Apr 23, 2025

Memories in song with Amanda Martinez

The acclaimed musician reflects on her father’s bike journey before her AGO performance on May 2

Amanda Martinez

Image courtesy of Amanda Martinez

In 1952, Arturo and Gustavo Martinez became the first two people to make the 5600 km bicycle trip from Pachuca, Mexico to Toronto. Over 70 years later, the critically acclaimed musician and daughter of Gustavo, Amanda Martinez, celebrated her father’s monumental journey with the release of her fifth studio album – Recuerdo. Citing her father as the person who inspired her to become a musician, Martinez recorded the album in tribute to his life, releasing it in  2024, one year after his passing. On Friday, May 2, Martinez will perform live at the AGO to mark the opening of a new exhibition that shares the name of her beloved album – Recuerdo: Latin American Photography at the AGO.            

Highlighting new acquisitions and unseen works from the AGO’s Photography Collection, this exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Mexico to Argentina, from the 1920s to today. “Recuerdo,” which in Spanish can mean both “memory” and “I remember,” – reflects the exhibition’s display of collective and personal stories, while exploring what it means to consider art of and from Latin America. Juxtaposing photographs from press collections as well as works by artists once known and noted photographers, including Manuel Alvarez Bravo and Tina Modotti, this exhibition is curated by Marina Dumont-Gauthier, Curatorial Assistant at the AGO. 

Before her May 2 performance in the AGO’s Walker Court, Foyer spoke to Martinez about her father’s epic journey, what visitors should expect from her performance, and her thoughts about the album that shares its name with an AGO exhibition.    

Foyer: Your father bicycled from Mexico to Toronto in 1956. Can you tell us the backstory of this journey? 

Martinez: My father, Gustavo Martinez, and his brother, Arturo Martinez, cycled from Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico to Toronto, Canada in 1956. The idea came from a French man who had visited their town and gathered a group of youth to prepare for a cycling journey. When the group eventually disbanded, the two brothers still felt determined to go. With their mother’s blessing and $100 collected from friends and family, they set off on their own and completed the journey in 83 days. 

Your album Recuerdo came out in 2024. What makes it distinct within your body of work, and what are some of your favourite things about it? 

Recuerdo is the album I created in honour of my father, who passed away the year before it was released. He was a huge influence on my music and the person who gave me my love for it. 

The album was produced by my longtime guitarist, Kevin Laliberté, and my husband, Drew Birston, who plays bass. On this album, Drew also plays his father’s accordion — an instrument we found tucked away in our basement — and it’s one of my favourite sounds on the track “Sol de Ayer.” 

The album features my longtime band members Kevin and Drew, Rosendo "Chendy" Leon (percussion), Alexander Brown (percussion), Osvaldo Rodriguez (violin) as well as special collaborators. Aviva Chernick, who sings in Hebrew and co-wrote “No te Vayas” with me in honour of our fathers, both of whom were nearing the end of their lives when we wrote it. Donné Roberts, who co-wrote the uplifting “Ya Viene el Sol.” Waleed Abdulhamid, who co-composed the music for “Todavía.” ("Still") I wrote the lyrics based on something my father says in Ciclo when asked, “Are there still things you want to do in this life?”  

The album is quite eclectic in its instrumentation; with many little sonic details we added. Chendy even included the sound of a bicycle bell at the end of “A la Edad de Cuatro,” a song based on the poem “ When I Was Four” by my late friend Arshia Tabrizi. Kevin used a vintage vocal effect on the opening song, adding another layer of nostalgia. 

What I love most about Recuerdo is that even though it’s a love letter and a goodbye to my father, it feels full of hope. It reflects on life not just with nostalgia but with anticipation for what’s to come. I feel my father with me in all I do — his zest for life continues to fuel me. He used to say, “Don’t wait. Time goes by faster than you think.” He was never in a rush, yet made the most of every day. 

Can you share some details about your AGO performance on May 2? What will the stage setup be? Will you play a collection of songs or focus on Recuerdo? 

Our show on May 2 will feature my core rhythm section Drew, Kevin, and Chendy with Rebecca Henessy on trumpet, Chris Church on violin and some surprise guests joining us as well. We’ll be performing songs from Recuerdo, along with favourites from my previous albums — especially the songs my father loved most. 

I’m especially thrilled to have my whole family in the audience. This performance is part of a very special exhibition: the AGO’s first-ever Latin American photography exhibition from their collection. My parents used to take us to the AGO when we were kids, and now I love taking my own children there. It feels full circle — to share this music, in this space, for this occasion.  

Amanda Martinez has sold out Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, Toronto’s Koerner Hall, and Winter Garden Theatres. She has performed internationally, including at the Dubai International Jazz Festival (with Jesse Cook), the 2010 FIFA World Cup festivities in South Africa, the Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, and New York City’s esteemed Blue Note Jazz Club. Named Best World Music Artist by the Toronto Independent Music Awards and Composer of the Year by the Latin Awards Canada, as well as receiving multiple nominations at the National Jazz Awards and Canadian Folk Music Awards, Martinez has also composed songs for the  PBS animated preschool children’s comedy Rosie’s Rules. Amanda also works as an actress in film and television straddling both comedy and drama. 

 

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