I've decided to dedicate this weeks post to my mom, Dayna, who just celebrated her birthday on Sunday. I have no reservations saying Ozomatli
is her favorite band on the planet right now and she was lucky enough to see them on Friday night (with a rare appearance by longtime collaborator Chali 2na) at the House of Blues in Chicago.Ozomatli has been around since their formation in Los Angeles in 1995 and still retain a core of six original members: Asdru Sierra (lead vocals, trumpet), Raul Pacheco (lead vocals, guitar, tres, jarana), Justin Poree (rap vocals, percussion), Wil-dog Abers (bass, backing vocals), Jiro Yamaguchi (tabla, percussion, backing vocals) and Ulises Bella (sax, clarinet, requinto jaracho, keyboards, backing vocals).
Their first album, the self titled Ozomatli, was released in 1998 and was my first exposure to their music. Many of the songs on the album feature the vocals of rapper Chali 2na as well as Cut Chemist's turntables, both of which I was familiar with from their work with Jurassic 5. The album is full of energy from front to back and, while retaining an overall Latin sound, draws from a host of musical genres.
One of my favorites from Ozomatli is "Cut Chemist Suite" which features, you guessed it, Cut Chemist and Chali 2na.
Another highlight and a great example of Ozo's blend of Latin and Hip-Hop is O Le Le, performed live with Chali 2na in this video.
Their live performances are rowdy to say the least. It would be difficult for even the most self conscious concertgoer not to move their feet at a show as Ozomatli love to get the crowd into it as much as possible. They are even know to enter the audience on occasion and roam the venue forming drum circles/conga lines.
Since their first album, Ozomatli have released four other LPs, Embrace the Chaos (2001), Street Signs (2004), and Don't Mess with the Dragon (2007), all of which are solid but never hit me the same way as their debut effort.
Here are a couple of favorites from those releases.
Who's To Blame? ~ Ozomatli
For more from Ozomatli check out these links:
Ozomatli's Homepage
Ozo on Myspace Music
Ozo on Facebook
Happy Birthday Mom!
2na's a beast. he's like the Morgan Freeman of hip-hop.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that if they tried to do a Star Wars movie after James Earl Jones dies, 2na could not only do the voice but he could be the body actor as well. He is a large man.
ReplyDeleteDude, nice! Has mom read this or does she know you posted it? Ha it'll rock her socks man...I think saying they're her favorite band on the planet isn't even enough to show how much she obsesses over them lol. Nice post though I have to agree with ya although I'm a pretty big fan of Embrace the Chaos, self titled definitely owns...keep up the good work! :)
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