The accordion enjoying of Flaco Jimenez, seen right here performing through the 2014 Americana Music Affiliation Honors and Awards Present on the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., got here to outline contujo and Tejano music of South Texas over a profession that spanned greater than 70 years.
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Rick Diamond/Getty Pictures
The grasp of the Tex-Mex accordion Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez, whose tradition-drenched sound got here to outline conjunto or Tejano music of South Texas, has died. All through a profession that spanned greater than 70 years, he carried that sound to a global viewers by way of his work with megastars throughout genres. He was 86 years outdated.
An announcement posted by his household on Jimenez’s official Fb web page didn’t present a explanation for demise.
“It’s with nice unhappiness that we share tonight the lack of our father, Flaco Jimenez,” the assertion reads. “He was surrounded by his family members and shall be missed immensely. Thanks to all of his followers and pals — those that cherished his music. And a giant thanks for all the reminiscences. His legacy will stay on by way of his music and all of his followers. The household requests privateness throughout this time of unhappiness and grievance.”
There’s a scene within the legendary 1976 documentary, Chulas Fronteras, the place Flaco is enjoying at a dancehall in South Texas. He is sporting a elaborate cowboy shirt. He is dripping sweat. His gold enamel are flashing. He grins ecstatically whereas Mexican-American {couples} swirl throughout the dance flooring. The fingers on proper hand fly throughout his Hohner button accordion as he sings of the trickster gringo who stole his lady away.
At this second within the mid-’70s, Flaco was largely unknown exterior of Spanish-speaking Texas, nonetheless undiscovered by the anglo music world. He would go on to collaborate with Ry Cooder, Dr. John, the Texas Tornados and Carlos Santana, and win a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
However the important Flaco — his nickname means skinny — by no means misplaced his roots within the wealthy musical traditions of Mexican Texas.
He picked up the accordion from his father, Santiago Jimenez Sr., one of many pioneers of conjunto. Don Santiago was influenced by the exuberant polkas performed by German and Czech oom-pah dance bands in South and Central Texas.
“He (my dad) favored it that a lot that he acquired maintain of a one-row accordion by some means and began studying the way to copy the German polkas,” Flaco informed NPR in 2003. “Then he began enjoying across the neighborhood the place he lived, simply native home dances.”
Flaco’s brother, Santiago Jr., is additionally an accordion virtuoso who realized from their father. His appreciable expertise have been overshadowed by his famous person brother. However Flaco mentioned he and his brother acquired no formal instruction. In 2014, Flaco informed NPR’s Scott Simon that he taught himself with out his father’s permission.
“I needed to seize the accordion as a result of dad remains to be at work. He got here dwelling early. Unexpectedly he simply opens the door and I mentioned, ‘Oh man, I will get it,’ ” Flaco recalled. However as an alternative of being mad, his father was happy. “The very first thing he did, he went straight to me, he gave me a giant, large hug after which began crying. See, he was so pleased with my self-taught enjoying.”
Flaco Jimenez grew to become the A-list Tex-Mex accordionist for any artist who needed that west-side San Antonio baile really feel of their tune. From the late ’80s by way of the ’90s, he was popping up all over the place, recording with artists as assorted as Bob Dylan, Dwight Yoakum, and the Rolling Stones.
“Flaco Jimenez introduced that Tex-Mex, Mexican-American really feel to the blues, to rock, to nation,” mentioned Josh Baca, one other San Antonio accordionist and protégé of Flaco’s, who performs with Los Texmaniacs.
Throughout his lengthy life, Flaco influenced a era of gifted younger accordion gamers with the music that he all the time described as alegre, completely happy. “If you would activate the radio, you recognize, oh man, that is Flaco!” Baca mentioned, “You understand it is him enjoying the accordion. Flaco has all the time stayed true to his sound and to what he performs.”
He additionally stayed true to his hometown of San Antonio, the undisputed conjunto capital.
“In San Antonio, he’s beloved and he was the best ambassador of conjunto music worldwide,” mentioned Hector Saldaña, Texas music curator on the Wittliff Collections at Texas State College. “Only recently I used to be speaking with some guests from Germany they usually have been asking questions on Flaco Jimenez.”
Saldana has written that Flaco Jimenez was to San Antonio what Louis Armstrong was to New Orleans.
