When Los Angeles-based Ozomatli performs at the House of Blues on Thursday, local rock en espanol fans will be exposed to one of the most infectious and imaginative live bands in the genre.
They will also come face to face with an infuriating group, a gloriously multicultural orchestra whose recorded output (three albums, one EP and counting) has so far failed to capture the sheer exhilaration of its concerts.
“Live shows are definitely our strength,” says Ozomatli founding member Ulises Bella, who performs saxophone and a panoply of other instruments with the band.
Seeking the big hit
“If there’s a weakness that we have, that would be our inability to come up with a song that’s really commercial, Bella says.
“Whenever we set out to do that, it gives us such a bad taste that we usually fail miserably,” he adds with a laugh. “We just put too much mayo in the sandwich.”
Song structure is not Ozomatli’s forte, which explains why their live shows — based on funky improvisation and a dizzying parade of musical styles — showcase the collective at its very best.
In concert, the band creates an imaginary bridge that unites the world of hip-hop and rap (in English) with a rainbow of Latin dance formats, from Colombian cumbia and Puerto Rican bomba to old-fashioned salsa and Brazilian-styled batucada drums.
Titled “Street Signs,” Ozomatli’s latest album goes even further, incorporating Middle Eastern textures and guest spots by Nuyorican keyboard legend Eddie Palmieri and the Prague Symphony Orchestra.
“There’s 10 of us, and we’re always exchanging CDs from our respective collections,” explains Bella. “We teach each other about genres that we don’t know about. If we want to record a salsa tune, for instance, we’ll spend some time listening to the giants: Johnny Pacheco, Palmieri, Celia Cruz. We’ve done the same with cumbia and merengue.”
Bella, whose flavorful Spanish reflects the influence of a Mexican mother and a father from Spain, is no stranger to hip-hop, either.
“The L.A. Hispanic community has always been close to the evolution of hip-hop,” he says.
“I grew up listening to that music and it comes natural to me.”
Unfocused at times
Ozomatli’s hybrid is undeniably invigorating, but it can also sound a bit unfocused at times.
“I think of Ozomatli as nothing more or less than a sophisticated bar band,” offers Emilio Morales, the publisher of La Banda Elastica, a Los Angeles-based national magazine widely known as the bible of rock en espanol.
“They have the Middle Eastern vibe, an exotic Asian guy playing percussion. In a way they remind me of a Latin version of jam bands such as Phish or the Grateful Dead. If you’re into having a drink while jumping up and down to a nice beat, Ozomatli is the band for you.”
Morales has followed Ozomatli from the band’s beginnings during the mid-’90s, when they performed with little-known rock en espanol bands at La Banda Elastica-sponsored concerts in tiny Los Angeles clubs.
“I’ve always admired their strong connection to the community,” says Morales. “Ozomatli is respected for its extraordinary commitment to socio-political causes. Whenever there was a march, a protest or a rally, you knew that Ozomatli would be there.”
Socially responsible
“We’re involved in many different causes,” Bella says. “And we’re not afraid to voice out our opinion, whereas it is on the war in Iraq or anything else.”
Ironically, the band experienced trouble with the law in March of this year — not at a political rally, but while performing a concert in Austin as part of the South by Southwest Music Festival.
Ozomatli’s ritual of finishing their shows forming a samba line that crawls out of the venue and spills out into the streets ended up abruptly when the police used force in order to stop the party. Two members of the band and its manager were arrested. The charges against them were eventually dropped.
“It was a little scary,” remembers Bella. “We were arrested at one of the largest festivals of the nation not for causing civil disobedience, but actually for playing our music. People sometimes tell me that there’s a lot of freedom in this country. That concept sounds a little funny to me.”
