On Prosperity: Ulises Bella
By Sergio C. Muñoz at Intelatin, LLC
This interview was produced by Sergio C. Muñoz at Intelatin, LLC. It is distributed by Caló. Special thanks to Wil Dog of Ozomatli and to PBS Studios (KLCS) for their pilot feature on our effort for the financial wellness of musicians. AMA: smunoz@intelatin.com
Author’s Note:
Uli Bella said to me, “I know I am not rich but I feel rich.” I am astounded by that statement and I wish I had the resources to dig as deep as possible into why Uli would say something like this. Also, why I, as a Mexican, feel the same way. There was a great quote that I stole the other day:
“I have exactly the amount of money that poor people would be disgusted to hear me say I wasn’t rich, but rich people would laugh if they heard me say I was…”
Sergio: How do you identify?
Human Being. My mom was from la Ciudad de México and we had Otomi ancestors. My father was from the Basque region near Barcelona. I grew up in Southeast Los Angeles but I was bussed all over Los Angeles proper. I am from Los Angeles. If my parents had not met at the Grand Central Market in downtown, I would not be here.
Sergio: Please describe your childhood home?
An old bungalow in Bell that was built in the 20s or 30s. It was working class. Mostly white folks. A tiny two bedroom home. Quaint. Stucco that started as white, then became a type of peach and now it’s kinda pink. My parents owned it. They bought it for $20,000. We were the first Mexicans on the block. My father worked in construction and my mother worked in banking at Security Pacific. I have a half brother but he stayed in Mexico.
Sergio: Where were you situated economically?
Everybody including us worked for a living. By the third grade, I was already into music. In the fifth grade, I began getting bussed into the Beverly Hills area to a new type of experimental school on La Cienega. I was the first to get on the bus but then the bus would stop in Maywood, Cudahay, South Gate, K-Town. I saw us as ghetto kids. Especially when we started to meet the kids from the Valley, Hancock Park, Beverly Hills. I remember that the daughter of the LA District Attorney was in my class and she invited all of the class to her birthday party. I saw a big difference when I went to that sleepover. But in Bell, we were all ghetto kids with working parents.
Sergio: I’ve heard the Ozomatli origination story from Wil Dog, Justin and Raúl. What is your version?
I met Justin in junior high. I was in a band called Yesca. Wil Dog showed up at my high school on the Cal State LA campus. I met him there because he wanted to jam. We became a part of the Conservation Corps crew. We were in plays. We had a rehearsal at the Peace and Justice Center. It was all sorts of individuals that played music willing to spend our time on any worthy protest or cause.
Sergio: How did you get back to your childhood home as an adult?
There is a front house and there is a back house. Instead of having a backyard, my parents constructed a back house with three bedrooms and a garage. For years, we rented out the front house. When I was in college and I was already in Ozomatli, I decided to come back and move into the front house. My parents were in the back house. Both houses were already paid off at the time so there was no mortgage. I don’t know why my father built the back house. My mother passed away two years ago and my father is 86 and he needs help. I was a caretaker/caregiver for my mom and now for my dad. It would have to be extreme in my culture to not take care of my parents. I’m trying to take advantage of the time I have with my father.
Sergio: Can you compare Uli economically today to Uli at 10-years-old?
I don’t have kids. I have been a working musician for thirty years. For me, success was about comfort and need. Being able to quit my real job and survive and put frijoles on the table just performing music. Are my wants and needs taken care of? If I had an emergency, could I handle it? Am I living paycheck to paycheck? In the greater scheme of things, I know I am not rich, but I feel rich. I have food, hot water, good friends, people who love me. That is wealth to me. I don’t own properties and I don’t want to pursue material wealth. I do want to be comfortable but it doesn’t motivate me.
Sergio: Do you understand the concept of “Prosperity?”
Yes. I don’t typically use the word but I understand it. For me, prosperity can change at any moment. Am I prosperous? I guess I am because I don’t have to worry about a lot of things that others have to worry about. Everybody has different standards.
Sergio: We have found that musicians have very little financial literacy. How did you navigate your financial literacy?
My father was very frugal. Don’t spend on dumb shit. Save your money. My mom thought money was to be used to have fun in life. You’re not going to take it with you. I grew up with those opposing viewpoints. Early on, a world famous jazz professor gave us a mantra. Whenever any of us said that we wanted to be musicians, he would tell us that we should save our money because there is no money in being a musician. I remember when I got my first big check from Ozomatli, I told him about it and he told me, don’t spend it on something dumb. So, I bought a really nice saxophone. I’m sure I may be ignorant to certain financial concepts but I’ve been able to live with money so that I have no debt and not paycheck to paycheck. I had years where I struggled for sure but I never got to the shit-house. I was always thinking about hustling to make money to stay comfortable.
Sergio: You’ve traveled all over the world and you are choosing to live in Bell?
Absolutely. I’d rather live in Bell than Maui or Hancock Park. Where I live right now, all my neighbors know me. I walk the streets and people know me and I know them. Everybody says buenos dias to each other. Today, one of my neighbors asked me to help her with her landline. That’s community. Bell is chill. No crime on my block. For me personally, I feel that it’s important to maintain an understanding of the struggles of the working people. I may be comfortable but others in my neighborhood that are grinding aren’t as comfortable. I am blessed to be comfortable by blowing on a horn for a living.
Sergio: Here is my favorite Ozomatli track. It is written and composed by Uli about his family, Tus Ojos:
And here is the video support for Uli’s interview:
