" Everyone wants to live longer, to be creative and original.
Everyone wants to do things in a new way.
Do not forget the Roots
Without them we will never be able to realise the real power "
Ricky RANDIMBIARISON
His full name is Ricky RANDIMBIARISON, but people in Madagascar call him "Olombelona Ricky" (Ricky the Human Being). He was in a small town in the South-East of Madagascar: Vangaindrano that means "the place where you buy water", and grew up in an environment dominated by the feelings of thirst and drought. Ricky was brought up listening to tall tales and legendes pertaining to water and musical incantations for water.
As a student in Antananarivo, Ricky learned music from his Uncle, a jazz guitarist, and also from a talented musician, Tovo ANRIANANDRAINY. Later, he chose to study the "hazolahy", a typical drum if his native region, and continued to research traditional instruments. He collected different types of local music : the sireko, the koendra, the balitika and the katreky. Sireko is a special song for the funeral of an elderly, a wise or a wealthy person. Another type of music is played the next day the the "serihazolahy" (dancers). The koendra is the way the Vazimba people used to sing for prayers, funerals and weddings. The balitika is the rythm of a dance from the Antaisaka collectivity.
Ricky's vocalisation and polyphonic exercises led him to explore drum technics and traditional music. He used to learn the musical traditions of his people through the myths and religious rituals handed on by his grand mother, who was also a traditional singer. Mysticism and mythology are usually the basis of his musical creation.
From now on, Ricky is focusing his research on the Vazimba, who are believed to be the first inhabitants of Madagascar and the progenitors of the island's original culture, before immigrants began to arrive from other corners of the world. At the same time, Ricky is intersted in and open to the wide variety of different forms and expressions of World Music.
OLOMBELO RICKY'S ALMANAC
VAZIMBA VOCAL MUSIC
Listened and played with my grand-mother as story teller and a traditional singer VAZIMBA MOZIK.
1978- First pro-gig started as a singer percussionist drummer with my his uncle Solomon Bands and Ramy Frank Melody Jazz
1980-1984 Played Folk Sony Band MAHERA
1985-1988 Research for the VAZIMBA cultural and traditional percussion and
created his own band "Dio RICKY Imangamalandy"
1989-1991 Working with the Jazz Band "OAY" as a singer percussionist
after that, tour with Rudiger Opperman in Deutchland
as a percussionist singer
1991-1992 Tour in La Reunion for the fourth Jazz Festival an Popular Music
with his own band and SDF Band "World Music Made in Madagascar"
1992-1993 Album "KALANGITA" and one another with Salala an acapella band.
1994 Tour in Berlin with the new CD Acapella
1995 Tour in Swiss with Patent Oschner Band and a Malagasy selection.
1996 Record at Stellanera and Iasta sound in Swiss
1997 Worked with TALIPOT theatre in La Reunion as Music Director
after that, tour in London and Swiss
with AIRTO MOREIRA, Amampondo, Spiritual healers -
Womad Festival and Montreux Jazz Fest.
1998 Tour in Swiss Belpmos Airport,
Tour in Holland Rasa kultural utrecht in december
1999 Zurich Festival and Paris Festival.
2000-2001 Recorded new album and Madagascar Tour
2002 Tour in Holland and London
2006 Festival Couleurs Cafe with James BROWN, Glberto Gil, Tracy Chapman, Burning Spear and Third World