Saturday, June 26, 2010

Bonnaroo Ozomatli 2010


Those of you who read my previous post know about how Jesse and I love the band Ozomatli, and how the band invited us to the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennesse. .

One of the things I love about this group is the variety of their music. They have won three Grammy awards, including one for best Latin Rock/Alternative album. But, they are not just a Latin band--they have incorporated African and Middle-Eastern rhythms, as well as American hip-hop. Here is a list of the instruments they play: bass, guitar, drums, marimbula, tres, jarana, trumpet, saxophone, requinto jarreno, melodica, tabla and cajon.

I'm guessing about half of the audience was familiar with Ozo before the show. By the end, everyone knew Ozomatli. They played an incredibly energetic 90-minute set, concluding by coming into the audience, as they always do.

Uli led the march with his saxophone, followed by Justin with a drum set and Asdru with his trumpet. Finally, Mario and Jiro brought percussion instruments as well. The crowd was singing/chanting "Ozomatli" with the beat of the drums. Then, the band led the audience in a singing of the Latin soccer anthem "Ole." Jiro took things in another direction by pantomiming while the band let a singalong of "The Hokey Pokey." Finally, a conga line formed as Ozo led the crowd all through the venue.

This is a band that loves their work. And so do we.

No comments:

Post a Comment