Eusèbe Jaojoby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eusèbe Jaojoby
Jaojoby outside Le Bus nightclub in Antananarivo, 1999
Background information
Born	(1955-07-29) 29 July 1955 (age 69) Anboahangibe, French Madagascar
Genres	Salegy
Instruments	Voice (tenor)
Years active	1972–present
Associated acts	Los Matadores, The Players, Kintana

Eusèbe Jaojoby (born 29 July 1955), known as Jaojoby, is a famous singer and composer from Madagascar. He is known for his salegy music. This style comes from the northwestern part of Madagascar.

Many people say Jaojoby helped create the modern salegy sound in the 1970s. He made salegy popular not just in Madagascar, but around the world. He also helped create two other music styles called malessa and baoenjy. People often call him the "King of Salegy". He was even named Artist of the Year in Madagascar for two years in a row (1998–1999). In 1999, he became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund.

Jaojoby started singing in 1970 in the town of Diego-Suarez. He played with bands that mixed American soul and funk music with traditional Malagasy sounds. He became popular and toured his region. He recorded four songs with a band called The Players before they split up in 1979.

After a short break in the 1980s, when he worked as a journalist, Jaojoby returned to music. His 1988 hit song "Samy Mandeha Samy Mitady" made him famous across the country. He then decided to focus on music full-time. He released his first full album in 1992. Since then, he has released eight more albums. He tours a lot in Madagascar and other countries. His wife and adult children often perform with him in his band.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Eusèbe Jaojoby was born on 29 July 1955. His village, Anboahangibe, is near Sambava in northeastern Madagascar. Jaojoby and his twelve younger brothers and sisters grew up in a Catholic family. He sang hymns in the church choir. He also sang traditional folk songs at village festivals. These early experiences helped him discover his singing talent.

When he was 15, Jaojoby's father sent him to study in Diego-Suarez. This town had many French soldiers and people from other countries. Western music was popular there, playing on the radio and in nightclubs. Jaojoby was inspired by these new sounds. He also admired Freddy Ranarison, who was the first Malagasy musician to use an electric guitar for coastal music in the 1960s.

A month after moving, Jaojoby won a local talent show. He sang without music or a microphone. He started performing in nightclubs whenever he could. His uncle told Jaojoby's parents about his singing. They allowed him to continue, as long as he did well in school. Jaojoby agreed, studying by day and singing by night for several years.

In 1972, he joined Los Matadores, a band that played at the Saigonais nightclub. This band mostly played cover songs and rhythm and blues for Western visitors. Sometimes, they added traditional instruments like the kabosy and drums. They also tried mixing local Malagasy music with electric guitars, bass, and drums.

Many bands in northwestern Madagascar were mixing Western and Malagasy music at this time. Jaojoby was one of the first to create the modern salegy style. In 1975, Jaojoby left Los Matadores. He wanted more freedom to write his own songs and develop the new salegy sound. He joined The Players, a less famous band that was willing to try new things. The band toured northwestern Madagascar for four years. They became more successful, recording two songs. They played in many towns before the band broke up in 1979.

After playing briefly with a band called Kintana, Jaojoby moved to Antananarivo. He studied sociology for two years. In 1980, he started working as a journalist for the national radio station. The next year, he met the manager of the local Hilton hotel. The manager heard him sing and offered him a job. Jaojoby began performing regularly at the hotel with a jazz group. For three years, he worked as a journalist by day and sang at night. In 1984, he moved back to Diego-Suarez for a promotion, which ended his regular singing shows.

The King of Salegy

After focusing on his journalism career for several years, Jaojoby was asked to record songs in 1987. These songs were for Madagascar's first salegy music collection, called Les Grands Maîtres du Salegy (meaning "Grand Masters of Salegy"). One of his songs, "Samy Mandeha Samy Mitady," became a huge hit. It made salegy music popular all over Madagascar. A newspaper even called him the "King of Salegy."

Because so many people wanted to see him perform live, Jaojoby moved back to Antananarivo in 1988. He formed a new band called "Jaojoby." This band included musicians he had played with before. Jaojoby started touring regularly in Madagascar and other countries. He played his first international concerts in Paris in 1989. He also worked for the Ministry of Transport until 1993. Then, he left his job to become a full-time musician.

In 1992, Jaojoby released his first full album, called Salegy!. His second album, Velono, was special because it was the first salegy album recorded in France. It was also his first album made in a professional studio. After Velono came out in 1994, Jaojoby started playing at many international music festivals. These included WOMAD in England and WOMEX in Spain. Sadly, in 1995, the band's first drummer, Jean-Claude Djaonarana, passed away. He had played with Jaojoby since Los Matadores.

