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Ozomatli
By Andy Argyrakis
at Ravinia
is always among the most
hotly anticipated occasions
in all of Chicagoland, and
this year could quite possibly
personify the party more than
ever before. That’s because the
June 1 date sets the pace with a
triple bill of Latin rock royalty
starring Los Lobos, Los Lonely
Boys, and Ozomatli—a non-
stop sizzle fest that promises
to have the Pavilion on its
feet and the lawn dancing
every second of the extensive
evening.
“I think our music and our
energy lend themselves to that
big time,” says saxophonist/
multi-instrumentalist Ulises
Bella of Los Angeles–based
Ozomatli, the first of more
than 80 acts making Ravinia
debuts this summer. “Chicago
is just like LA or New York.
It’s a wonderful, beautifully
tapestried, multicultural city.
We tap into a lot of that vibe,
and our music lends itself
so well to that type of envi-
ronment because people are
getting up and dancing. It
becomes a celebration of life in
a lot of ways.”
The Grammy Award–win-
ning group sure does have
loads to celebrate. In addition
to the music marathon along-
side longtime pals Los Lobos
and Los Lonely Boys, that in-
cludes the 20th anniversary of
its self-titled debut album that
was released on Herb Alpert
and Jerry Moss’s burgeoning
label Almo Sounds and put
the band on the international
map. That of course means its
songs will get extra emphasis
in concert, plus the project will
be remixed and remastered
and feature re-recordings
with all the original members,
RAVINIA MAGAZINE | JUNE 1 – JUNE 17, 2018
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