Lo'Jo - Ce soir la...

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Lo'Jo
Ce soir la...
World Village (www.worldvillagemusic.com)
The amorphous musical amalgam that is Lo'Jo has been steadily building an audience for over two decades now. Hailed as one of the world's best live bands, the multicultural collective has seen over 300 musicians pass through its ranks. The core of the band on this dynamic live recording is founder, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Denis P�an, Berber sisters and vocalists Nadia and Yamina Nid El Mourid, violinist Richard Bourreau, bassist Kham, and drummer Mathieu Rousseau. The group was born in France's Loire valley and a French sensibility permeates everything they do. But so do jazz, dub, tango, Romany, Arabic, and various African sounds. Throw in some street theater and a keen sense of adventure and experimentation for good measure and you might come close to describing what this band does.
Ce soir la... was recorded live on a French tour in May and June of 2003. Most of the music is from their releases of the last ten years. The sound is crisp and clean, with every nuance from the swish of a basket shaker to the creamy flow of a bassoon audible. P�an's sandpapery voice is the focal point of many of the songs and he spits out the words like he is one of Maurice Chevalier's more jaded and angry progeny. The vibrant harmonies of the Nid El Mourid sisters give the tracks an urgency and exhilaration that won't be ignored. Combine this with tonal and stylistic palettes that span the globe and the result is about seventy minutes of sumptuous listening. - Peggy Latkovich
Available from cdRoots

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