Feo-Gasy

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 nation seeking to learn about and record the many facets of its contemporary sound. 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 music that sounds like no other.

Born in 1925, Rakoto 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-honored ba-gasy style originating from Madagascar's highlands. It is a style that is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Merina people.

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). —Courtesy Calabash Music