Conjunto Los Pochos will be sharing their “relentlessly festive” music with us at a fundraiser for FolkWorks on October 3, 2004. They’ll be playing music from their new CD Margie’s, which is a lot of foot tap- ping fun, with Spanish and English lyrics about life, love and loss. Conjunto Los Pochos was formed in Los Angeles by Otoño Lujan (button accordion) and Elliott Baribeault (bajo sexto). In 1999 Ernesto Molina came on board on bass and Lorenzo Martinez has joined them on drums for Margie’s. The album features original tunes and standards of conjunto, as well as their version of I Fall to Pieces. Margie’s offers a variety of rhythms, demonstrating the ability of conjunto music to incorporate aspects of other musical genres and create something new. This ability to imitate, innovate and invent new sounds is at the roots of conjunto.

A Little History

Conjunto is often called norteño, referring to its creation in Northern Mexico and Texas (which, of course, was also Northern Mexico at one time).But to Tejanos it’s known as conjunto, meaning group. This name may have been given as way to distinguish the small groups that played working class dances from the orquestas tipicas that would perform at more upper class affairs. The working class roots of the music are an important part of the story.

In the years following independence, the elite of Latin American nations looked towards Europe as a cultural model, often at the expense of native folk cultures within their own nations. For music and dance this meant that by the late 19th century European dance styles and music were the norm at social gatherings of the privileged classes. Mexico was no exception to this imitation, with European dance styles enjoying popularity among the elite. These styles filtered down to the working and peasant classes in part because the musicians who played at the upper- class parties would learn the styles and innovate on them for their own communities’ social functions. In the case of the frontera region (Texas and Northern Mexico), European dances like the waltz, schottische, polka, quadrille and mazurka were especially popular because of the presence of a large number of German, Bohemian and Polish immigrants. Monterey, Mexico was the industrial capital of Northern Mexico and drew a number of immigrants to work as engineers in factories, mining, and as brew-masters in the beer industry. On the other side of the border, towns like Fredericksburg and New Braunfels made-up what was called the German Belt. German immigrants settled in these towns as well as San Antonio, working on railroad construction and in the fields. Germans were at one time the largest European ethnic population in Texas.

In addition to the genres imported from Europe, the other major contribution from German immigrants to conjunto was the button accordion, the principle instrument of the genre. The accordion could be adapted to any of the popular dance styles of the time, it was easily portable, and one musician could play a gig with- out accompaniment (or having to split the tips!). By the 1920’s the accordion was the standard instrument for what author Manuel Pena calls pre-conjunto music (solo accordion playing dance styles – no group, no conjunto). It was also during the 1920s and into the 1930s that record labels like RCA, Decca and Columbia sent some of their subsidiary labels into the Southwest U.S. They recorded a lot of the regional styles, including solo accordion, corridos and blues. These labels had success recording regionally known African American musicians and selling the records outside the musician’s region. A company would set-up a recording studio in a hotel room or store front, record local talent for $15-20 flat rate and move-on. How much money did the record labels make with these race records? Enough that they expanded into the Southwest and started recording Chicano artists for the same flat fee – no royalties! Although the artists made some money and perhaps received few more gigs, none of them ever reached star status during this time, and many top musicians still had to hold down day jobs to make ends meet.

Narcisso Martinez is considered the father of conjunto. In 1935 he teamed-up with Santiago Almeida who played the bajo sexto, a twelve string guitar which is tuned one octave lower than the standard twelve string. This combination allowed Martinez on button accordion to play more freely on melodies and improvisations, the bajo sexto held down the accompaniment. This was the beginning of conjunto, when the virtuosity of the button accordion player could really come-out, while a danceable rhythm was maintained. Although he and Almeida recorded, their living and music was tied to playing dances. Bailes decentes (decent dances like weddings), bailes de regalo (gift giving celebrations like anniversaries) were popular. Bailes de negocio (literally meaning a business transaction dance) were another way Martinez and his contemporaries made a living in the early days of conjunto. These events were taxi dances, in which men paid to dance with women. Although not always the case, it is generally accepted that often more than dancing for money went on. Just like tango and jazz, conjunto has its folk roots as well as a seedier–side to its history.

Conjunto musicians typically followed the paths of migrant workers, playing for whatever dances would come-up during the seasons. Concert hall performances were not part of con- junto’s roots. And although conjunto concerts and festivals are held today, its roots were in small venues for people who were looking for fun and relief – for celebration – to contrast the hard life that was the reality for working-class Mexicans in the frontera region.

With the onset of World War II and the limitations on recording this brought, the major labels pulled out of the conjunto recording mar- ket. But the demand was still there and growing. As Tejanos and Mexicanos found more employment with the end of the Depression, there was more money in the hands of conjunto fans than ever before. Enter Armando Marroquin and Arnaldo Ramirez. Marroquin founded IDEAL records and Ramirez founded Falcon records. They were the first Mexican–Americans to record and distribute conjunto music. Their enterprises were successful in the U.S. and Mexico with Falcon records becoming the domi- nant label in conjunto music in the 1960’s. Arnaldo Ramirez even created a syndicated tele- vision program called Fanfarria Falcon. This show was shown in 244 cities across the U.S. as well as in Mexico and Central America.

In the 1940s Valerio Longoria added vocals to conjunto and slowed the tempo, making dancing more accessible to a wider audience and setting the standard for the modern conjunto style. Lyrics also meant that conjunto players could adapt other styles of music such as rancheras (music from Mexican musical films) and corridos (ballads) to their repertoire. Lyrics also made conjunto an important vehicle in telling the stories of working-class Mexicans and Chicanos in the Southwest. With the advent of Rock and Roll in the 1950s conjunto again innovated. Tony De La Rosa brought the electric bass and drum set into conjunto, which is now the standard instrumentation for the genre.

So if you want to hear both traditional and innovative conjunto, pick-up Conjunto Los Pochos’ Margie’s and check-out the show and their website. www.lospochos.com. To learn more about conjunto check-out Manuel Peña’s The Texas Mexican Conjunto: History of a Working-Class Music or pbs.org/accordion dreams.

[Conjunto Los Pochos will be performing Sunday, October 3, 2004. See page 3 for details]

Enrico Del Zotto is an educator and musician who lives in Fullerton. He recently completed his M.A. in Music and Culture at San Francisco State University.