtuoso Rajery.

The valiha is Madagascar's best-known traditional instrument (a tubular zither made from drainpipe-diameter bamboo with around twenty-one strings) and this album also features the late, great valiha virtuoso Sylvestre Randafison from
Ny Antsaly. Ny Antsaly became the island's first traveling musical ambassadors in the 1950s and 1960s, playing
in exotic locations for the crowned heads of Europe and this is their first ever appearance on CD.

Guitarist D’Gary is a stunning player who has evolved a complex style based on the sound of the marovany and
the lokanga, and many consider that he surpasses most mainland African acoustic guitar greats.

Led by big bass mandoliny (a small guitar also known as kabosy) player, Thominot Andrianjafy, Hazolahy have taken driving kabosy band street sounds and local dances and pumped them up with percussion, other local traditional
instruments and tight vocal harmonies into an exciting relentless style.

Another Vakoka musician, marovany (a wooden box with two sets of strings on opposing sides) player Monja traveled widely playing sacred music for tromba (spirit exorcism) ceremonies before settling in Antananarivo.

An additional marovany player, Daniel Tombo's multi-talented group, Troupe Valiha, demonstrate the super-fast proto-rap jijy vocal style on `Taraka'.

Centered around the virtuoso lokanga playing of Surgi, Vilon'Androy use typical harmonies and the pattering, fast stepping
rhythms that imitate the sound of the running feet of the notorious maleso cattle rustlers.

The Rough Guide To The Music Of Madagascar also features Teta, one of the best current tsapiky guitarists, Ny
Sakelidalana, a veteran group who perform in kalon ny fahiny style, Mahaleo, who fuse Western soft rock with
Malagasy traditions, and Koezy, five young dynamic women from Sakalava.

[Buy The Rough Guide to the Music of Madagascar].