ALM SOUNDS Ozomatli brings its
high-energy show to UCLA’s Ackerman Grand Ballroom on Saturday.
By Anthony Quinonez
Daily Bruin Contributor
Move over James Brown; Ozomatli may be the hardest-working act
in show business.
The Los Angeles-based group has earned a following of die-hard
fans unheard of in the City of Angels. Parliament/Funkadelic-esque
in its collectivism, War-esque in its multi-ethnicity, the band
mixes everything from traditional drumming to underground
hip-hop.
Ozomatli brings its high-energy stage show to UCLA Saturday,
courtesy of the UCLA Performing Arts Student Committee. Many Bruins
will crowd Ackerman Grand Ballroom to experience what fans all over
the world already have ““ a great live performance.
“We’ve done shows in all of the states plenty of
times,” said Ulises Bella, who plays a variety of instruments
in the group’s horn section. “We’ve played in
Mexico, Spain, England and France. Cuba really stood out because we
were down there for 10 days, and we had just gone there on a
whim.”
“We didn’t even have any shows booked and we ended
up playing seven times (in the 10 days),” he said.
Ozomatli’s success overseas is only natural. Composed of
musicians from different cultural backgrounds, its sound is as
diverse as its members.
Percussionist Jiro Yamaguchi feels this is much of the reason
for the band’s success. “Every member of the group
brings something a little different. Every member has some
input,” Yamaguchi said.
“Each of us has studied a certain type of music that we
contribute,” Bella said. “I studied classical
music, I went into jazz for a while, and then I got into early
Jamaican music.”
Ozomatli’s self-titled debut album reflects the diversity
of the group. Although the flavor of the album is largely Latin, it
is blended with elements of jazz, ska, funk, hip-hop and Indian
music, creating a sound that defies classification.
The album was met with critical acclaim, and when its original
label Almo folded, Ozomatli was picked up by a major label.
Recording music for its upcoming album however, entails a new
set of challenges.
“When we made the first album, we pretty much recorded the
songs that we had been performing live,” Yamaguchi
said.”This time around it’s a little different. We
write songs knowing they are for the next album. We still fine-tune
our songs on the road, though. It’s sort of a circular
process.”
The forthcoming album will feature production from Los
Lobos’ Steve Berlin; Mario C, who has worked with the Beastie
Boys; and Bob Power, who has produced superstars including A Tribe
Called Quest and Erykah Badu.
“People like Bob Power will definitely make our hip hop
songs sound that much better,” Bella said. “I expect
this album to be different sonically.”
Along with the core members of the group, more of a supporting
cast can be expected on the new album.
“As far as MC’s, we have this cat named Kinetic
Source, hopefully we’ll get Rakka from Dilated Peoples as
well as some females like Medusa,” Bella said.
“We’re trying to work with some heads that people
outside of L.A. are not as hot on.”
In finishing the album, Ozomatli has slowed down its normally
frenetic tour schedule. Nevertheless, in addition to the upcoming
UCLA show the group recently performed with legendary East L.A.
band Los Lobos, as well as performing a show for “Art
Speaks,” in which artists from many different genres came
together in a protest against police brutality.
According to Bella, such political activism is nothing new to
the group. The group was founded when its bassist Wil-Dog, then
working for the California Conservation Core, protested along with
several co-workers against corruption in the organization. The
protesters lost their jobs but were granted use of the building
until the end of the lease.
In order to pay the bills, Wil-Dog called up some of his
musician friends (including Ulises and Jiro) to play at the
building, which had been transformed into a community arts center.
From this, Ozomatli was born.
The band continues its political activism. Along with the recent
“Art Speaks” show, Ozomatli opened for Rage Against the
Machine during a protest outside the 2000 Democratic National
Convention in Los Angeles. The group also continues to put on free
shows to champion different causes.
“We are a group of ten different people, with ten
different viewpoints,” Yamaguchi said. “But when we can
all agree on a certain cause we get behind it.”
CONCERT: Ozomatli performs Saturday, Feb. 17 at
8 p.m. in Ackerman Grand Ballroom. For information go to www.sca.ucla.edu or call (310)
825-2101.