After five days of intensive training that began on Monday, the Bandy Baraka Big Band has concluded a workshop dedicated to arrangement and orchestration for Big Band, led by Carl Hammond.
The Bandy Baraka Big Band (BBBB) wrapped up a five-day workshop yesterday at the SAF FJKM Havozo Center, marking a new milestone in the development of orchestral jazz in Madagascar. Conducted in collaboration with Carl Hammond, an American-Chilean artist and Big Band conductor, the workshop brought together about fifteen participants, nearly 90% of whom were young musicians from the worlds of jazz, gospel, and classical music.
“The workshop focused on arrangement and orchestration for a Big Band ensemble,” explains Mahefa Rakotoarisoa, president of the Bandy Baraka Big Band. Over five days, participants alternated between theoretical lessons and practical exercises covering harmonization, orchestration, and transcription. They notably worked on adapting the standard “Beautiful Love” into a Big Band version. In the medium term, each participant is expected to propose an arrangement of a Malagasy song tailored for this ensemble.
“These five days of training allowed the participating arrangers to acquire essential knowledge for creating Big Band arrangements, both theoretically and practically,” emphasizes Mahefa Rakotoarisoa.
Carl Hammond’s visit to Madagascar holds special significance. After discovering the work of the Bandy Baraka Big Band, the conductor himself decided to come and meet the Malagasy musicians. The group then expanded this initiative to other musicians to foster exchanges and share experiences regarding musical composition.
Born in the United States in the 1930s during the swing era, the Big Band is a large jazz orchestral formation typically composed of 16 to 20 musicians divided into saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and rhythm sections. Renowned for the richness of its arrangements, it now occupies an important place not only in jazz but also in contemporary music, film scores, and musical theater.
Created in 2014 at the initiative of saxophonist Seta Ramaroson, the Bandy Baraka Big Band now brings together about twenty passionate musicians. In addition to its jazz repertoire, the ensemble also revisits works from the Malagasy musical heritage by adapting them to the Big Band format, thus affirming its desire to create a dialogue between jazz sounds and the musical richness of Madagascar.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-01 06:08:45 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/08/jazz-orchestral-bandy-baraka-renforce.html