(Ozo)matli Crew

Hailing from L.A. and with an infectious
amalgamation of hip-hop, salsa, ska, funk and
jazz, Ozomatli bridges the cultural gap.

Angeles Conservation Corps, Wil-Dog
rounded up a group of musicians to
play at a sit-in being staged to proteSt
poor working conditions and the firing
hat do -701_1 get when you
of a staff member. The strike, lasting a
li gr ' bring together almost a
month, also involved a conflict
dozen ethnically diverse
between
the LACC and the site of the
musicians from the West
sit-in,
the
former downtown LA home
Coast who all believe in unity and
of
the
Emergency
Response Unit head-
spreading their message through music?
quarters,
now
the
home
of the Peace
Besides a pretty fair representation
and Justice Center, a cul-
of Los Angeles' diverse pop-
tural community center
ulation, you get Ozomatli,
Ozomatli: Strength
for the neighborhood.
a high-energy, multilingual
in diversity Wil-Dog,
The band went on to play
band whose name, in Aztec,
the Jewish member
gigs to raise money for art
means god of dance.
of the band, is
supplies and musical
Ozomatli brings its mes-
top center.
equipment for the inner-
sage
b of brotherly love to the
city children using the
Detroit area on Saturday,
center. In fact, in the beginning, the
June 12, when it opens for Santana at
band played nothing but fund-raisers
Pine Knob Music Theatre. The band's
and for political causes.
unique blend of instruments includes
However, news of their musical mix
congas, claves, turntables, tablas and
rapidly
spread throughout Los Angeles'
trumpets, all played together to form a
multicultural
neighborhoods. In a year's
new kind of music.
time,
the
group
went from doing chari-
Wil-Dog Abers, 26, the band's
ty
benefits
to
selling
out Hollywood's
founder, bassist and vocalist, represents
Opium Den every Thursday, prompt-
the Jewish component of the multi-
ing a move to a larger-capacity club.
ethnic Ozomatli, whose members have
Now, four years after its founding,
Cuban, Mexican, Japanese, European
Ozomatli
is touring with big-name
and African roots. He says the band
headliners.
In addition to touring with
was born our of political protest.
Santana
this
summer, the group will
In 1995, as a worker for the Los
join Dave Matthews Band on the road.
Ozomatli's rapid rise in popularity
Amanda Krotki is a staff writer
demonstrates that audiences may be
for our sister publication the
ready to embrace a melting pot sound.
Baltimore Jewish Times.

AMANDA KROTKI
Special to the Jewish News

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6/11
1999

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