Prototype Issue
Don't Mess With Ozomatli
By Jesús “Pelos” Olvera
(page 2 of 2)I am a family man and I must take care of my children. I know that each and everything that I do in my life affects directly my children as well. That reality sometimes whips you.”
Chicanos or Multicultural? The band’s name comes from nahuatl, the Aztec language. It references the astrological symbol of the monkey in the Aztec calendar as god of the dance and fire. Because of the origins of its name, Ozomatli has been associated with the Chicano movement.
“The Latinos have always said to us that we are a sleeping giant,” Sierra said, “but in Ozomatli, that is only a single aspect of what we are. Although we are a band from Los Angeles, three or four of us are Latin, and I believe that it is incredibly important, because in Los Angeles there are many Latinos.
When [I am] in other parts of the world, they ask me if I am American. I respond to them that I am Angeleno. That is what represents the United States, the mixture and fusion of all the people who are here, and that is how American music was born.”
Global
Ozomatli recently returned from a visit to India and Nepal that was a collaboration of the U.S. and Indian governments under the Fulbright-Hays program of cultural interchange, whose aim is to create cultural ambassadors from the United States.
The band visited orphanages and youth aid centers such as the Ravi Shankar Institute of Art and Music in New Delhi. Ozo performed in numerous cities, including Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Kathmandu. The group’s goal was to use its music to spearhead real interaction with these communities, hoping to inspire the young to overcome their problems.
Perception
“Maybe it’s too early to predict,” Sierra said, “but the band is proud of how [our fans] perceive and appreciate us. We’re also proud of the persistence that has maintained this musical matrimony for more than a decade.
Six of us are original members that have kept this going. These 12 years have not been easy, since we are family and we’re brothers—and as brothers we fight amongst ourselves a lot. We’ve been together 12 years as a band. How many bands can say that?”
Magnolia Soul
And as long as the band persists and the music continues, Ozomatli will have something important to say about the world in which the band finds itself. “We finished a tour about two months ago in Louisiana,” Sierra recalled.
“Supposedly, this county is the one of greatest power, worldwide richness, but the cruel reality arrives when you go to this place and see that aftermath of the tragedy. You arrive to see that half of the population is gone and there are many things that are not yet fixed. A city that before was very vibrant because the people were always working, now has nothing. We were in communities that are still messed up. They still do not have water nor light; it’s a very sad and very horrible and it makes me feel embarrassed of being been born here in the United States.”
Ozomatli is: Ulises Bella-tenor sax, clarinet, vocals; Wil-Dog Abers- bass, vocals; Raul Pacheco- guitar, lead vocals; Justin Porée- percussion, MC, vocals; Asdru Sierra-,trumpet, lead vocals; Jiro Yamaguchi- percussion; Jabu Smith-Freeman- MC; Mario Calire- drums; Shef Bruton- trombone
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