Toko Telo Ragas Live Festival Nov 21-22

Toko Telo joins a stellar line-up of world-music artists for the Ragas Live Festival. In its ninth year, the event has expanded to include 70 performers from 15 cities around the world.

Toko Telo’s set will be at 2PM EST on Sunday, Nov 22. With one-third of the band in European lock-down, Monika Njava and Teta are joined in Madagascar by veteran accordionist Jean Piso. All three have roots in Tuléar on the southwest coast. A half-hour drive north on N9 takes you to the popular seaside village of Mangily and Pata Pata Bar, where the live performance was filmed.

Join us online

But you don’t have to dodge the carts, rickshaws, pedestrians and livestock to get there. Going virtual this year means the Brooklyn-based project reaches an even larger audience. Wherever you are on the planet you’re invited. Access to view the entire 24-hour broadcast is free of charge. Simply register.

The Rages Live Festival is supported by, among others, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Council on the Arts and the Brooklyn Arts Council.

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2019 tour final month

08.10  VPRO TV, NL
09.10  Tilburg, NL
10.10  Brussels, BE
13.10  Heerlen, NL
19.10  The Hague, NL
24.10  Bern, CH
25.10  Nidau, CH
26.10  Asparetto, IT

Toko Telo on tour

Shows are confirmed in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Canada and the US, with more to come. Check out the calendar!

4 new videos

Filmed at WOMEX 2019 in Las Palmas, the videos feature Toko Telo performing Rapolany, Zaza Somondra, Haino Moa and Diavola.

★ ★ ★ ★ Melodic songs, beautiful vocals, complex rhythms

Check out this enthusiastic Diavola review by veteran world music journalist Bas Springer in the August edition of Dutch magazine Lust For Life.

“Toko Telo from Madagascar brings together three top musicians from this beautiful island in the Indian Ocean: the formidable singer Monika Njava, master guitarist D’Gary, and the equally gifted guitarist Joël Rabesolo. The latter takes the place of the original member, accordionist Régis Gizavo, who unexpectedly died during a tour in 2017. To honor their deceased friend, the rest of the tour was finished by Njava and D’Gary.

Fortunately, the death of Gizavo didn’t mean the premature end of Toko Telo. The dexterous electric guitar playing of the new band member Rabesolo mixes naturally with that of D’Gary, whose impressive playing style is characterized by unusual open tunings. With her powerful, soulful voice, Njava connects these two stringed-instrument virtuosos, drawing inspiration from traditional music from Madagascar. It results in melodic songs with beautiful vocal harmonies and complex rhythms that invite you to dance.”

“Outstanding new album”

That’s just one of the accolades that fill this review of Diavola in the July/August edition of Rhythms Magazine, Australia’s leading roots publication. It is written by Tony Hillier, one of the country’s preeminent music journalists.

“The sweet success of Malagasy trio Toko Telo’s debut album Toy Raha Toy on its release last year turned sour when the band’s legendary accordion player, Régis Gizavo, passed away. Remaining members, guitar whiz D’Gary and soaring songstress Moniker Njava, who are among Madagascar’s most acclaimed musicians, decided the best way to honour their friend’s memory was by continuing the project. That decision accounts for Toko Telo’s swift return with an outstanding new album in Diavola and a dashing young replacement in Joël Rabesolo, who’s ranked among the best Malagasy guitarists of his generation.

“The interlocking acoustic strings of the male maestros enthrall on a collection of excellent songs that, while contemporary, are rooted in the rich traditions of one of the world’s most intriguing island nations. On pieces such as the beautiful title track and on ‘Manoro’ and ‘Oka Niny’ the guitarists gel like an Indian Ocean version of the revered UK duo of John Renboum and Bert Jansch. Elsewhere, in songs such as ‘Zaza Somondrara’, Njava’s voice soars as guitar harmonics ring delicately behind. The diva’s shaker lends propulsion to the album’s sign-off track and sole instrumental, the jaunty ‘Ndreto Zahay’.”

Toko Telo: great Swiss & UK reviews

Attentive, appreciative audiences in Switzerland and across England and Wales loved the band’s performances during the recently concluded 10-date UK tour. Check out the outstanding reviews:

Stanser Musiktagen, Switzerland: “The music of Toko Telo creates a hypnotic pull. At the same time it is highly melodies, soulful and of the highest singer-songwriter art.”

Sage Gateshead, Newcastle: “All was bliss for two hours…thanks to mellifluous music from Madagascar, produced by incredibly talented trio Toko Telo.”

National Centre for Early Music, York: “A full house in rapt attendance for Malagasy-speaking supergroup Toko Telo.”

The Apex, Bury St Edmunds: “Sunshine and warmth flowed down from the stage.”

TT at the BBC

Following a show to a full house at London’s Rich Mix, Toko Telo had a day off – sort of. Late afternoon saw the band go to Broadcasting House to record a segment for the BBC Radio 3 program Music Planet. Tune in on Thursday, May 11 at 23:00 (UK time). Not in the UK? You can listen online or anytime afterward on the Music Planet website.

Toko Telo starts April tour

A  sold-out performance by the trio at the Stanser Musiktage festival in Stans, Switzerland kicked off a 13-date tour. A second show by the trio in nearby Frick and another in Brussels complete the warm-up for a series of ten concerts across England later this month.

New Toko Telo album: Diavola

Anio Records is pleased to announce the release of a new album by the Malagasy supergroup Toko Telo. It follows on from the band’s first recording, Toy Raha Toy, which last summer rapidly climbed to the top of world music charts and playlists.

This success suddenly turned bittersweet with the tragic death of accordion legend Régis Gizavo. D’Gary and Monika Njava decided the best way to honor their friend was to continue the project they had started.

The trio is now back with a new line-up and new album. In Diavola, D’Gary, Monika Njava and Joël Rabesolo – the leading guitarist of his generation in Madagascar – have produced an enthralling collection of songs, contemporary in outlook yet firmly rooted in their country’s rich traditions.

Welcoming the moon

Take the haunting title track Diavola (Moon). Intricate, sometimes jazzy interplay between the two guitarists accompanies D’Gary’s account of nocturnal village life, where everyone – from lovers to thieves – welcomes the full moon.

In Tsy Tea Raho (I Don’t Like It) D’Gary and Joël drive an afro-funk groove as Monika laments an unhealthy attraction to an unsuitable man. Romance is also the topic of the D’Gary composition Zaza Somondrara (Young Girl). With Monika bringing out all the wistful beauty of the exquisite melody, village girls confess their desires.

Mpembe, a tribute to Régis, is one of his most irresistible songs: a nostalgic look back at the joys of a childhood game with a joyous groove. And in Ndreto Zahay (We Are Here) – half-song, half jam – the two guitarists let their imagination run wild in the tsapiky style of southwest Madagascar.

Buy the CD or download the entire 10-song album now.