Ozomatli Unifies With Multi-Culti Soul

A day after the music-biz elite feted Carlos Santana’s pan-ethnic pop at the Grammys, his spiritual kinsmen in East L.A.’s Ozomatli returned to a hometown stage, bringing their own brand of consciousness-raising musical diversity to a decidedly more grass-roots crowd at the El Rey Theatre.

The first of two consecutive sold-out nights, Thursday’s 90-minute performance was a high-energy affair that began and ended in the audience. The 11-or-so band members made their way to the stage in their traditional samba line, and they closed the set with a thunderous dance-floor jam session that ranged from Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” to the “Sesame Street” theme song.

Briefly joined by such guests as Los Lobos’ Louie Perez and Arrested Development’s Speech, Ozomatli offered songs from its 1998 debut album as well as a peek at some new material. Wielding horns, guitars, drums, percussion instruments and even a conch shell, the players blended messages of unity and protest, sung and rapped in Spanish and English, with their adept fusion of traditional Afro-Latin styles and modern-day funk, hip-hop and rock.

The sense of street-level camaraderie meshed perfectly with the politically charged grooves, calling to mind the ‘70s heyday of Santana or War while reminding listeners just how enduring this sort of multi-culti soul music has been. Who knows? Maybe in 30 years, it’ll be Ozomatli’s turn to sweep the Grammys.