Ozomatli Back from Mideast Tour for State Dept.
The L.A.-based band Ozomatli has wrapped up a tour sponsored by the State Department that took the group to Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia. A side note: members of Ozomatli are vocal opponents of the war in Iraq. Uli Bella, saxophonist and keyboardist, tells Melissa Block about the trip.
Ozomatli's Diverse Music Gets Personal
The multi-ethnic band Ozomatli's latest CD, Don't Mess with the Dragon, blends funk, Latin, rock, hip-hop and reggaeton in a uniquely personal album. Two founding members of Ozomatli, Uli Bella and Jiro Yamaguchi, discuss the band's collaboration with NPR's John Ydstie.
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Ozomatli's diversity is reflected in its music, which mixes funk, Latin, rock, reggaeton, R&B and hip-hop.
Ozomatli's diversity is reflected in its music, which mixes funk, Latin, rock, reggaeton, R&B and hip-hop.
Songs from the Album
The multi-ethnic band Ozomatli is as well-known for its diverse sound as it is for its oppositional politics.
In its latest CD, Don't Mess with the Dragon, Ozomatli blends funk, Latin, rock, hip-hop and reggaeton, and delivers a uniquely personal album that still packs a political punch.
For the first time in its 12-year history, the Grammy award-winning group gathered in studios over more than a year to collaborate on writing for the album, concentrating on melody and structure. Past albums featured songs written by individual band members.
The result is a musical melange that exposes the cultural contradictions of their hometown, Los Angeles. They dedicate a song to Los Angeles called "City of Angels," and pay homage to Chicano R&B in "After Party."
Ozomatli tackles social-justice issues in "Temperatura," which was inspired by the May 2006 immigration-rights marches, and "Magnolia Soul," a song that rebukes the Bush administration's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
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