"Solorazaf is a fantastic malagasy guitarist with a good handle on that country's rich roots music and a worldly touch as well"
Banning Eyre, Afropop World-Wide

> Biography

Born in Montpellier, France in 1956, of Madagascan parents SOLORAZAF grows up in Madagascar with his grandparents. At the age of seventeen, he is one of the first studio musicians in the Capital city of Antananarivo.
At Discomad Studio, the only recording studio on the main Island - in a country where the music is as rich and vital as its flora and fauna - Solorazaf plays guitar, bass and drums on countless recordings for different artists from the various regions across Madagascar.
Self-taught, his studio experience and exposure to so many musicians and so much indigenous music not only gives him the tools to become one of the most important practitioners of the music, it allows him to create a wholly personal style steeped in the Malagasy tradition.

In 1979, he moves to Paris and quickly establishes himself as an in-demand accompanist and session player contributing to the music of many great French recording artists in various styles of Pop and Worl dmusic.
During this busy period, however, Solorazaf is also the lead guitarist for the legendary Miriam Makeba. Solorazaf travels the globe touring for 15 years with Makeba (1986-2001). The world tours include:

- "Live the Future" Miriam Makeba/Dizzy Gillespie
- "The 3 Divas Tour" with Nina Simone, Odetta and Miriam Makeba
- "the USA Tour :Tour of Hope of Hugh Masekela/Makeba".

In 1998, Solorazaf also played with the quartet "World of Guitar". The group, produced by Charles Fishman (Dizzie Gillespie) includes guitar masters Fareed Haque, Romero Lubambo and Aquiles Baez.
In 2001, Solorazaf begins touring his Solo Guitar Performance. He plays Europe, the USA and Canada. His solo concerts are widely acclaimed in the USA and Europe and he establishes himself as one of the most innovative solo guitar player's on the World scene.
Solorazaf's songs are sung in his native tongue Malagasy, or French, sometimes a combination of the two, at times with a bit of English thrown in.

"a highly recommended concert ...ÿ"
NY Times. USA

"Solorazaf is simply superbe and magnificent"
Afropop New York City. USA

"A master of the 12/8 Salegy rhythm"
Acoustic Guitar Magazine

"A musical inventor with the Malgache traditions at its foundation."
International guitar Festival of Rueil Malmaison .France

"One of the greatest performers I've ever seen on any string instrument anywhere... Phenomenal!"
Elombe Brath, Producer/Mediahost/African affairsconsultant

"Solorazaf is a fantastic malagasy guitarist with a handle on that country's rich roots music and a worldly touch as well"
Banning Eyre, Afropop World-Wide

"Solorazaf is an exceptional musician! He appears to play with absolute freedom and choice, his mastery of his instrument is always perfect whether it is in his groove or his execution. And while the Malgache rhythms are often complex, he toys with them with complete freedom. For me,Solorazaf is a super hero"
Jean-Felix Lalanne

"His album "9 Pieces of Bizarre" is a solo voyage of lyrical guitar and voice: melodies and modulations tangled with propulsive, throbbing rhythms accompanied by a simple shaker or foot percussion"
Guitarist Mag. France

Parallel to his own personal performance projects, Solorazaf produces essential albums of Malagasy music :

- "Fruits du Voyages" 1996 (CHOC du Monde de la Musique)
- "Souffles de Vie" Rakoto Frah 1998
- "Razalinah" Eric Manana
- "Toamasina s©r©nades" Daniel Tombo.

He also creates and co-produces :

- "Bilo" Malgache Connexion (CHOC du Monde de la Musique)
- "The moon" the banana threeÿ> USA Shanachie.

SOLORAZAF also finds the time to create the music school, "Guitares Alli©es" ("Allied Guitars"). The school is created in partnership with The Alliance Francaise and Christian Randrianampizafy in the city of Antsirabe (south center of Madagascar) . The school is a place of theory and practice where the students improve their skills through a variety of instruction and documentation as well as through the help of audiovisual tools that Solorazaf has collected from guitarists-friends throughout the world.
Many great artists like BoB Brozman and Ren© Lacaille came to perform in Antsirabe and gave some master classes to the musicians there...

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contact : mail@solorazaf.com