ALBUMS

OZOMATLI
(Almo Sounds)

The  word  Ozomatli comes from  the Aztec language, Nahuatl. It  is  the monkey found on the Aztec calendar and from adaptations, Ozomatli is considered the God of Dance.

Despite the implications of the band name, Ozomatli is not about being en espańol. The general genre tag seemingly occasioned by some of the lyrics being in Spanish. In fact, several of the members of this loose-knit polyglot jam company aren't even Hispanic and several of the songs on their full lenght debut album are in English.

Their percussion instruments are imported from over five countries, their band members are of various heritage, (combined you will find Mexican, Cuban, African, Japanese, and Jewish heritages), Ozomatli seem to be the epitome of "world music".

And yet, they are much more. They could symbolise a future direction in music, what may be called an interactive direction.

Ozomatli is a community band, their ten members coming from all parts of Los Angeles, reflecting and rejoicing in who and what they are, and demonstrating how opening oneself to other influences only enhances one's own experience. Their music, a freewheeling blend of jazzy Afro/Caribbean hip-hop/salsa/funk, is thoroughly infectious.

Ozomatli combine sonic styles from across the globe and they merge musical styles with an organic sensibility. In songs like Como Ves and Superbowl Sundae, you can hear the brass funk of the JB Horns next to the jazz-rock rhythms of El Chicano next to the Afro-Cuban percussion of Tito Puente. DJ Cut Chemist and MC Chali2Na of Jurassic 5 fame bring a brilliant hip hop element to Ozomatli´s musical blend on songs like Cut Chemist Suite, O Le Le. The sonic Cumbia de los muertos starts off with the loping rhythm of its namesake but then echoes out into dub as MC Chali2na drops his rhymes, backed by the kinetic scratching of DJ Cut Chemist.

Ozomatli is acclaimed as one of San Francisco´s best live acts, enticing even the most jaded of the Hollywood club crowd, at their standing-room-only shows, to get off their attitudes and dance. Ozomatli´s shows is occasionally a double feature show with Jurassic 5, as Jurassic 5´s DJ Cut Chemist and MC Chali2na are vital members of both acts.

For the many of us who live far away from the club circuit of San Francisco and Los Angeles, we can only have our hopes up high for a Ozomatli and Jurassic 5 team up show this summer when Jurassic 5 will be touring Europe.