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All Reviews >>

Rajery Sofera Marabi Productions, 2007

The valiha—signature tube harp of Madagascar—is the staple of many beautiful, folkloric records combining elegant, almost courtly, plucked melodies with serene vocal harmonies. A valiha player with only one hand since childhood, Germaine Randrionarisoa—a.k.a. Rajery—was bound to take a unique approach to the instrument. Now with his fourth ensemble CD, Rajery makes it clear that his contribution to the valiha goes well beyond his technical achievement of turning a handicap into a personal technique. Rajery does not play folklore, but rather contemporary pop songs of his own creation. As such, he is not reviving or preserving Madagascar’s traditional music, but rather transforming it into something new.

His ensemble grows to seven here, but still preserves an airy, open sound allowing the woody, plunking melodies of his instrument and his silky voice—often backed by broad choral harmonies—to dominate. Rajery has done everything from playing solo to leading a valiha orchestra to all manner of jazz and pop collaborations. The jazz thing has hit him deeply, and some of these 13 tracks wind up in concise, energized jams that belie that experience without ever crossing the line into rote fusion. A case in point, “Mandehandeha,” a song fittingly about discovering new horizons.

The standout track here is “Sofera,” a cautionary tale comparing two truck drivers, one a lush and the other a workaholic. The music chugs along with a funky shuffle, enriched by tasty valiha and guitar riffing, and also the minor key—welcome among generally sunny fare. Rajery uses his sound scape well, creating organic arrangements that never dally. There are three spare instrumentals, but Rajery’s vocal hooks are essential to the CD’s overall appeal, as are the grooves, which may begin breezily but gather the force of trade winds.