Search - D'Gary :: Mbo Loza

Primarily for guitar students

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 05/20/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a guitar student and really into studying acoustic guitar technique, this may be a five-star CD to you. D'Gary is a virtuoso player from Madagascar, with a truly unique style. Here his guitar playing and vocals are accompanied by a female vocalist and a percussionist. The CD booklet lists the tuning and capo position used on every song. On a couple of songs, there are moments when he uses a "guitar étouffée" style, a muted sound that replicates on guitar the sound of the traditional Madagascar marovany zither.For others, this is an album of background music, 3 stars if you've never heard D'Gary before (because he is a great musician and his playing will be an eye-opener), 2 stars if you've heard his other albums. This is the weakest of the four albums I have by him. None of the songs are at all memorable, and the album as a whole is a big letdown after the "Horombe" album. The playing doesn't cover any ground that D'Gary doesn't also cover on his better albums."

Simply beautiful

Nobody important | 10/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those who associate African guitar primarily with the brilliant Malian players like Boubacar Traore and Ali Farka Toure, the sounds of Madagascar will be a bit of a shock. I was introduced to the works of D'Gary through the compilation album, "The Moon and the Banana Tree," and was amazed at the differences. Where the Malian guitarists seem to have a close connection to the blues, D'Gary sounds like he has been influenced by Spanish classical and Brazilian jazz guitar. The guitar playing on this album sounds a bit closer to Badi Assad or Bola Sete than it does to Ali Farka Toure or Boubacar Traore. The vocals, however, are very clearly African, and those with a passing familiarity with African music will probably compare the vocals to Ladysmith Black Mambazo but with fewer vocalists (a comment a friend of mine made), although the similarity is fairly superficial. In all, D'Gary is truly amazing in his ability to seemlessly incorporate musical traditions from around the world, and to do so while playing some of the best guitar you will ever hear. If you are looking for an uplifting album drawing on all of the traditions mentioned, look no further than this brilliant album by D'Gary. Malagasy music is far too difficult to find in this country, so don't pass this up. For further listening, "The Moon and the Banana Tree," is, of course, a great sampling of Malagasy guitarists, and shows that D'Gary is no fluke-- Madagascar has a number of guitarists in the same vein, all of whom are extraordinary. Also, Henry Kaiser and David Lindley have put out several compilations of Malagasy music well worth owning. Finally, if you like this stuff, Brazilian guitarist Badi Assad's "Solo," and, "Rhythms," albums are must-owns."

The coltrane of guitar

evan wilson | brooklyn, ny United States | 07/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is a gift. I don't know why some people knock it. I don't rate it any worse than any of his other albums (especially horombe) and I think it's one of his best (along with Malagasy guitar). D'Gary's mastery of the guitar aside, the music arrangements are as complicated (rythmically) and accomplished as anything out there. (Incidentally, for any guitar players, I've been transcribing some stuff and the more deeply I get into it, the more respect i get. There's worlds in his playing.)
The songs are perfect forms for the groups short-but-sweet improvisations. It's always hard to know what's planned on a recording and what's improvised but I saw the trio play last year twice and, except for the basic structure of the song, it's all fair game. D'Gary's built his own personal vocabulary (if anyone can tell me someone who's playing resembles his let me know, I want to check them out) and uses it in the service of something greater. Do I understand the words? Of course not. Hell, I can't even read the french liner notes. It doesn't matter. With D'Gary, I always have complete confidence in him and where he'll take me. And this album is no exception."