Polka-Dotted Dance Music

A little bit German, a little bit Spanish, with some American qualities thrown in, San Antonio’s homegrown music is a melting pot of sounds.

The accordionist pumps his glittering instrument’s pleated bellows with Popeye-sized arms, bringing the bouncy polka notes to life — and the crowd to its feet. The female singer croons a corrido (a Spanish ballad), while the man playing the bajo sexto effortlessly moves his fingers over the bass guitar’s 12 strings. The sounds can be described as the Spanish version of country-western music. It’s called conjunto — and it was born in San Antonio and South Texas.

According to Juan Tejada, an accordionist and founder of San Antonio’s Tejano Conjunto Festival, “This unique American music began with the meeting of German and Mexican cultures in San Antonio and South Texas in the 19th century.” German settlers brought the accordion, along with polka and waltz rhythms, while MexicanAmericans and immigrants contributed the rich musical traditions of their homeland, from romantic boleros (which actually came from Cuba originally) to gutsy rancheras.

This collision of cultures gave birth to genres grouped under the umbrella of Tejano music; the accordion-based conjunto became the everyday music of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in Texas. Another off shoot was synthesizer-based pop, sung by the likes of Selena, the “Queen of Tejano.”

In the 1920s, conjunto — Spanish for group or ensemble — really took off in San Antonio. The bajo sexto’s most famous maker, Don Martin Macías, was a local, opening a shop in 1925. Today, his family carries on the tradition, producing the Stradivarius of the Spanish guitar. And the first recordings were made in Alamo City in the late '20s, when it was popularized on the radio.

As is always the case with music, the genre has evolved, influenced by everything from rock to blues. Alamo City locals Mingo Saldivar recorded a popular bilingual version of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” and in the film Crazy Heart, Texas accordionist Joel Guzman appears with a country band. This year’s Tejano Conjunto Festival features musicians from Amsterdam and Japan — leaving no doubt that conjunto has come a long way.

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CRAVING CONJUNTO?

Here’s where to hear it this month.

Corazón de San Antonio Fiesta
April 9
The Main Plaza Conservancy’s annual fiesta features a number of conjunto groups as well as the presentation of “The Heart of San Antonio” cultural award. www.mainplaza.org

Cattleman's Tejano Explosion
April 7-17
As its name implies, this event is bursting with Tejano music of all kinds, from conjunto to cumbias to boleros. Cattleman’s Square; www.tejanoexplosion2011.com

Fiesta de Los Reyes
April 8-17
Held in historic Market Square, this free fiesta has multiple stages of conjunto music along with Latin jazz and countrywestern. 514 West Commerce St; www.reyfeoconsejo.org

Tejano Conjunto Festival
May 10-15
Hosted by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, this 30th annual festival brings musicians from all over the world (as well as many from Texas) to Rosedale Park and Guadalupe Theater. www.guadalupe-culturalarts.org