Jaojoby's success grew even more in 1998 with his album E! Tiako. He was named "Artist of the Year" in Madagascar for two years in a row (1998–1999). His song "Malemilemy" was played on the radio all over the island for more than a year.

His album Aza Arianao was released in 2001. After its success, Jaojoby performed at a large public event. His 2004 album Malagasy was recorded in Réunion. The songs on this album aimed to bring hope and unity to the country. Jaojoby announced that he would not get involved in national politics in the future. That same year, he toured a lot in France, the United States, and Canada.

In March 2008, Jaojoby released Donnant-Donnant. This album celebrated his early days as a performer of soul, funk, and other Western pop music. It included older songs he wrote in French, Malagasy, Creole, and English. Later that year, in September, he performed at the famous Olympia music hall in Paris. He was only the second Malagasy music act to play there. His live album Live au Bato Fou: Jaojoby came out in 2010. In 2012, he released Mila Anao, an album of new salegy songs. NPR in the US called it one of the ten best international albums of the year.

Music Style and Influence

Jaojoby's music style comes from his childhood experiences. He heard church hymns that mixed Western and Malagasy sounds. He also learned the rhythm and harmonies of the traditional antsa style from northern Madagascar. Antsa is a choral style where large groups sing together. They often use complex harmonies over hand-clapping or other drum sounds.

When Jaojoby moved to Diego-Suarez, he heard Western artists and music styles. He was also influenced by Freddy Ranarison, who used electric guitar for traditional Malagasy styles. Singing with Los Matadores allowed Jaojoby to cover songs by his favorite artists, like Otis Redding and James Brown. He covered many types of music, from jerk and tango to sega and slow romantic songs. All these influences shaped Jaojoby's unique style.

In the 1960s, bands started playing the antsa rhythm on modern drum kits with guitars or accordions. But it was in the 1970s that bands like Los Matadores and Les Players added traditional singing to this new electric antsa sound. Guitar solos in salegy were inspired by traditional Malagasy instruments like the valiha and marovany. They also took ideas from guitar music popular in the Congo and Côte d'Ivoire.

When Jaojoby sang with Los Matadores, he sometimes added his own improvised salegy singing during instrumental parts of rhythm and blues songs. The young Malagasy listeners outside the club loved it. Later, with The Players, Jaojoby and other musicians experimented with adding vocals to the early instrumental salegy. Jaojoby explained how traditional antsa was adapted to modern instruments: "The singing is like the cattle herders moving their animals. The guitar sounds like the great valiha players. The keyboards give the feeling of traditional accordions. The bass sounds like the five traditional drums. And the drum kit? It creates the feeling of a Malagasy crowd celebrating, with all the hand clapping, shakers, and feet stomping." The salegy drum rhythm was created by Jean Claude Djaonarana, the drummer of Los Matadores. He later rejoined Jaojoby's band from 1988 until he passed away in 1995.

The French music magazine Mondomix has called Jaojoby the most popular singer in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands. Fans and the media often call him the "King of Salegy." He writes all his own music and lyrics. His clear, powerful, and energetic voice makes him stand out. Critics say Jaojoby helped make salegy popular in Madagascar and around the world. He also helped create two new versions of salegy, called malessa and baoenjy.

Family and Life

Since the mid-1990s, Jaojoby's wife and children have been part of his band. His wife, Claudine Robert Zafinera, sings backup and sometimes lead vocals. Their son, Elie Lucas, plays lead guitar. Their daughters, Eusebia and Roseliane, sing backup and dance on stage. His children also formed their own band called Jaojoby Jr. They play their father's songs and their own salegy music. Claudine also created a group called Saramba in 2005. This group plays traditional salegy using only accordion, drums, and vocals.

In 2006, Jaojoby and his family were in a car accident while traveling. Jaojoby was badly hurt, breaking ribs and his pelvis. He needed surgery and physical therapy to walk again. Fans helped raise money online and through mail to pay for his medical care. After resting, Jaojoby made a full recovery.

On 3 June 2011, Jaojoby opened a new music venue called "Jao's Pub." It is in the Ambohipo neighborhood of Antananarivo, where he and his family live.

Discography

Images for kids

• 

  Jaojoby in concert wearing a traditional lamba

See also

• Music of Madagascar