“Flaco’s Legacy: The Globalization of Conjunto” (University of Illinois Press) by Erin E. Bauer explores the global expansion of conjunto, a regional music genre originating from the Texas-Mexico borderlands. Combining button accordion and bajo sexto, conjunto initially gained popularity as dance music and developed into a significant form of regional identity. In the present day, the genre has been embraced by listeners and musicians worldwide, with artists like Flaco Jiménez and Mingo Saldívar being recognized as conjunto masters.
The book examines conjunto’s journey from its local roots and explores three processes of globalization that contributed to its broader reach: migration through media, hybridization, and appropriation. Through these encounters with globalizing forces, fundamental questions about conjunto arise. How should conjunto be defined stylistically and socioculturally? Does the context in which it is performed affect how we categorize it? Is the music considered conjunto based on its musical characteristics, or because of its association with regional players like Jiménez? Furthermore, the book explores the relationship between conjunto and other similar local genres such as Tejano and norteño, and how they contribute to the categorization of these musical styles.
The publication received funding from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, the AMS 75 PAYS Fund of the American Musicological Society (supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation).
Buy Flaco’s Legacy: The Globalization of Conjunto.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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