John Dyer
David Lee Garza, 1997
Digital Chromogenic Print
Courtesy of John Dyer
John Dyer
Flaco Jiménez, 1992
Digital Chromogenic Print
Courtesy of John Dyer
John Dyer
Mingo Saldívar, 1999
Digital Chromogenic Print
Courtesy of John Dyer
The Museo Alameda’s exhibition Conjunto presents a journey through the world of conjunto music. This exhibition offers an interpretive approach to a body of photographic portraits by John Dyer documenting conjunto musicians. The exhibition also showcases over 50 objects from some of the most important conjunto musicians of all time.
In English, the Spanish word conjunto literally means “ensemble,” or “group.” For many Mexican peoples living in South Texas and other regions of the United States, however, Conjunto refers to a specific Texas Mexican musical group, and style of music, whose principal instrument is the button accordion.
The mexicanos living in South Texas and Northern Mexico adopted the button accordion from the German settlers during the late 1800s and began playing the lively and danceable polkas, waltzes, schottishes, redowas, and mazurkas.
After the turn of the century, the accordion was paired up with the Spanish/Mexican bajo sexto (a twelve-string bass rhythm guitar), and the creation of a new, original, American musical ensemble and style of music was in the making. Conjunto fuses the German and the Mexican, accordion and bajo sexto, polkas and huapangos, the Old World with the New World.
The modern, standard, traditional four-piece Conjunto ensemble consists of the button accordion, bajo sexto (sometimes guitar), bass and drums. Progressive Conjuntos sometimes add keyboards, saxophone(s), percussion, or other instruments.
The early Conjunto repertoire was composed of primarily European instrumental pieces such as polkas, waltzes and schottishes. But as the genre evolved, Mexican huapangos, canciones and corridos were added to the mix. And because Conjunto is American-made music, other national and international musical influences were integrated including the Colombian cumbia, Cuban bolero, Dominican merengue, as well as country music, blues, rock, rhythm-n-blues, rap, jazz, and salsa. Conjunto music is all of this and more: a unique musical mestizaje (mixture.)
In English, the Spanish word conjunto literally means “ensemble,” or “group.” For many Mexican peoples living in South Texas and other regions of the United States, however, Conjunto refers to a specific Texas Mexican musical group, and style of music, whose principal instrument is the button accordion.
The mexicanos living in South Texas and Northern Mexico adopted the button accordion from the German settlers during the late 1800s and began playing the lively and danceable polkas, waltzes, schottishes, redowas, and mazurkas.
After the turn of the century, the accordion was paired up with the Spanish/Mexican bajo sexto (a twelve-string bass rhythm guitar), and the creation of a new, original, American musical ensemble and style of music was in the making. Conjunto fuses the German and the Mexican, accordion and bajo sexto, polkas and huapangos, the Old World with the New World.
The modern, standard, traditional four-piece Conjunto ensemble consists of the button accordion, bajo sexto (sometimes guitar), bass and drums. Progressive Conjuntos sometimes add keyboards, saxophone(s), percussion, or other instruments.
The early Conjunto repertoire was composed of primarily European instrumental pieces such as polkas, waltzes and schottishes. But as the genre evolved, Mexican huapangos, canciones and corridos were added to the mix. And because Conjunto is American-made music, other national and international musical influences were integrated including the Colombian cumbia, Cuban bolero, Dominican merengue, as well as country music, blues, rock, rhythm-n-blues, rap, jazz, and salsa. Conjunto music is all of this and more: a unique musical mestizaje (mixture.)