I saw these guys Nov. 24 in Burgos, and they were great! I got the schedule for the Teatro Principal online, saw that this concert coincided with my stay, did a quick search and discovered that CM plays "folk gallego de vanguardia," and figured, why not? Tix were cheap, too: around $8, I think, for orchestra.

The concert wasn't sold out, but we made up in enthusiasm for what we lacked in numbers. The crowd ranged from teenagers to octagenarians.

CM is a group of seven musicians, who looked to range in age from about 25 to 45. Some of them play more than one instrument--and what an array of instruments! I expected gaita, but how about cello, soprano sax, electric keyboards, and drums. Plus accordion, bouzuki, marimba, violin... I imagine this seems a pretty weird lineup, but to my ears, it really worked! I've read elsewhere that they sometimes perform with a Portuguese singer, but it was all instrumental that night.

From the first few measures, I knew I was in the right place. Much of their music is based on the jota, so it was mostly high-spirited dance tunes. However, they blend classical elements (hence the "camerata") with their folk. Some passages sounded to me like klezmer, others like sephardic music, and some of the violin solos seemed like pure bluegrass (not surprising, given its celtic roots).

I found the guys really endearing. They were utterly unpretentious, and even though they were amazing musicians, there was not a showboat among them. They took turns addressing the audience to explain the songs and introduce band members.

By the end of the night, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much and my hands were sore from all that clapping. The audience was REALLY into it. We stood through several numbers, sort-of-dancing in place. And the ovation when they played their final number was LOUD! Folks were stomping, yelling, and just generally carrying on. The guys indulged us by playing four encores. What a night!

Throughout the concert I found myself compiling a list of friends I would give the CD to. I was worried that they wouldn't take credit cards, and I didn't have much cash. It never occurred to me that they WOULDN'T be selling the CD in the lobby. (What a lost business opportunity!) And I was never able to find it anywhere (granted, I was in some pretty small cities). But I have found a few online sources and hope that soon I'll be jigging in my living room to Camerata Meiga.

[This message has been edited by leuci (edited 12-13-2000).]