Legendary Malagasy artist, Rakoto Frah, and his band Feo-Gasy first came to attention outside of Madagascar when American guitarists Henry Kaiser and David Lindley made a journey in 1991 to the island country of Madagascar seeking to learn about and record many facets of its contemporary sounds....
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Legendary Malagasy artist, Rakoto Frah, and his band Feo-Gasy first came to attention outside of Madagascar when American guitarists Henry Kaiser and David Lindley made a journey in 1991 to the island country of Madagascar seeking to learn about and record many facets of its contemporary sounds. They produced a compilation titled A World Out of Time which captures the unique Madagascar blending of musical cultures from South Africa, the Middle East, and India, making for music that sounds like no other.
Born in 1925, Rokoto Frah learned to play the sodina (an end blown flute) as a boy herding cows. He was supporting himself by age ten as a musician, and eventually became a favorite of both the pre-60s colonial leaders and then the new independent government.
The new recording, 'Ramano', perpetuates the time-honoured ba-gasy style originating from Madagascar's highlands. It is a style that is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Merina people: literally 'those who live in the highlands.' The band members are superb and include the guitarist Jean Colbert Ranaivoarison (who you may have heard on the compilation The Moon And The Banana Tree).
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