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A band leading the way from LA and embracing the chaos
often paired with a legendary
musician (such as Weather
Report’s Alex Acuña on “Aquí
No Será”). The collection also
spawned the massive single
“Cut Chemist Suite,” which has
since become a Tony Hawk–
endorsed staple of the skating
scene, and it featured the
players that opened for and sat
in with fellow Ravinia favorite
Santana on his monumental
Supernatural
Tour.
“I think [the album] was
a continuation of a tradition
because in some ways we
were doing the same kinds of
things as bands like Santana or
Fishbone, which is a blending
of styles,” observes Bella. “It
was very uniquely LA, and
it injected a healthy amount
of hip-hop in it, which is the
music we grew up listening
to, and it was a really tasty
mix. [Carlos Santana’s son]
Salvador Santana was like,
‘Hey dad, check these guys
out. They’re kind of doing
what you’re doing, but with a
new style.’ Santana at the time
was quoted as saying Ozomatli
was the future of music. There
I was in my early 20s and my
idol was saying this about us!”
Though there’s rarely a
night when Ozomatli doesn’t
play to a packed house,
the group isn’t universally
considered a household name
just yet, but that doesn’t mean
there wasn’t an element of
truth to that guitar hero’s
prediction. If anything, these
ambitious musicians may have
been a little ahead of the curve
since, after all, their musical
fingerprints are all over the
pop music of today.
“When we first started,
there were radio stations that
were like, ‘Hey, we like that
JUNE 1 – JUNE 17, 2018 | RAVINIA MAGAZINE
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