Pasadena City College celebrates 100th anniversary with free Ozomatli concert

In the early nineties, Raul Pacheco enrolled at Pasadena City College with the intention of learning from jazz trumpeter Bobby Bradford. On top of being a gifted musician, Pacheco recalls Bradford's humor — and his commitment to students’ professional growth.

At one point, Bradford asked his class point-blank: “How many of you want to do this for a living?” About half the students raised their hands.

“OK,” he said, “this is for you, this is the most important thing I’m going to tell you about being a musician. You ready? Pay attention: Save. Your. Money.”

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Pacheco went on to become a singer-guitarist for the band Ozomatli. Since his time at Pasadena City College, he and his bandmates have won multiple Grammy Awards and toured the world. And on Saturday, they’ll return to Pasadena City College for a free concert in celebration of the school’s 100th anniversary.

Come for the education

Pacheco’s community college days are long behind him, but Bradford’s advice still resonates.

“Being an artist has a lot of ups and downs,” Pacheco said. Bradford wanted his class to know that “it's an adventure to be a musician. It's doable. But you have to think of things besides your scales and chords.”

Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 with 267 students. Today, it has more than 20,000 and offers nearly 150 associate degree programs. The campus was the first home of KPCC, the public radio station now known as LAist. Notable alumni include baseball hall-of-famer Jackie Robinson, sci-fi writer and MacArthur fellow Octavia Butler, novelist Reyna Grande, and film critic Carlos Aguilar. Four Ozomatli members, including Pacheco, have studied music at the campus. Pacheco said students will be invited to join Ozomatli onstage at the centennial celebration.

“I learn a lot from playing with other people,” he added. “So I'm looking forward to having some young person come up and, like, blow us away.”

Stay for the party

The PCC block party starts at 11 a.m. and runs until 3 p.m.

What to expect: The Lancer Marching Band will perform its own rendition of “Happy Birthday.” The college will have food trucks and free cupcakes, and student video producers will gather oral histories of local residents’ experiences with PCC. The videos will be showcased at a future Centennial Celebration event. Ozomatli takes center stage at 2:30 p.m.

Good to know: It’s free and open to the public, no ticket required. On-campus parking is available for $2/day.

Address: 1570 E. Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91106.

More information: You can find the event schedule and campus map on the school’s website.