Bobo & Behaja

Bobo & Behaja is a musical formation that connects the French saxophonist Maxime Bobo and the expressive Malagasy guitarist Behaja from the city of Sakaraha.

The group presents the audience with a trance music style called tsapiky. This is a relatively young genre that arose in the southwest of Madagascar in the late 1970s from the connection of village traditions and modern African music, whose royal instrument became the electric guitar. Behaja is considered one of the most influential and distinctive tsapika guitarists today. The band's concerts bring to the stage the raw energy of traditional Malagasy music festivals, known as bal-poussière, into which the quintet seamlessly integrates elements of free jazz. Their famous albums include Aia Haja? and Parepare. Their distinctive sound can be heard in tracks such as Tantely Male Zay, Fifangea or Marolinta, the latter of which was released on the respected compilation Tsapiky! Modern Music From Southwest Madagascar.