Ozomatli

Ozomatli is an American six-piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others. The group formed in 1995 and has since released seven studio albums. The group is also known for advocating for farm-workers' rights and immigration reform. The band has performed in various countries all over the world, including China, Tunisia, Jordan, Cuba, and Burma. Although the band has had many member changes over the years and has sometimes had as many as ten members, the current six members have been in the band since its debut album.
In 1998, Ozomatli released its self-titled debut album, and soon after opened for Santana on their Supernatural Tour. The group released "Embrace the Chaos" in 2001, followed by "Street Signs" in 2004. "Don't Mess with the Dragon" followed in 2007, which saw the band experimenting with a more diverse array of musical styles. The group composed music for "Happy Feet 2" and recorded "Ozomatli Presents Ozokidz", a family-friendly album. From 2011 to 2014, Ozomatli also served as the house band for stand-up comedian Gabriel Iglesias' television show, "Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution". 
History.
1995–98: Formation and debut album.
Ozomatli take their name from the Nahuatl word from the astrological symbol of the monkey, taken from the Aztec calendar. Ozomatli is also a god of dance, fire, the new harvest, and music. In 1995, all the members met while attempting to form a workers union within Los Angeles. Though they were not able to win recognition, they were given an abandoned building for one month. The building turned into a cultural arts center, and within it Ozomatli was born.
In a 2007 NPR interview, band members Jiro Yamaguchi and Ulises Bella describe Ozomatli:
The band's first album, "Ozomatli", was released on June 16, 1998 on Almo Sounds. At the time, in addition to the band's six constant members, namely vocalist/trumpet player Asdru Sierra, vocalist/guitarist Raul Pacheco, sax and clarinet player Ulises Bella, bassist Wil-Dog Abers and percussionists Justin 'El Niño' Porée and Jiro Yamaguchi, Ozomatli also featured MC Chali 2na, turntablist Cut Chemist, drummer William Marrufo, and saxophone player Jose Espinoza. The album featured the band's trademark mix of several types of Latin music: tropical genres like merengue and cumbia, Mexican styles like norteño, along with Jamaican music like ska and reggae, mixed with a heavy dose of American hip-hop and funk, often with a few genres mixed together in the same song. The band sang its socially-conscious (but sometimes humorous) lyrics mostly in Spanish, while Chali 2na's rapped in English.
The album reached mainstream success following an appearance on the late night talk show "Vibe!." It reached No. 7 on the "Billboard" Latin Albums chart (71 weeks) and No. 4 on the "Billboard" Latin Pop Albums chart (50 weeks). Two singles released from the album were "Cut Chemist Suite" and "Super Bowl Sundae". In 1999, Ozomatli joined Mana and Carlos Santana on tour following Santana's release of Supernatural, and in 2002, the band appeared on "One of These Days", the penultimate track on the latter's album "Shaman".
1999–2005: "Embrace the Chaos" and "Street Signs".
Ozomatli's second album, "Embrace the Chaos", was released on a date historic for the U.S., September 11, 2001. Although many American bands cancelled their concerts, Ozomatli gained some recognition for continuing to play their concerts, all the while continuing their commitment to social justice and progressive politics, in addition to the rising anti-war movement. The album featured a similar mix of Latin and hip-hop music as the debut had, with the lyrics taking an even more political stance. In 2002, "Embrace the Chaos" won a Grammy for the Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.
By the album's release, the band had experienced several member changes: drummer William Marrufo had been replaced by Andy Mendoza, and MC Chali 2na, turntablist Cut Chemist, and saxophone player Jose Espinoza had all left. With no official MC for the rap vocals, the band used a variety of guest MCs on the album, including Kanetic Source. Percussionist Justin Porée also did some of the rap vocals for the first time. Rene 'DJ Spinobi' Dominguez also appeared on turntables as a guest. While touring for the album, Kanetic Source and DJ Spinobi both joined the lineup.
In 2003, Ozomatli released a six-song EP through Concord Records, featuring a collaboration with The Kumbia Kings on "Mi Gente." In addition to Kanetic Source and DJ Spinobi, the album also featured new members Sheffer Bruton on trombone and Mario Calire on drums. The EP featured mostly the band's Latin-influenced side, with most lyrics in Spanish, although the song 'Let Me Dream' was the first song sung (as opposed to rapped) entirely in English that would appear on their recorded releases.
Before recording their next album, Kanetic Source was replaced by M.C. Jabu Smith-Freeman. The resulting 10-man lineup: the core of Sierra, Pacheco, Bella, Abers, Porée and Yamaguichi joined by Bruton, Calire, MC Jabu and Dj Spinobi would last for the next few years.
In 2004, "Street Signs" was released under Concord Records. In 2001, the album won the Grammy for "Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album2005, The album also won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2005. ". In addition to MC Jabu's rap vocals, Porée played a bigger role than before as second MC, and original MC Chali 2na guested on one song as well. The album expanded the band's sound even farther, with a Middle-Eastern influence featured on some tracks. While it was still predominantly in Spanish, the band was also singing more in English as well.
In 2005, Ozomatli released their live album "Live at the Fillmore", recorded at The Fillmore in San Francisco.
