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 70) Anboahangibe, French Madagascar
Genres	Salegy
Instruments	Voice (tenor)
Years active	1972–present
Associated acts	Los Matadores, The Players, Kintana

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

Many people see Jaojoby as one of the first artists to create the modern salegy sound in the 1970s. He helped turn salegy from a local style into music loved across Madagascar and around the world. Jaojoby also helped create two other types of salegy music: malessa and baoenjy.

He is often called the most popular singer in Madagascar and the nearby Indian Ocean islands. People even call him the "King of Salegy." Because of his success, he was named Artist of the Year in Madagascar for two years in a row (1998–1999). He also became a special ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in 1999.

Jaojoby started singing in 1970 in the town of Diego-Suarez. He performed 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. He became famous across Madagascar with his 1988 hit song "Samy Mandeha Samy Mitady." He then focused completely on music, releasing his first full album in 1992. He became a full-time musician the next year. Since then, he has released many albums and toured a lot. His wife and adult children often perform with him in his band.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Eusèbe Jaojoby was born on July 29, 1955. He grew up in a Sakalava family in a village called Anboahangibe, near Sambava in northeastern Madagascar. Jaojoby and his twelve younger brothers and sisters were raised Catholic. He realized he could sing well from singing hymns in church and traditional folk songs at village festivals.

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, played on the radio and in nightclubs. Jaojoby was inspired by these styles. He also admired Freddy Ranarison, a Malagasy musician who used an electric guitar for local music in the 1960s.

A month after moving, Jaojoby won a local talent show, even though he sang alone without a microphone. He started performing in nightclubs whenever he could. His family allowed him to continue music as long as he did well in school. Jaojoby agreed, studying during the day and performing at night for several years.

In 1972, he joined Los Matadores, a popular band at the Saigonais nightclub in Diego-Suarez. This band played cover songs and rhythm and blues for Western audiences. They sometimes used traditional instruments like the kabosy and drums. They also experimented with local music styles using electric guitars, bass, and drums, along with Malagasy singing.

Many bands and musicians of Jaojoby's age were mixing Western and Malagasy music at that time. While no one person created modern salegy music, Jaojoby was one of the first to develop this new style. In 1975, Jaojoby left Los Matadores to join The Players. He wanted more freedom to write songs and develop the new salegy sound. The Players were a newer band but were more open to trying new things.

The band's manager, a Chinese shopkeeper, gave them a sound system and generator. The Players toured northwestern Madagascar for four years, becoming more successful. They recorded two songs and performed in Mahajanga, Diego-Suarez, and other towns. The band broke up in 1979.

After a short time with a band called Kintana, Jaojoby moved to Antananarivo. He studied sociology for two years at the University of Antananarivo. In late 1980, he started working as a journalist for the national radio station.

The next year, Jaojoby met the manager of the local Hilton hotel by chance. He was invited to audition at the hotel's Papillon bar that night. Jaojoby performed a popular song by James Brown. The manager quickly offered him a contract to perform regularly with the Rabeson family, a jazz group. For the next three years, Jaojoby worked at the radio station during the day and sang at the Papillon at night. He briefly went to East Berlin in 1982 for a journalism course. In 1984, Jaojoby was promoted to Director of the Regional Information Service in Diego-Suarez. This meant he had to move back to the northwest coast, and his nightclub performances ended.

Becoming the King of Salegy

After focusing on his journalism career for several years, Jaojoby was asked in 1987 to record songs for Madagascar's first salegy album. This album was 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 across the whole country, and a newspaper 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," which included old bandmates from Los Matadores and The Players. Jaojoby started touring regularly in Madagascar and other countries. He performed his first international concerts in Paris in 1989. At the same time, he worked for the Ministry of Transport, Meteorology, and Tourism from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, he left his job to become a full-time musician.

In 1992, Jaojoby released his first full album, called Salegy!. This was made possible by Ian Anderson, an editor for fRoots magazine. Jaojoby's second album, Velono, was the first salegy album recorded in France. It was also his first album made in a professional recording studio.

After Velono was released in 1994, Jaojoby started performing regularly at international music festivals. He played at events like WOMAD in Reading, the Festival du Bout du Monde in Brittany, and WOMEX in Spain. He also performed in Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal. However, his excitement was saddened by the death of his band's original drummer, Jean-Claude Djaonarana, in 1995. Jean-Claude had first played with Jaojoby in Los Matadores.

