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Lo Cor de la Plana @ Cleveland Museum of Natural History 3/29 We went to hear Lo Cor de la Plana the Sunday before last not really knowing what to expect, except that as part of the CMA's VIVA! & Gala Around Town series it would surely be interesting.

And it was. Extremely.

Lo Cor de la Plana is six guys singing close multipart harmonies; their every song is rendered intensely rhythmic with hand drums, foot stamping and hand clapping. Their hometown of Marseilles is, after all, a Mediterranean port and it is impossible not to hear African and Middle Eastern influences in their music, as well as their acknowledged influences, the medieval troubadours, church polyphony, and Occitan songs old and new.

Occitan is the language the members of Lo Cor de la Plana sing in, one of several languages still spoken in France. Although it has never been an official language, it has been a written idiom for the last thousand years and was during the 12th and 13th centuries the preferred language of European poets. Today, some consider Occitan a dying language, though the members of Lo Cor de la Plana take a different view. As a vehicle for their music, it certainly feels very much alive.

In between songs ensemble member and Artistic Director Manu Theron gave brief, wry introductions that probably would not have passed muster with either the Marseille or Cleveland chamber of commerce. For instance, did we at one point understand Theron to say something along the lines of "From Marseilles to Cleveland, one dirty port city to another"?

Introducing another song, he humorously described a time in Marseille’s history when its people realized “we need more people to build up this filthy place”? Cynical, caustic, humorous, but ultimately loving his hometown, can we residents of another port city learn from such a point of view?

We’ve heard and enjoyed other groups drawing from the rich and various musical traditions of the Mediterranean Basin before, many of them through VIVA! -– flamenco singers and Sufi groups -- and this group’s music tweaked our memories of some of those experiences, but the similarities are really slight. Cor de la Plana is profound in the depth of its delving roots, and unique in its explorative curiosity, which insists on incorporating the tumult of today’s world into what is a unique and timeless music.

This is a very masculine music: big, robust, enthusiastically sung by six guys in black t-shirts and jeans; at times explosive; at times, tender and intimate and complex, sometimes all of these things within seconds of each other. Compelling. Mesmerizing. Exciting. For more information and a bunch of album teasers go to http://www.myspace.com/locordelaplana.

Some of the best is yet to come for CMA’s Viva series: fado singer Mariza, Basil Twist’s Japanese puppets, and Goran Bregovic’s Wedding and Funeral Orchestra. Watch for previews of these events. Performances in Playhouse Square and Cleveland Playhouse are good news for those who make plans at the last minute, since these larger venues are less likely to sell out. Early birds will benefit from something called 50/20, which gives the first 50 people who call for tickets a 20% discount. Phone CMA Box Office for details at 888-CMA-0033.

From Cool Cleveland contributors Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas vicnelsaATearthlink.net
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