In their more than decade together as a band, celebrated Los Angeles culture-mashers Ozomatli have gone from being hometown heroes to being named US State Department Cultural Ambassadors. Ozomatli has always juggled two key identities. They are the voice of their city and they are citizens of the world. Over the years, the band has experienced many member changes, but there are a core of six members who have been featured in all of its lineups: Asdrubal Sierra (lead vocals, trumpet), Raul Pacheco (lead vocals, guitar, tres, jarana), Justin Poree (rap vocals, percussion), Willy ‘Wil-Dog’ Abers (bass, backing vocals), Jiro Yamaguchi (tabla, percussion, backing vocals) and Ulises Bella (sax, clarinet, requinto jarocho, keyboards, backing vocals). Their music can best be described as a collision of urban-Latino, Hip Hop, Salsa, Dancehall, Samba, Funk, East LA R&B, New Orleans Second Line and Jamaican/Indian Raga. Originally formed to play at an area labor protest over a decade ago, Ozomatli spent some of their early days participating in everything from earthquake prep “hip hop ghetto plays” at inner-city L.A. elementary schools to community activist events, protests and city fundraisers. Following an appearance in Vibe magazine, the group broke into the mainstream, releasing Ozomatli, their self-titled debut album, in June 1998 under the Almo Sounds label.