I Muvrini Melds Corsican, Rock Sounds

I Muvrini, a veteran Corsican ensemble making its first U.S. tour, turned up with a kind of mixed musical personality on Monday at the Conga Room. Led by brothers Alain and Jean-Francois Bernardini, the ensemble, which has been together in various formats for more than two decades, countered attractive passages of traditional music with less intriguing numbers in which blended vocals were underscored with repetitious rock rhythms.

At its best, the nine-member group offered some compelling musical moments: a pair of a cappella songs sung by a male quartet in a fashion reminiscent of the Bulgarian female choirs; the plangent sound of a hurdy-gurdy (a lute-like instrument driven by a crank and played via keys) used as a melody instrument; the occasional appearance of bagpipes and citora (a 16-stringed Corsican instrument); and the melancholy, vocalized expression of the double reed duduk.

All this, combined with I Muvrini’s powerful vocal forces--starting with the Bernardinis, but often expanding into three- and four-voice combinations--made for an evening of considerable musical appeal. In passages such as these, it was no wonder why performers such as Sting are drawn to the Corsican players. (He performs his own “Fields of Gold” with the band on its latest recording.)

But it’s hard to understand why a group with such impressive musical resources would frame half of the numbers in rhythms that can charitably be described as ordinary. I Muvrini may be in quest of broad popular appeal, but in the process it is minimizing the impact of its real creative strengths.

* I Muvrini, with Hollow Log, Saturday at 8 p.m. at California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Free. (213) 687-2159.