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COVER STORY First Night 2000: A sampler Mambo punk explosion     Babaloo calls itself a "punk-mambo hardcore juju band." Above, leader Unca B at a summer music festival. (Globe File Photo/Suzanne Kreiter) MORE INFORMATION Sat. 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Hynes: Hall B Babaloo Their party-loving sound may best be described as a mix of the Sex Pistols and Tito Puente, but Babaloo trumpet player La'zik (a.k.a. Marc Chillemi) has a more elaborate theory. "I like to say that the sum of the music is greater than its parts," Chillemi says. The music played by each individual instrument may very straightforward, he says, but when put together, the sound is deceivingly complex. Babaloo members call the group a "punk-mambo hardcore juju band." Most of them had never played instruments before joining Babaloo. The group got its start in a Jamaica Plain basement, headed up by Unca B (his real name is Bruno, but he doesn't like to see his full name in print. "He's a real punk," says Chillemi). Unca B arrived in Boston 13 years ago and founded a handful of punk bands before falling in love with mambo and starting Babaloo. Now he writes the band's songs in seven languages and explores Latin and African rhythms. "We take a lot of chances," Chillemi said. "I love that we don't have a drum set and there are only two of us in the band who are schooled musicians. For all these other kids in the band, it's straight from the heart, there's no pretense at all. We're all true punks." Chillemi says Babaloo's songs are compositionally simple, but when the sounds come together, the effect is surprisingly sophisticated and deliriously happy. - Christopher Muther Previous page | Next page

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