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10: Beasts, Ghosts, and Dancing with History

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Subtitled BEASTS, GHOSTS AND DANCING WITH HISTORY, Madagascar's Tarika's latest cd 10 blends an electric bass drive with totally indigenous acoustic instruments, soaring vocals, and get-it-on and party attitudes: does it get any better than this?
 Madagascar is home to some of the world's most unique animals, and has music to match them. Ethnically, the people are a combination of Malay and Black African.
 The folk traditions of the island where Tarika is deeply rooted reflect the old traditions of these two cultures as well as West Africa (people brought to Madagascar as soldiers by Colonial overlords) and the sounds drifting out of nearby Mozambique and South Africa.
 The result: wow! Group vocals so sweet, delicate strings (particularly the veliha, which sounds a bit like West African Kora but looks nothing like it), and other instruments similar to guitars, some acoustic, some plugged in. Add a small talking drum, and away we go.
Tarika split off from another great Madagascar roots group Tarika Samy ten years ago; hence the name of their latest album 10, which is a 'Best Of' collection where guest musicians help fill out their sound and give even more of an international flavor (but it still sounds uniquely Malagasy).
 Hanitra, the female leader of Tarika, has now opened a cultural center to try to preserve the island's unique traditions: Tarika rehearses and performs there on a regular basis.