Travel to Madagascar through Music

I just finished an amazing book about Madagascar ("The Eighth Continent" by Peter Tyson), and now I'm pumped to visit the island. Unfortunately, I can't just go gallavanting off to another country whenever wanderlust strikes. So instead of jumping on a plane, I'm taking a little trip to Madagascar through the music of the Malagasy people.

There's some amazing music made on the island, but it's frequently overlooked around the world. I know this article will only touch the surface of the music made in Madagascar (and to answer everyone's question, NO, I'm not including "I Like to Move it" from the movie "Madagascar". By the way, I just found out that "I Like to Move It" is sung by a certain Mr. Sacha Baron Cohen of Ali G and Borat fame. Freaky!) Hopefully, this sampling of foreign sounds will spur your appetite for world music.

Hazolahy is a "pop" band from Madagascar. You can download many of their songs at their website, and they're really gorgeous songs. I listened to "Sabarera" which is just an amazing song for sunny days. The drumming is exceptional and tight, and the melody is repetitive without becoming annoying. Very pretty! If you like world music, then you should certainly listen to Hazolahy.

Tarika is possibly the most globally popular of current Malagasy bands, and you can understand why when you listen to their album "Soul Makassar". Harmonies and a definite Asian/African feel which really mirrors the Malagasy culture. The musicianship on this album is very beautiful, and the sound strikes a perfect balance, being neither over-produced nor under-produced. Since very little of the Tarika catalogue is widely available, I would recommend finding "Soul Makassar" as soon as you can. It's on iTunes!

Vaovy has an undeniably strong sound on their album "Vamba", which is recorded beautifully. Strikingly reminiscent of creole on the song "Vamba", which is heavy with harmonica and accordion sound, the band expresses its musical heritage while bringing to mind a world of musical influences. Equally striking and beautiful is the song "Ranobey" which has a violin playing the melody and a chorus of voices repeating the lyrics. "Ranobey", despite flying my ears to Madagascar, also reminds me of American bluegrass.

This is only a small sampling of the sounds of Madagascar! When you listen to this music, you feel a cultural bond, an overwhelming similarity of expression. We are all connected.