Ozomatli in Columbia

At Js prompting we caught the Ozomatli show last Tues at the Blue Note. She likes to get to shows early, and the Blue Note runs on its own time, so we compromised and got there at 8:15. The opening band was 40 Thieves and they were pretty good. Strong drum n bass section. The front man rapped.

Last year Ozomatli played Columbia on a Saturday night in May and the show was packed. This time fewer people showed and we got right up by the lip of the stage. So close we could see the set lists the band had taped to the stage. We were standing in front of the bongo guy's station, and it was cozy enough to feel like there was a warm welcoming crowd, and there was plenty of space to move to the music.

They put on a hell of a good show. The music is part of it. Upbeat, and great percussion. The guys in the band seem like they get a kick out of playing and performing. The bass player had an infectious grin, and the trombone player grooved to the music when he wasn't playing his lines. The band got a couple of the women in the audience on stage for their songs, and did their trademark conga line finish, out into the center of the crowd, forming a nucleus of sound, then leading us out into the foyer. It was wierd standing there and seeing J coming around as part of the line. Ever the gentleman, she stopped and offered me a space, which I stepped into and then it was off, snaking through the crowd to the traffic jam in the lobby, where the peeps were clapping and shouting.