On Sunday June 8th, The Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park was packed with people of all ages, race, and color. The atmosphere was one of community and good vibes and no band could embody this much diversity better than L.A. music scene veterans Ozomatli, who kicked off this summer’s free concert series at MacArthur Park and Pasadena’s Memorial Park Levitt Pavilions
Earlier in the year, the Levitt Pavilion management team found themselves in the middle of a controversy after an article was published by L.A. Weekly magazine in which it was alleged that a top official at Levitt Pavilion had mandated a cut in the number of Latin artists to be presented in the free summer concert series. After reviewing this summer’s concert schedule, we can see that there are more than 20 Latin artists scheduled to appear at both venues, which clearly indicates that the allegations written in that article by the L.A. Weekly proved to be unfounded. The environment at Macarthur Park on Sunday night could not have been more inclusive of all the different cultures that make up this great metropolis of Los Angeles and Ozomatli was the perfect fit for this special night.
After 19 years in the music business, Ozomatli has not lost a step and with a new album in hand, the band was at the top of their game with a riveting performance that had everyone jumping, dancing and singing along all night.
Place in The Sun is the name of the new album by Ozomatli, which includes collaborations with former Eurythmics guitarist, Dave Stewart, on the song “Brighter”.
Ozomatli played several songs off the new album including “Paleta”, for which they were joined on stage by special guests Voces Del Rancho who also appear on the album. Ozomatli also played a healthy dose of their best known hits like, “Como Ves”, “La Gallina”, “Chango” and “After Party” amongst many others.
The free concert series continues this week at Macarthur Park on June 12th and Memorial Park in Pasadena will have its first concert this coming Sunday June 15th with jazz and blues singer, Barbara Morrison.
In total there will be 100 concerts between Macarthur Park in Los Angeles and Memorial Park in Pasadena which will include talented Latin artists in different musical genres like Mariachi Divas, Pistolera, David Garza e Irene Diaz, Ceci Bastida, L.A. Collective with Profesor Galactico, The Paranoias, Ekolekua, The Delirians y Dub 8, Very Be Careful, Metalachi, Quetzal and closing the series, Grammy winners, La Santa Cecilia.
For the full schedule of Levitt Pavilion Summer Concert Series, please click on the following links to the MacArthur Park and Memorial Park Levitt Pavilion websites.
