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  • HB
  • WORLD ROOTS
  • Jul. 7, 2002
  • SPECIAL COLLABORATION WITH HUGH MASEKELA AND EDDIE PALMIERI
    FOR "AFRICAN HEART/LATIN SOUL"

    Ozomatli And Yerba Buena Also Appear

    Sunday, July 7, At 7:30 PM


    Media Sponsor: KMEX

    On Sunday, July 7 at 7:30 p.m., the Hollywood Bowl presents an eclectic bill of artists for a World Roots program, including Yerba Buena, a New York-based group known for their Latin/funk/pop grooves; and Ozomatli, LA's own Grammy-winning, socially active funksters. The program concludes with jazz masters Hugh Masekela, in his Bowl debut, and Eddie Palmieri performing their special collaboration, "African Heart/Latin Soul."

    Backbeat Live pre-concert performances take place one hour prior to the concert at the Patio, and are free to all ticket holders. The July 7 session features Spellbound, a Latin Jazz influenced pop quintet.

    "African Heart/Latin Soul" is the rare collaboration of two master musicians hailing from two different and distinct cultures, Africa and Latin America. When trumpeter Hugh Masekela, a revered star in the Afro-jazz world and a 1970s funk pioneer, joins forces with Latin jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri, one of the world's greatest living bandleaders, deep and profound rhythms are born. "African Heart/Latin Soul" debuted at New York's Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center in 2000.

    Also on the program, Ozomatli brings fierce energy to the stage with their soulful, vibrant and danceable blend of hip-hop and Latin salsa. And Yerba Buena, led by multi-instrumentalist Andres Levin, blend sounds of eclectic funk with distinct Cuban roots in what will be their Bowl debut.

    World Roots is the second concert of KCRW's World Festival 2002, which was created in partnership with KCRW (89.9 FM/National Public Radio). The six-concert series continues with Global Divas III on July 14, African Funk on July 28, World Reggae on August 11 and The Beat of Brazil on September 8.

    In the space of a few months, the New York-based 10-piece band YERBA BUENA has become a potent attraction on the club scene. Led by songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Andres Levin (who has written and produced for Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, David Byrne, D'Angelo, Macy Gray, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, and Ricky Martin), Yerba Buena blends Afrobeat, funk, hip-hop, and pop all with a firm Cuban foundation.

    Winning Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album Grammy in 2002 has given everybody's favorite local band the musical credibility it deserves. A musical stew of Latin salsa, urban hip-hop, and jazz-funk, OZOMATLI formed in Los Angeles in the mid-'90s with an evolving line-up of eclectic talent ("Ozomatli" represents the god of dance on the Aztec calendar). After paying their dues and gaining a devout fan base on the local club circuit, the band released two successful records and began touring extensively-Japan, Europe, Cuba, Australia, Mexico, and the U.S.-with the likes of legends Santana, Los Lobos, Johnny Pacheco, and Yomo Toro.

    South Africa's most eclectic and courageous expatriate bandleader, HUGH MASEKELA, comes to the Bowl with his Afro-pop-blues and jazz-fusion. The jazz bug first bit Masekela in 1954 when he began playing in local jazz orchestras in Johannesburg. In 1960 he moved to Manhattan to study music and hang out with fellow musicians Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, and others. Married to South Africa's queen of song, Miriam Makeba from 1964 to 1966, Masekela was making a name for himself on the New York scene, while churning out recordings for international distribution. Denied permission to re-enter South Africa, he did not return until the 1990 release of Nelson Mandela. This performance marks Masekela's Bowl debut.

    Enigmatic performer, virtuoso pianist, and five-time Grammy-winner EDDIE PALMIERI has been a figurehead in Latin music since the 1950s. Born in Spanish Harlem in 1936, he formed his own orchestra "Conjunto La Perfecta" at age 25, and was soon competing with the big three orchestras of the time: Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez. As a bandleader and composer, Eddie Palmieri's imaginative interpretation of Afro-Caribbean jazz arrangements has made him a musical icon. In June 2000, he released Masterpiece: Por Fin (Finally) (RMM), a collaboration with Tito Puente, which won a Grammy for Best Tropical Album of the Year.

    One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of just under 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and, in 1991 gave its name to The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, a resident ensemble that has filled a special niche in the musical life of Southern California. A hit from its very first season, the Hollywood Bowl has remained popular and accessible to a wide cross-section of Southern California's diverse population. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. While the Bowl is best known for its sizzling summer nights, during the day California's youngest patrons enjoy "Open House at the Bowl," the Southland's most popular summer arts festival for children, now in its 34th season. Attendance figures over the past several decades have soared: in 1980 the Bowl first topped the half-million mark and last summer, close to one million admissions were recorded. It is no wonder that the Bowl's summer music festivals have become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers and Disneyland.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    Sunday, July 7, 7:30 PM


    HOLLYWOOD BOWL (2301 N. Highland Ave. in Hollywood)

    World Roots

    HUGH MASEKELA & EDDIE PALMIERI: "African Heart/Latin Soul"

    YERBA BUENA

    OZOMATLI

    NIC HARCOURT, host

    KCRW's World Festival

    Media Sponsor: KMEX

    Backbeat Live pre-concert performances take place one hour prior to the concert at the Patio, and are free to all ticket holders. The July 7 session features Spellbound, a Latin-Jazz influenced pop quintet.

    Tickets ($1 - $93) are on sale now at the Hollywood Bowl box office, by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232, at all Ticketmaster outlets (Robinsons May, Tower Records and Ritmo Latino locations), or online at hollywoodbowl.com. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for a 20% discount, subject to availability; call 323.850.2050 for further details. For general information or to request a brochure, call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Elizabeth Hinckley, 323/850-2047; David Barber, 323/850-2023