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Since releasing their eponymous debut in 1998, Los Angeles-based Ozomatli has established a global reputation for creating a vital concoction of Latin salsa, urban hip-hop, jazz-funk, R&B, and rock. Coming out of the 1990s jam band scene, the horn- and percussion-laced ensemble won local accolades early on for their infectiously energetic live show and musical sophistication, evidenced by their eponymous debut in 1998. Later albums including 2004′s Street Signs and 2010′s Fire Away won chart success and international airplay, enabling the band to take its show across the Atlantic. From 2011 to 2014, Ozomatli served as house band for the television show Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution. In 2012 they brought their sound to a much younger generation on Ozokidz. The crowd-funded, star-studded Non-Stop: Mexico to Jamaica appeared in 2017. After signing with Blue Elan Records, the full-length Marching On appeared in 2022.
Ozomatli formed in Los Angeles in the mid-’90s, eventually settling on a fluid, evolving lineup that included Raúl "El Bully" Pacheco, Ulises Bella, Jiro Yamaguchi, Cut Chemist, Chali 2na, Wil-Dog Abers, Mairo Calire, Rene "Spinobi" Dominguez, Justin "Niño" Porée, Asdrubal Sierra, and Jabu. After making their name on the local club circuit, the group made an appearance on the urban late-night talk show Vibe! and released its self-titled debut in June 1998. Embrace the Chaos was released in 2001, followed by an EP, Coming Up, in 2003. A third full-length, Street Signs, which featured a changed lineup (both Cut Chemist and Chali 2na, for example, left the group on good terms), came out in 2004 and subsequently won a Grammy. A concert CD, Live at the Fillmore, with an accompanying DVD of the show, was released in 2005, unofficially honoring the group’s tenth anniversary, and in 2006, Don't Mess with the Dragon was released, followed by Live from Soho in 2008. The band returned to the studio with producer Tony Berg to issue Fire Away, its debut album for Mercer Street Records/Downtown Records, in 2010. Two years later, a surprise turn into children’s music produced Ozokidz. In 2014, Ozomatli delivered their seventh studio album, the Robert Carranza-produced Place in the Sun. While they played the festival circuit in the U.S., Canada, and Europe in support of the album, it was business as usual: The group seldom took time off, playing across Latin America and the Caribbean as well. In 2015, the band homed in on a new vision: to revisit their collective Latin music heritage through the lens of reggae and Caribbean music. They undertook a PledgeMusic campaign (and reached 153-percent of their goal) and entered the studio with Sly & Robbie as producers. Ozomatli also invited a large host of guests to assist on various tracks. They included Gaby Moreno, Juanes, Regulo Caro, and “Herb Alpertto.” The material included songs written by Selena, Café Tacvba, Juan Gabriel, Julieta Venegas, and Los Tigres del Norte, and rearranged tunes from their catalog. Titled Non-Stop: Mexico to Jamaica, the set was issued by Cleopatra in the spring of 2017.
In May 2022, the band, now a six-piece, issued the single “Sunsets” for new label Blue Elan Records, and followed it with “Una Mas” in June. In July, they issued the David Garza-produced full-length, Marching On. Moreno reprised her guest role to appear on the tracks “Mi Destino” (that also featured B-Real) and the title cut. Both Lisa Lisa and JJ Fad appeared on the track “Fellas.” ~ John Bush