A World of Difference
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Ozomatli, named for the Aztec god of dance, features ten members of diverse ethnicities playing an amalgam of son, merengue, ranchera, cumbia, flamenco, raga, dub, hip-hop, and funk. It would appear to be just the sort of pointedly eclectic worldbeat mush that usually turns my stomach. But in fact the group’s eponymously titled debut, on Almo Sounds, which brings the achievements of cross-cultural Latino music like Santana, War, and Los Lobos (whose David Hidalgo contributes accordion on a couple of cuts) firmly into the sampling era, is a real groundbreaker.
Havana Ball
Personally I don’t have time to waste on this self-absorbed twit, but in case you do, the Film Center at the School of the Art Institute will screen the documentary Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart on Saturday at 4:30 PM and Sunday at 7:15 PM. This version is 20 minutes longer than the one that aired on PBS recently. Call 312-443-3737 for more info.
