Quetzal

Based in Los Angeles, the Mexican-American ensemble Quetzal merges rock, soul, jazz, and folk with an array of Latin elements drawn from Mexican, Cuban, Spanish, and South American traditions. The group avoids specializing in mariachi, ranchero, or Tejano despite those genres' popularity among Mexican-Americans, although traditional Mexican folk has shaped its sound. Bilingual lyrics in English and Spanish suit the band's recognition of multiple cultures. Quetzal Flores, the guitarist and leader who values stylistic variety, assembled the outfit in 1994 so that its music would mirror his own breadth. Additional personnel have featured lead singer and percussionist Martha Gonzales along with singer Gabriel Gonzales, guitarist Ray Sandoval, bassist Dante Pascuzzo, percussionist Edson Gianesi, drummer and percussionist Kiko Cornejo, and violinists Rocio Marron and Yunior Terry. The Son del Barrio label issued the self-titled debut in 1998, produced by Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila, and the follow-up Where Eternities Meet came next. Quetzal joined Vanguard in 2001, cut the third album Sing the Real, and saw its March 2002 release; Steve Berlin then produced Worksongs, which surfaced the following year in 2003, before Die Cowboy Die arrived in 2006. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings put out Imaginaries in 2012.