These accordions are double-reed, that is, with each note one reed vibrates at standard pitch and the other about one fourth tone sharp. The dissonance produces a vibrato effect that gives the button accordion its unique sweetness and delicacy. Two adjacent buttons played together almost always produce a pleasant third interval, which is the basic harmony of all Mexican singing. No wonder this instrument became popular with the people of the Border!

The piano accordion never equaled the button style in popularity with Norteño musicians, probably because in addition to being four times as expensive, it doesn't have the right kind of vibrato sound and staccato action that characterizes the fast, choppy polka and the more expressive corrido and cancion style playing. The simple, direct action makes the button accordion very responsive to the technique of the player, and this flexibility led to the development of individual styles and eventually stylistic trends in Tex-Mex accordion playing. According to several accordionists, people at dances have even expressed their open dislike towards the piano accordion.

NORTENO ACORDEON

I found the first written report of the accordion being used along the Border in John Peavey's "Echoes from the Rio Grande Valley" (Springman-King, 1963, page 27) where he describes an open-air dance about 1905 where a band consisting of fiddle, accordion, and drum supplied the music. Most people told me that the instrument was brought into the area by German and Bohemian settlers who were also active in the construction of mines and railroads in Northern Mexico. Some of the tunes heard here may also be of central European origin.

THE MUSICIANS

La cascada (Mazurka) (RealAudio file | .wav file) Bruno Villareal: Accordion with bajo sexto and tambora. San Antonio, TX. January 31, 1935 Music excerpt courtesy of Arhoolie Records. ARHOOLIE/FOLKLYRIC LP 9006: Norteño Acordeon Part 1: The First Recordings

Lolo Cavazos, born January 5, 1906 in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, today lives in Alice, Texas, and recalls that accordion music was popular since he was a little boy. He believes Norteño music got started in the Rio Grande Valley. Self-taught, he still plays a two-row instrument and in the 1950s recorded for the Ideal label.

The most important and influential accordionist in the San Antonio area during this period of the first recordings was Santiago Jimenez. Born April 25, 1913 in San Antonio, Santiago was labeled "El Flaco" (the skinny one) on his first records. He started to play accordion about 1923 and learned most of his early tunes from his father, Patricio Jimenez. About 1935 Santiago bought his first two-row accordion at a pawnshop and within a year was broadcasting daily over the radio. Thomas Acuna, music store owner and talent scout, heard these programs and asked Santiago to record. The pay was only $7 per record and no royalties but via his records and radio programs Santiago became more and more popular. During World War II the major record companies stopped recording regional music, giving rise to many small firms in the late '40s. Santiago was one of the first to record for Globe and Imperial and was especially successful with "Viva Seguine" and "La Piedrera" which have become polka standards in South Texas.

La nopalera (Polka) (RealAudio file | .au file) Santiago Jimenez: Accordion; with probably Jesus Via -- bajo; Santiago Morales -- bass. San Antonio, TX. September 1938 Music excerpt courtesy of Arhoolie Records. ARHOOLIE/FOLKLYRIC LP 9006: Norteño Acordeon Part 1: The First Recordings

Santiago used to get his accordions tuned and repaired by the Stark Brothers, both immigrants from Germany during the 1920s. Chris Stark vividly recalls how Mr. Jimenez "was always trying to do something different" and asked that accordions which came from the factory in the key of G or C be put into a lower key like E which Santiago preferred. Today Santiago Jimenez lives in Dallas but still plays from time to time especially when visiting his children, particularly Leonardo, better known as Flaco Jimenez. Son Jimmy (Santiago Jr.) plays very much in his father's tradition and most of the other children play as well. The delightful Jimenez accordion sound will live on, and Flaco's little boy has already mastered "La Piedrera"!

Finally the Father of Norteño music: Narciso Martinez, who was no doubt the most popular accordionist from the 1930s to the '50s. Born October 29, 1911 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Narciso grew up in the Valley and became known as "El Huracan del Valle" once he started to record in 1935. Besides being a superb musician, Narciso emphasized the treble end of the accordion, leaving the bass part to his bajo sexto player. In the 1940s when Ideal Records started, Narciso became their primary artist who not only recorded prolifically on his own but also helped create the Norteño style: two voices backed by accordion. The singers were Carmen and Laura and their records were very popular and influential. Today Narciso still plays for dances and parties and works as an animal keeper at the Brownsville zoo. We hope to release a full album of his early work in the near future.