Accordion-player, singer, composer and champion of old-style conjunto music, Santiago Jiménez, Jr. is one of the major figures in Tex-Mex border music. He comes from an eminent family in the conjunto world. His father was the legendary composer and accordionist Don Santiago Jiménez who helped establish the conjunto tradition. His brother, Flaco Jiménez, modernized the form and used it as the foundation of his crossover musical success by adding jazz, rock and rhythm-and-blues influences. Preserving the tradition of his father and keeping it alive and vibrant for today’s listeners, Santiago Jiménez, Jr. will present the An Evening of Tex-Mex Conjunto Music on Monday, November 6 at 8 p.m. in UCSB Campbell Hall. Jiménez will be introduced by and accompanied on bajo sexto by Professor José Reyna. Frank Cavazos will play drums and Ray Bolaños will perform on the bass. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

A three-time Grammy nominee, Jiménez has dedicated himself to preserving his father’s style and memory and has recorded songs made popular by his father found only on 78rpm records. He uses the traditional two-row button accordion like his father, the bajo sexto, and toloche or upright bass. He has also recently performed rancheras and polkas on a one-row button accordion like his grandfather Patricio Jiménez. Most artists today play a three-row button version of the instrument.

Jiménez describes the conjunto sound as a curious blend of the old world and the new. The accordion, invented in Vienna in 1829, was brought to Texas by German and Czech settlers, who played polkas, mazurkas, schottisches and waltzes. The bajo sexto, a guitar-like instrument invented in Texas, became the distinctive voice of conjunto. The lyrics, in Spanish, are lively and direct and deal with real-life situations, like work, love and dance. Considered more than a revivalist, Jiménez provides a sharp reminder of a time when the Mexican American people of South Texas were making their presence known amid social oppression, forced assimilation and economic difficulty. The music represents the experience of a people and is celebrated for having helped shape a culture that remains strong in its identity and social presence.

Santiago Jiménez, Jr. began his career as an accordionist at age 13, forming his first conjunto in 1957. He was just 17 when Discos Lira released his first single, “El Principe de la Acordeon.” His earliest recordings were on local labels—Lira, Magda, Discos Grande and Corona. He recorded his first full-length album at age 17 with Flaco.

Now with more than 150 singles and 20 albums, he continues recording with astounding regularity. In January 1990, he established his own San Antonio-based record label, Chief Records. Chief’s first three releases were Que Bonito Cuerpo Tiene, Santiago Jiménez: Polkas, Redovas, Schotis Alegres and El Huerfanito. A tribute album to his father, Canciones de Mi Padre, was released by Watermelon in 1994. It was followed in 1995 by a traditional collection, Musica de Tiempos Pasados, del Presente, y Futuro, also on Watermelon. Other recent recordings have been issued by Arhoolie and Rounder Records.

Jiménez has toured the United States and in Europe, Asia and Russia. In addition to his enthusiastic fans of conjunto music, he also has a cult following in folk music circles that has resulted in his appearing at festivals throughout the United States. He has been featured on the PBS program Austin City Limits.

José Reyna is a Spanish professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Cal State Bakersfield. He regularly writes liner notes for recordings of Tex-Mex music and is the author of numerous books including Cancionero Mexicano: Canciones, Corridos, Boleros del Recuerdo, published in 1996.

This event is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and the Department of Chicano Studies as part of the lecture series Visions from the Heart.

For more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
Roman Baratiak at (805) 893-2080.