August 21, 2007
OperationOzomatli
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When the U.S. State Department wanted to win hearts and minds in the Middle East, they sent Ozomatli
More than a million people are ready for rebellion / This shit is ill / Sunset to the crack of dawn / If you're black or blonde / Uncle Sam is robbing you blind and putting shackles upon / The minds of your children for real, son / Beware this system and go to war with this institution.
These are not exactly sentiments you'd expect the U.S. State Department to sanction - let alone promote - but in a way, that's exactly what they've done.
The above lyrics are from Coming War, an anti-imperialist rant from the LA-by-way-of-Latin-America Ozomatli. The nine-piece band was recently commissioned by the State Department to conduct a mini-tour of the Middle East, acting as musical ambassadors to thousands of concertgoers in Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia.
This week, Ozomatli swings through Philly as part of the Summer Haze tour. They play opening act to Slightly Stoopid and G. Love & Special Sauce - two bands who thankfully did not accompany Ozomatli oversees to represent our country (Slightly Stoopid's name alone could have confirmed many foreigners' notions about our nation and its leader). This week's Penn's Landing gig, while not sponsored by Uncle Sam, is sure to showcase a good portion of Ozomatli's politically-charged lyricism as well as their top-notch playmanship.
It was this combination of fiery wordplay and incendiary instrumentation that caught the ear of several State Department officials who eventually convinced the band to accept a government grant and play Middle Eastern venues on behalf of the good ol' US of A.
Although the agreement led many to label Ozomatli as a gang of sellouts, the band's members and management took a more pragmatic approach and made every effort to protect the band's integrity while ensuring their chance to spread their funky gospel in rather unpredictable regions.
Manager Amy Blackman-Romero worked with State Department officials, emphasizing the band's tendency toward anti-war and even anti-Bush administration lyrics. Apparently Blackman-Romero's disclosure did little to dissuade the officials' desire to sponsor Ozomatli.
Politics aside, Ozomatli jumped on the chance to tour the Middle East and bring the people a taste of their Latin-tinged funky Mariachi sounds. Truly offering the people a different image of America, Ozomatli played seven shows over the course of nine days, performing everywhere from a Roman ampitheater in Carthage to the Opera House in Cairo to a Palestinian refuge camp in Jordan.
The Grammy winners tore through the region like a good vibe cyclone leaving positive impressions of America in their wake. Considering the political climate as of late, imbuing Middle easterners with good feelings about the United States is certainly no small feat.
In order to gain an appreciation of the way in which the multi-cultural and multiethnic Ozomatli managed to spread their message of peace and hope throughout a region that's better known for holding a slight grudge toward westerners, one only needs to pick up any one of the band's albums and give it a quick spin.
Although Ozomatli has shifted gears and directions from time to time throughout their 12 years together, each of their five albums resonates with similar themes of acceptance, tolerance and progressive encouragement. The group's core has remained more or less intact over the years and the instrumentation rarely wavers, always shoving horns and percussion to the forefront.
The band's overall sound is decidedly Latin-flavored but the more educated and worldly ears will detect hints of Indian, Egyptian and even French influences woven into Ozomatli's rich sonic tapestry.
Lyrically, Ozomatli splits the difference between English and Spanish lyrics, with the majority of the band's more hip-hop-tinged numbers receiving the traditional American treatment.
On the hip-hop tip, Ozomatli has enjoyed its share of brushes with the genre's royalty, as Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist and Chali 2Na contributed their skills on the decks and mic respectively to the band's self-titled debut.
With Ozomatli, as is the case with so many larger multi-instrumental collectives, the live show is really where they shine. As one who witnessed the band's performance at the New Orleans' JazzFest in 2001, I'm not at all surprised that they were able to placate the crowds and endear themselves to a part of the world often considered hostile to American ideals. In fact, as the band formed a drumline at the end of the aforementioned gig in New Orleans, leading hundreds of people through the deserted streets of the Big Easy (it was about 7 a.m., mind you), they seemed capable of leading the crowd pretty much anywhere they saw fit - even to a new impression.
