A combination of button accordion and bajo sexto, conjunto originated in the Texas-Mexico borderlands as a popular dance music and became a powerful form of regional identity. Today, listeners and musicians around the world have embraced the genre and the work of conjunto masters like Flaco Jimenez and Mingo Saldivar. Erin E. Bauer follows conjunto from its local origins through three processes of globalization--migration via media, hybridization, and appropriation--that boosted the music's reach. As Bauer shows, conjunto's encounter with globalizing forces raises fundamental questions. What is conjunto stylistically and socioculturally? Does context change how we categorize it? Do we consider the music to be conjunto based on its musical characteristics or due to its performance by Jimenez and other regional players? How do similar local genres like Tejano and norteno relate to ideas of categorization? A rare look at a fascinating musical phenomenon, Flaco's Legacy reveals how conjunto came to encompass new people, places, and styles.
Erin E. Bauer is chair of the Music Department and an associate professor of musicology at Muskingum University.
Acknowledgements Introduction: The Globalization of Conjunto Part I: The Migration of Conjunto 1. "We love you, Flaco!": Chicken Skin Music, "Mingomania," and the Inter/national Presentation of Conjunto 2. "Ladies and gentlemen, Dodge presents Flaco Jimenez!": Arhoolie Records, KEDA Radio Jalapeno, and the Mediated Dispersal of Conjunto 3. "From Texas to Washington and across to Michigan and Illinois...": Los Cuatro Vientos, Los Texmaniacs, Los Lobos, and the U.S American Spread of Conjunto Part II: The Hybridization of Conjunto 4. "You have to mix it up!": "Seguro Que Hell Yes," the Texas Tornados, Los Super Seven, and the Cultural Hybridity of Flaco Jimenez 5. "I play the jazz accordion!": "Rueda de Fuego (Ring of Fire)," "My Toot Toot," and the Country/Zydeco Influences of Mingo Saldivar and Steve Jordan 6. "It's jealousy...": Eva Ybarra and the Hybrid Offerings of Women in Conjunto Part III: The Appropriation of Conjunto 7. "That's my music!": Kenji Katsube, Dwayne Verheyden, and the Worldwide Participation in Conjunto 8. "!Esto es globalizacion!": Rowwen Heze, the Rolling Stones, and the Commercialized Appropriation of Conjunto Conclusion Notes Discography Works Cited Index
