New album from Los Lobos and Quetzal members pays tribute to East LA

Members of two iconic Chicano rock bands from L.A. have teamed up for a new album that celebrates the art, musical history and spirit of East Los Angeles.

After years of touring together as separate acts, Grammy Award winners Martha Gonzalez of Quetzal and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos released Memory and Return in September. The eight-track album blends elements of folk, soul, son jarocho and jazz — an amalgamation of sounds you might hear while strolling through the neighborhood.

“East L.A. as a sonic space is very diverse. You can hear anything from hip-hop, R&B to Ranchera,” Gonzalez said in an interview with LAist News. “If you drive down Cesar Chavez with your windows down, you can stand to hear any one of those influences.”

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The album includes spoken word and narration from the legendary alterista and fellow East L.A. icon Ofelia Esparza. Her image is also featured on the cover over the downtown skyline, surrounded by mementos and photographs from people who contributed to the project.

Gonzalez said the goal was to capture generational experiences, memories and reflections from the community. That was inspired by conversations with Hidalgo about his older brother, who lost his memory toward the end of his life, as well as elders like Esparza, “who has a perfect memory” and could share her deep knowledge of the area."

“ And then of course, we were thinking about East Los Angeles and the fact that we're all from this region,” she said. “This concept of memory as a verb, as an action… but then also how we come back to our memories and make new meanings as time goes on.”

Gonzalez wrote most of the album’s lyrics, but she also recruited friends and family to collaborate. Her child, Sandino González-Flores, plays keys and sings on the project, which was produced and curated by Quetzal Flores and composed by members of Quetzal.

Gonzalez praised Hidalgo as a mentor with a “genius touch.” He  suggested a lot of the arrangements, brought his master guitar playing and also played accordion and drums.

“When [David] sings, he makes it his own,” she said. “He's an amazing collaborator, very open, also very experimental.”

Memory and Return is available on a bone-colored vinyl with a special gatefold featuring photographic collages and liner notes. The project also has a dedicated website where you can find educational materials related to the album and East L.A.

To celebrate the vinyl's release, Gonzalez and Hidalgo are set to perform a free concert on Thursday at USC’s Bovard Auditorium. You can RSVP here.