How has Mexican music in Los Angeles served as more than just entertainment, acting instead as a vital tool for community survival and social change across generations?
In Puentes Sonoros (Sonic Bridges), distinguished scholar George Lipsitz explores how music has functioned as a primary register of the demographic and political shifts affecting Mexican-origin communities since the 1960s. Through a series of compelling case studies, George traces the evolution of three distinct musical movements: the emergence of Chicano rock as a defiance against commercial fragmentation, the rise of Banda as a shield against the labor exploitation of the 1990s, and the contemporary growth of FandangObon. By analyzing these "sonic bridges," George reveals a hidden history of Los Angeles, demonstrating how convivial co-creation and performance call new communities into being and transform expressive culture into a powerful social force.
This book is a must-read for scholars of Ethnomusicology and Chicano/a Studies, as well as urban historians interested in the social fabric of Los Angeles. It will also deeply resonate with community organizers and musicians who view art as a form of resistance and solidarity.