It was a rare sight at the Lan Anh Club arena on May 13: a diverse crowd of more than 3000 Vietnamese and foreigners, young and old, out of their seats and dancing to the sounds of an even more diverse group of performers stage: the Los Angeles-based band Ozomatli.

The seven-piece Ozomatli is a musical menagerie of all the people and sounds of their famously multicultural hometown: members are black, white, Asian, and Latino, and their music covers the bases from hiphop to rock to salsa to cumbia.

Image from www.ozomatli.com

Image courtesy of  Maria Q - mqimages.com

Tracks such as “Saturday Night,” “Cumbia de los Muertos,” and “Can’t Stop” steadily took the crowd from polite and reserved to a state of near-frenzy. Local Vietnamese musician Ho Nga, a bamboo xylophonist, joined in on the jam session.

Ozomatli’s appearance in Vietnam surprisingly came courtesy of the U.S. Department of State, an outfit not generally known for throwing good parties. But the State Dept has actually also sponsored the band as “cultural ambassadors” in countries such including Tunisia, India, Jordan and Nepal.

In addition to the show at Lan Anh, Ozomatli also performed in Binh Duong province and gave smaller shows and did outreach work for local workers, students, HIV/AIDS patients and the disabled at various locations around HCMC.

Image courtesy of Maria Q - mqimages.com

Lan Anh Stadium 13th May 2009  Image from www.ozomatli.com

Back in the States, Ozomatli has long been of the country’s most socially engaged and politically oriented bands. They began playing in 1995 to provide entertainment at a rally for a labor dispute in L.A.

But while their lyrics often reflect social injustice and the need for political action, they deliver their message with upbeat music, incredible energy on stage, and a positive vibe. Music is the universal language, and for one night at least, Ho Chi Minh City seemed to be in perfect harmony.

Image courtesy of  Maria Q - mqimages.com


Image courtesy of Maria Q - mqimages.com

WORDS: Tom Maresca

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