R. R. Majunga 'Hommage'
"Our challenge in interpreting this music was to find a way to say something different while being loyal to the originals. The strong melodic quality of R.R. Majunga's music lends itself to a jazz interpretation...However, we did not want to simply do jazz interpretations of every song because the music of R.R. Majunga was never about one style...We have kept some aspects of the traditional and popular Malagasy styles employed by R.R. Majunga on the recording but with a number of twists...We also thought that in order to be as respectful as possible to the originals this recording should be completely acoustic.
We went to great lengths to have the 78 recordings of R.R. Majunga digitally restored to allow us the opportunity to put some of the original recordings on this CD. We wanted to give the listener a rare insight into this period in Madagascar's musical past. The 78's also provide an opportunity to hear R.R. Majunga's considerable skill as a pianist and accompanist. A few of our own cmopositions are also on this recording that we tried to create in the spirit of R.R. Majunga. One, Hetsim Po, is written as a direct homage to R.R. Majunga the artist, man, and father. It is with deep regret that I, his son-in-law, or neither my children had the chance to know this unique individual. This project has allowed us to create a special bond with him and we hope that the music brings you great pleasure." --Dean Pallen