2006–09: "Don't Mess With the Dragon".
In 2006, Ozomatli were invited by the U.S. State Department to serve as official Cultural Ambassadors on a series of government-sponsored international tours. The band has since traveled to Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East, Tunisia, India, Jordan, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
In late 2006, shortly before the release of "Don't Mess With the Dragon", DJ Spinobi left the band to pursue personal projects (but stuck around until the album's release, as he appears in the photos and is credited as a member). This was the end of the longest lasting Ozomatli lineup, and the first of many lineup changes that would occur over the next year and a half.
April 3, 2007, saw the release of their fourth studio album "Don't Mess With The Dragon", which was co-produced by K. C. Porter and released on Concord Records. The genre-crossing album was written at a local Los Angeles Latino art gallery, Tropico de Nopal. The album includes songs such as "After Party", which pays homage to old-school Chicano R&B, "When I Close My Eyes," which nods back to Fishbone and Oingo Boingo, "La Segunda Mano," which features the vocals of Quetzal's Martha Gonzales blending son jarocho with hip-hop, "City of Angels," which celebrates the city of Los Angeles, and "Temperatura," which was inspired by the May 2006 pro-immigration marches. The band also experimented with a more accessible Latin-pop sound on songs like 'Can't Stop' and 'Here We Go,' and for the first time featured more English lyrics than Spanish lyrics.
On September 20, 2007, Ozomatli announced that MC Jabu was leaving the group on amicable terms. He would not be officially replaced, although Tre Hardson would take his place on tour in 2007 and 2008.
In early 2008, the group did a song for the Los Angeles Dodgers called "Can't Stop The Blue," their first recording with Tre Hardson. In the video, LA drummer Chris Cano is seen in place of Calire. Shortly thereafter, Sheffer Bruton and Tre Hardson were no longer seen playing with the group, and Mario Calire appeared back on the drumseat. In the summer of 2008, Ozomatli announced Chali 2na would be joining them for their Fall 2008 tour, although he did not permanently rejoin the band. Later that year, group members Wil-dog and Justin contributed their voices to the Konami music game Dance Dance Revolution X as in-game announcers.
2010–present: Stripped-down lineup.
In 2010, Ozomatli released their fifth full-length album, "Fire Away", which was recorded by a stripped-down lineup, featuring the six constant members plus Carire on drums. Justin Porée, in addition to his percussion duties, also became the band's only MC on the album and also sang some lead vocals as well. Bassist Abers also got his first lead vocal spot on the song 'Caballito.' While the band's sound remained an eclectic mix, there was a noticeable drop in the influence of Latin musics, and not many lyrics in Spanish. Several of the songs featured a more accessible, R&B-based sound. The album also had fewer overtly political songs, although the track 'Gay Vatos in Love' made a clear statement of support for LGBT rights.
In 2010, Ozomatli helped celebrate the Boston Pops 125th Anniversary, accompanied by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Since that first orchestral collaboration, they have gone on to perform with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Colorado Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, and the New York Pops.
Ozomatli made an appearance at TEDxSF – the first musical talk ever given at any TED conference – mixing discussion and sound to explore the challenges and promises of musical identities in a global age.
Ozomatli has also been involved in composing and scoring and contributing music to "Happy Feet 2" and Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece for Warner Brothers Interactive, SIMS for EA Games, music for PBS Kids, the films "A Better Life" and "Harlistas", and for the TV Show "Standup Revolution" on Comedy Central.
In this period of time, the band focused on "Ozomatli Presents Ozokidz", a special family-friendly set geared towards performing for children and adults alike. The album was released on Hornblow Recordings in September 2012.
The next record was "Place in the Sun" released in 2014"," and featuring Dave Stewart's production and co-writing, released on Vanguard. The album featured somewhat of a return to the Latin-flavored sounds of the band's earlier work, with more lyrics in Spanish than the previous two albums, although English remained the primary language. It was recorded by the same lineup as the previous album, with Carire on drums. Calire subsequently left the band, and percussionist Jiro Yamaguchi took over the drum seat, leaving the band with six members.
Ozomatli celebrated their 20th anniversary as a performing band in 2015, with all remaining members having been in the band since its debut album,
The band's next project, released in May 2017, was "Nonstop Mexico to Jamaica," an album of songs that have been a big part of the Mexican and Mexican-American community's heritage, culling from Selena, Cafe Tacuba, Mana, and many others. As reflected in the title, the songs are approached reggae style and the project was being produced by Jamaican reggae legends, Sly and Robbie. Although the album contains be some English-language lyrics, the album was the band's first Spanish-dominated release since "Street Signs."
In 2021, Ozomatli released a cover of Ramon Ayala's "La Rama Del Mezquite," featuring Cherine Anderson. As part of their 25th anniversary, the band also announced a new album in development, to be released via Blue Élan Records.
Social and political activism.
Ozomatli create music to: give voice to and reveal the culture and lives of Latinos; fight for workers' rights; and promote a global unity within both the city and the world. They promote this through their music, during their TEDxSF talk, and as Cultural Ambassadors of the US.