Ozomatli
With G. Love & Special Sauce, Slightly Stoopid + DJ Schoolly D
When: Thurs., Aug. 23, 7pm.
Where: Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, Columbus Blvd. And Spring Garden St.
Info: 215-569-9400
www.livenation.com
These are not exactly sentiments you'd expect the U.S. State Department to sanction - let alone promote - but in a way, that's exactly what they've done.
The above lyrics are from Coming War, an anti-imperialist rant from the LA-by-way-of-Latin-America Ozomatli. The nine-piece band was recently commissioned by the State Department to conduct a mini-tour of the Middle East, acting as musical ambassadors to thousands of concertgoers in Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia.
| |
It was this combination of fiery wordplay and incendiary instrumentation that caught the ear of several State Department officials who eventually convinced the band to accept a government grant and play Middle Eastern venues on behalf of the good ol' US of A.
Although the agreement led many to label Ozomatli as a gang of sellouts, the band's members and management took a more pragmatic approach and made every effort to protect the band's integrity while ensuring their chance to spread their funky gospel in rather unpredictable regions.
Manager Amy Blackman-Romero worked with State Department officials, emphasizing the band's tendency toward anti-war and even anti-Bush administration lyrics. Apparently Blackman-Romero's disclosure did little to dissuade the officials' desire to sponsor Ozomatli.
Politics aside, Ozomatli jumped on the chance to tour the Middle East and bring the people a taste of their Latin-tinged funky Mariachi sounds. Truly offering the people a different image of America, Ozomatli played seven shows over the course of nine days, performing everywhere from a Roman ampitheater in Carthage to the Opera House in Cairo to a Palestinian refuge camp in Jordan.
The Grammy winners tore through the region like a good vibe cyclone leaving positive impressions of America in their wake. Considering the political climate as of late, imbuing Middle easterners with good feelings about the United States is certainly no small feat.
In order to gain an appreciation of the way in which the multi-cultural and multiethnic Ozomatli managed to spread their message of peace and hope throughout a region that's better known for holding a slight grudge toward westerners, one only needs to pick up any one of the band's albums and give it a quick spin.
Although Ozomatli has shifted gears and directions from time to time throughout their 12 years together, each of their five albums resonates with similar themes of acceptance, tolerance and progressive encouragement. The group's core has remained more or less intact over the years and the instrumentation rarely wavers, always shoving horns and percussion to the forefront.
The band's overall sound is decidedly Latin-flavored but the more educated and worldly ears will detect hints of Indian, Egyptian and even French influences woven into Ozomatli's rich sonic tapestry.
Lyrically, Ozomatli splits the difference between English and Spanish lyrics, with the majority of the band's more hip-hop-tinged numbers receiving the traditional American treatment.
On the hip-hop tip, Ozomatli has enjoyed its share of brushes with the genre's royalty, as Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist and Chali 2Na contributed their skills on the decks and mic respectively to the band's self-titled debut.
With Ozomatli, as is the case with so many larger multi-instrumental collectives, the live show is really where they shine. As one who witnessed the band's performance at the New Orleans' JazzFest in 2001, I'm not at all surprised that they were able to placate the crowds and endear themselves to a part of the world often considered hostile to American ideals. In fact, as the band formed a drumline at the end of the aforementioned gig in New Orleans, leading hundreds of people through the deserted streets of the Big Easy (it was about 7 a.m., mind you), they seemed capable of leading the crowd pretty much anywhere they saw fit - even to a new impression.
Ozomatli
With G. Love & Special Sauce, Slightly Stoopid + DJ Schoolly D
When: Thurs., Aug. 23, 7pm.
Where: Festival Pier at Penn's Landing, Columbus Blvd. And Spring Garden St.
Info: 215-569-9400
www.livenation.com
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