Album debut concert featuring Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo and members of Quetzal

David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and Members of Quetzal will present the album debut of “Memory and Return” at USC’s Bovard Auditorium. 

The new album is a tribute to the people and cultures of East Los Angeles. Produced and curated by Grammy award-winning artist and producer Quetzal Flores, the album was composed in the heart of the historic neighborhood by members of Quetzal and Hidalgo of Los Lobos. It features lyrics, music, memories and reflections by four generations of artists, blending their experiences and perspectives on growing up in East L.A., spanning from the 1930s to today.

George Lipsitz, author and professor in the Department of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, described the project as “beautifully conceived and masterfully executed.” 

The debut performance will showcase the melodic, rhythmic and lyrical brilliance of musicians David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Martha Gonzalez (Quetzal), Juan Perez (Quetzal), Rocio Marron, Sandino Gonzalez-Flores (Quetzal), Ofelia Esparza (NEA National Heritage Fellow), Rosanna Esparza Ahrens (Tonalli Studio), Rene Camacho, and Jose Perez. Together, they will weave a testament to East L.A. through live music, projected images and film. 

Following the concert, USC Vice Provost for the Arts Josh Kun will moderate an intergenerational dialogue with artists, cultural theorists and L.A. historians exploring the sonic landscape and memory work that informed the album. The panel is supported in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with Great Leap Inc. 

The concert is presented by USC Visions and Voices, a university-wide arts and humanities initiative launched in 2006.  

“Memory and Return,” the debut concert and vinyl album release featuring David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and members of Quetzal, will take place Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at Bovard Auditorium on the University of Southern California campus.