I thought I'd give y'all an upbeat nugget for the holiday season.

I met this lovely duo in Samarkand where they competed for a prize at the Sharq Taronalari festival. They invited me to videotape their rehearsal, which turned out to be lucky for me, as I have not been able to obtain any of the footage from the main stage of the Festival, even though it was promised to me many times over!

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Malagasy music. And as soon as I heard these two musicians, I knew there was something sweet and special about them. I crossed my fingers that they would get some sort of prize, and they did. Despite the extraordinarily political machinations of the prize-giving, they placed third!

"Talilema" is Talika and Kilema, both from Madagascar, now living in Europe. They are both engaging, lovely people.  And I think you will agree that you can enjoy this informal performance and not miss any amplification or further instrumentation. It works just fine as it is. They should be stars.

The song is about keeping your spirits up through your troubles. Is it right for this time of year or what?

I hope this music brightens your days. Have a great holiday!

To find out more about Talilema click here, or visit their Myspace page.

For more of Michal's original music videos, visit inter-muse.com.

FLASH!! I don’t really believe that music is the universal language. There are too many kinds of music that I've had to learn to understand, and many more I may respect, but not enjoy. Still, there is no doubting the phenomenon of musicians from one culture becoming totally enamored of music from another. Many years ago I participated in an International Bluegrass festival in Southern France.  I was surrounded by Bluegrass players from all over the world, and all of them were simply crazy about the music! Why do I bring this up? Because this week we are showing Like a God When He Plays about Irishman Paddy Bush and his love affair with Malagasy music, and the instrument he plays, the valiha. His devotion is real, and it's touching to see him make his pilgrimage to attend the ritual exhumation of a beloved master valihist. Along the way we also get to hear some delightful music, so do check this sweet documentary out.