Jaojoby in concert wearing a traditional lamba

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. In July 1999, Jaojoby became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. He helped the United Nations in Madagascar teach young people about staying healthy and preventing illnesses. His songs often talk about social issues. For example, a song on E! Tiako encourages safe practices to avoid certain health problems.

His album Aza Arianao was recorded in 2000 and released in 2001. After its success, Jaojoby performed at a political event for candidate Marc Ravalomanana. This was before the important 2001 presidential elections. Jaojoby's 2004 album Malagasy was recorded in Réunion in front of his friends. 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 after that. In the 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 styles. It included pop songs he wrote in the 1970s and 1980s in French, Malagasy, Creole, and English. Later that year, in September, he performed at the famous Olympia music hall in Paris. He was the second Malagasy music act to play there. He even asked for seats to be removed so people could dance.

The live album Live au Bato Fou: Jaojoby came out in 2010. It features many of Jaojoby's greatest hits. In 2012, a collection of new salegy songs by Jaojoby was released as the album Mila Anao. NPR named it one of the ten best international albums of the year.

Music Style and Influence

Jaojoby's music style began with 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 in minor harmonies with strong, rhythmic hand-clapping or other percussion.

When he moved to Diego-Suarez, Jaojoby heard Western artists and music styles. He also listened to Freddy Ranarison, who was the first local artist to make it popular to play traditional Malagasy styles on electric guitar. Singing with Los Matadores gave Jaojoby the chance to cover songs by his favorite artists, like Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, and James Brown. During his years with Los Matadores and later with The Players, Jaojoby skillfully covered songs from many different regional and international styles. These included the jerk, tango, cha-cha-cha, sega, and slow romantic ballads. All these musical influences helped shape Jaojoby's unique style.

In the 1960s, bands like Orchestra Liberty started playing the antsa rhythm on modern drum kits. They used guitar or accordion instead of traditional singing. But it wasn't until the 1970s that bands like Los Matadores and Les Players started adding the traditional vocal style to the new electric antsa sound. Guitar solos were inspired by traditional Malagasy instruments like the valiha and marovany, as well as guitar music from the Congo and Côte d'Ivoire.

When Jaojoby sang with Los Matadores, he sometimes added improvised vocals inspired by the salegy tradition during instrumental parts of rhythm and blues songs. The young Malagasy listeners outside the club loved this. Later, with The Players, Jaojoby and a few other musicians in northern cities experimented with adding vocals to the early instrumental salegy. Jaojoby described how the traditional antsa style was adapted to modern instruments: "The singing is like cattle herders moving their herds. The guitar sounds like the great valiha masters. The keyboards give the feeling of traditional accordions, and the bass sounds like the five traditional tuned drums. The drum kit makes it feel like a Malagasy crowd on a celebration day, with all the hand clapping, shakers, and feet stomping the earth." The salegy rhythm was adapted for the modern drum kit by Jean Claude Djaonarana, the drummer of Los Matadores. He later rejoined Jaojoby's band from 1988 until his death in 1995.

The French world music magazine Mondomix has called Jaojoby the most popular singer in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands. His fans and the news often call him the "King of Salegy." He writes all his own music and song lyrics. According to Zomaré magazine, Jaojoby's clear and strong voice, his creative songs, and his willingness to try new things have made him stand out. Radio France Internationale said his singing is "clear, powerful and energetic... his trademark, which makes him stand out in the Malagasy musical panorama." Critics say Jaojoby helped make salegy music popular both in Madagascar and around the world. They also say he helped create two other types of salegy, malessa and baoenjy.

Family and Personal 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 some of their own original salegy music. In 2005, Claudine created a group called Saramba. They perform the traditional form of salegy using only accordion, percussion, and vocals.

In 2006, Jaojoby and his family were in a car accident while traveling to Antananarivo after a performance. Jaojoby broke four ribs, damaged a lung, and fractured his pelvis. He needed emergency surgery in Réunion, three weeks in the hospital, and a lot of physical therapy to walk again. Fans helped raise money online and through mail to pay for his medical care. After several weeks of rest, Jaojoby made a full recovery.

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

Discography

Images for kids

• 

  Jaojoby outside Le Bus nightclub in Antananarivo, 1999

• 

  Jaojoby in concert wearing a traditional lamba