In England, the Queen bestows knighthood to artists who make significant contributions to English culture. In America, there is no Queen and no knighting, but artists represent the country as State Department Cultural Ambassadors. People don't refer to you as "Sir" this or that, but it's a significant role offered to artists of great merit. Ozomatli, the culture-mashing outfit from Los Angeles, California, are official Cultural Ambassadors for the United States; they travel to unexpected places like Nepal and Tunisia to represent the best of America--multicultural, open-minded, and socio-politically aware. Not only do they play free concerts around the world, they also teach music workshops and visit refugee camps, youth centers, etc. to play music and jam with local musicians. We think that Ozomatli is so cool and inspiring, and JamLegend is proud that they chose to put their music on our site to reach players from all over the world!
Ozomatli came together in 1995 to perform at a labor rally in Los Angeles, and have continued to champion political and social causes. Ozo's music has garnered them a Grammy Award in 2005 for best Latin Rock/Alternative Album, but that classification says very little about how exciting they are. Mirroring the cultural diversity of L.A., the band weaves together many, many musical genres--from hip hop, for starters, to salsa, from Jamaican ragga to Indian raga, from merengue to R&B--into songs that can be rousing, playful, or inspiring. A few years ago, Ozomatli's Austin, Texas show ended with a joyous samba line that spilled out into the street; the police arrested the band's manager and two members, which immediately set off a "Free the Ozo 3" movement...with people wearing T-shirts with the slogan the very next day to champion their cause. Not many bands can bring people together and stir them to action like that.
Ozomatli are set to release their fifth studio album Fire Away on April 20. Produced by Tony Berg (Aimee Mann, Pete Yorn), who describes working with Ozomatli is "like visiting seven continents simultaneously." The album has no shortage of ideas and causes, with songs tackling topics such as same-sex marriage or more personal issues like singer-guitarist Raul Pacheco's near-death experience being electrocuted while performing live. We've posted the first single "It's Only Paper" featuring Jack Johnson on JamLegend, so we hope you will check it out! Ozomatli has a full plate of tour dates in the US starting today going through May. To find out more about Ozomatli and the amazing work they do, visit their official site, their MySPace, or follow them on Twitter.
Ozomatli on Tour!
March 5 - Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
March 6 - Scottsdale, AZ Martini Ranch
March 9 - Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep
March 10 - Breckenridge, CO Three20South
March 11 - Vail, CO Agave
March 12 - Aspen, CO Belly Up
March 14 - Ft. Collins, CO The Aggie
March 17 - Austin, TX SXSW
March 18 - Austin, TX SXSW
April 17 - Houston, TX World Stage
April 26 - Washington, DC 9:30 Club
April 27 - Baltimore, MD Ramshead Live
April 28 - Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
April 30 - New York, NY Highline Ballroom
May 1 - New York, NY Highline Ballroom
May 2 - Burlington, VT Higher Ground
May 4 - Chicago, IL House of Blues
May 5 - Urbana, IL Tryon Festival
May 7 - Boston, MA Boston Pops
May 8 - Boston, MA Boston Pops
May 14 - St. Louis MO St. Louis Symphony