In the early seventies, Jaojoby was one of the first to sing Salegy (Malagasy dance music), up until them limited to a few instrumental recordings. Eusebe Jaojoby is descended from several ethnic groups (St Mariens, Betanimena, Antimarua, Tsimihety, Makua), but in his case the African caste is dominant as with most west-coasters.
He was born in 1955 in Amboangibe, near Sambava in the Northwest of the island. As the eldest son of a family of fifteen fervent Catholics he learned to sing in church, where his uncle played the harmonium. At the age of fifteen he went to Diego Suarez to further his education; however less than a month after his arrival he won a radio singing competition and without stopping school he started singing in a local night-club, Le Saigonais, a hangout for expatriates and ex-colonists.
It is not until 1975 when he left the night-club for a younger group, the Players, that he could at last play for a popular and Malagasy public. It is with this group, in the villages and during celebrations that he came up with what was to become the Salegy of today, a modern but roots music, inspired by traditional styles and instruments: “the songs are those of the cow-herders running with their herds; the guitar imitates the valiha-playing of the great masters; the keyboards give the feeling of the traditional accordion and the bass copies the sound of five big drums. As for the drums they reproduce the sound of a Malagasy crowd on a day of celebration: hands clapping, maracas, feet beating the earth.” The group split up in 1979.
In 1980 Jaojoby went to Antananarivo to study sociology but very quickly returned to music; he sang in the bar of the Hilton in the company of the Rabeson family, the famous Malagasy jazz musicians. At the same time he pursued a career as a radio journalist, which led him to become in 1984 head of the information service in Diego Suarez.
Called back to Antananarivo in 1988 he formed another band that was a great success. Les Maitres du Salegy (The Masters of Salegy), an album recorded in 1987 put the dance back in fashion and Jaojoby was proclaimed King of Salegy by a local daily. Since then he has performed several times for the Malagasy population in France, and has produced a number of cassettes.
As for the world music fans, they discovered Salegy during the 1994 tour of clubs and festivals. Velono is the first album by Jaojoby recorded in truly professional circumstances, directed by Herve Romagny, Ray Lema’s talented guitarist who knows Jaojoby well, having joined his group in 1986 and done a tour of Madagascar with him.
Discography
Tsaikijoby (Discomad, 1976)
Agny rô (Discomad, 1978)
Salegy! (Rogue, 1992)
Velono (Indigo – Label Bleu, 1994)
E Tiako (Indigo – Label Bleu, 1998)
Aza Arianao (Indigo – Label Bleu, 2000)
Malagasy (Discorama, 2004)
Donnant-Donnant (2008)
Live au Bato Fou: Jaojoby (Discorama, 2010)
Mila Anao (Buda Musique, 2012)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.