Ozomatli's music goes global with ambassadorship

Nov 17, 2009 (El Paso Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Oh, to be in Ozomatli's shoes. With seven members, that's a lot of shoes.

The multi-culti, Latin-based rock-hip hop fusionists and consummate party band has traveled to some pretty exotic places the last couple of years, including Tunisia, Egypt and Nepal.

The band performs at 9 p.m. Thursday at Club Peoria with Flogging Molly's Nathen Maxwell ($18 advance, $20 door; on sale at Good Times stores and www.ticket-bully.com).

On Sept. 16, they performed at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' 32nd annual awards gala in Washington, D.C. Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez were the guests of honor. President Barack Obama and newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor were in attendance.

Not bad for a group that formed more than 10 years ago to play a protest rally.

"I don't think anybody could have ever predicted where we would end up," percussionist Jiro Yamaguchi said by phone recently. "I don't think you can predict such a thing, but what was there was the spirit and energy of wanting to play music and playing in front of people." The band tours constantly, though it is working on a new album for release next year. But after being recruited by the U.S. State Department as cultural ambassadors in 2007, the Los Angeles septet has performed, visited orphanages and interacted with local musicians all over the world.

"It's been a great experience for us to be able to go to places that we don't normally go and most other bands don't go either," Yamaguchi said.

"They're pretty far off the beaten path. We play for kids in orphanages, meet a lot of local musicians and have been able to jam with them. It totally enriches our experience as musicians to have that kind of interaction and also to see how people live around the world knowing that everybody's in this. The struggles are really similar no matter where you are." The irony here is that the group, which makes no secret of its liberal views, was recruited by President George W. Bush's State Department, not President Barack Obama's, though the relationship is ongoing, the percussionist said.

He said they were "totally surprised" when the State Department came calling in 2007.

"We are a band that was very vocal about the wars from when they first started and we certainly didn't hold back from saying we didn't appreciate George Bush," Yamaguchi said, laughing.

Performing for the Hispanic Caucus in September was another unexpected treat for the group -- singer-trumpeter Asdru Sierra, singer-guitarist Raul Pacheco, rapper-percussionist Justin Poree, bassist Wil-Dog Abers, saxophonist Ulises Bella, drummer Mario Calire.

"It was cool. There were a lot of heavy hitters there," Yamaguchi said, though he's not certain if the president and his wife were actually there when they performed.

"He got shuffled in and out," he said, though they did pose for a picture with Sotomayor, the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court.

The group is incorporating those experiences into the music it's been writing and recording for an album due next year. But for now it's focused on its live show, including its "Off the Grid" tour stop in El Paso, a town that's enjoyed a few Ozo shows in the past.

"We try to involve people as much as we can. It's really interactive. It's high-energy. It's fun. People can dance and a lot of the time we end up in the crowd, which is a lot of fun to do," Yamaguchi said. "It's a really interactive, inclusive experience." Doug Pullen may be reached at dpullen@elpasotimes.com; 546-6397. Read Pullen My Blog at www.elpasotimes.com/blogs.

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