LOS FRIJOLES ROMANTICOS

My son came down to the valley last Nov. with Joe King. Joe is a wonderful

Texas Slide Blues player, who grew-up in Edcouch. Of course, he knows

everyone in town, and he knows the Frijoles Romanticos (romantic beans) who

are the top Conjunto band in the area. They played a wedding last night,

and we were invited honored "guests of the band" -- musicians from del

Norte, and we were treated very nicely.

There were probably 800 people at the wedding! The bride was beautiful, in

a white strapless floor-length dress; the groom wore a black western tuxedo,

with white shirt & yellow-dotted (power) tie and a big black Garth

Brooks -style western hat. The grooms men were similarly attired. Brides

maids wore dark plum, shorter dresses. The parents and grandparents of the

bride and groom were tuxedoed, presented and honored.

The Frijoles started with a slow dance, and then played a very prolonged

version of Errol Garner's "Misty" while everyone was presented and honored.

Then they went into their regular repertoire. Conjunto music is an

adaptation of music brought over by Germans in the middle of the 19th

century. In the valley, it has been seriously colored by the addition of

Country and Western licks, instrumentation, and lyrics. Many of the lyrics,

sung in Espanol, tell of the conflicts Mexican-Americans have had with

Gringo authorities. "They sold me a car, but I couldn't get a driver's

license" laments one song. Unlike many Texas blacks, who seem to harbor a

smoldering resentment which evidences itself in sullen glares, the Conjunto

folks are cheerful and glad to be Americans. "Have you ever hung out with

beaners, before," they asked me. Well, yes, I did, in Tombstone, AZ, but

whites were a minority, and in 1952, the Chicanos weren't too friendly.

(They weren't called chicanos, of course, in 1952.) That was endurable --

this is wonderful; a place full of new friends, much like Belize.

At any rate, the Frijoles are really comfortable with themselves and their

music. Conjunto is characterized by two essential instruments.

+ Button accordion: Now usually with 3 rows of buttons, organized to play

in three related keys, like Eb, Ab, & Bb, or C, F, & G.

+ Bajo Sexto (espanol for "Deep Six") a 12-string guitar about 1/4 larger

than a regular guitar. Practically all new Bajos have a Florentine cutaway,

and a smaller sound hole. The back is FLAT -- not rounded like a guitaron,

and they are now all electrified, and played through a good bass amplifier.

The strings are arranged in pairs, with the lower four pairs in octaves, and

the upper two pairs in unison. The high strings are tuned like a 6-string

bass guitar, so the tuning is in fourths: from bottom to top: EADGCF, an

octave lower than guitar. The high two strings are used to play chords in a

bass-chord pattern, so that the Bajo really sounds like a bass and a guitar

playing together.

The most readily available Conjunto music has come from “The Texas

Tornados” -- a band which Freddy Fender formed when he went back to his

roots. Their accordionista is FLACO JEMINEZ, the most famous of all

Conjunto players. Not necessarily the best, as my son found out when he

delved into the music. But PBS has made a couple of documentaries on

Conjunto and Flaco is very prominent. Other prominent players, if you’re

buying CD’s: Tony DeLaRosa, and Narciso Martinez.

The Frijoles have eight players, four of which are primarily percussion, but

most of the players play something else from time to time. The principle

players:

Epi -- A wonderful bajo player. He can play bass-chord magically, but often

backs off on the bass notes because the bass player is so strong.

Lucky Joe -- The usual accordionista, a supremely accomplished player who

can play solid background when he sings, or dazzling instrumental choruses

when he solos.

Noel -- The usual bassist, who plays LOUD and flawlessly, providing a

remarkable base for the rest of the band.

Tutti -- The set drummer, who plays solid rhythm, but can add wonderful

timbales-sounding flourishes when only four players are playing.

Many of their original songs have two or three part harmony. They are very

popular, have 1 CD out, and were nominated for a Grammy last year (Best

Tejano Album).

My son Tim, and his friend Kimmet Stone (bassist with “The Rippingtons”) are

studying this music very seriously, and trading licks with the Frijoles

whenever they can. This afternoon we are going to a barbeque, where I will

get a chance to sit in and play a little jazz guitar, and maybe some

Dixieland banjo. (!!!)

The wedding turned out to be a crash course in great sound systems. The

Frijoles rented a sound system for this job, and I spent a lot of time

talking to him because the sound was so great. Here's what he had.

+ 4 Yamaha C115V; used basically as mid/high range

+ 4 Custom-made Bass Cabinets, each containing 4 18" Eminence Speakers. I

think these were just sub-woofer speakers, but they might have been

wide-range.

He drove the 4 Yamahas biamped with a 3400 Watt QHS Power amp, running mono

(not stereo, altho the setup up had two stacks)

He drove each (right and left) pair of sub-woofers with a 3400 watt QHS

power amp.

THE SOUND WAS FANTASTIC!! It was incredibly loud, without any distortion or

muddiness. You could hear each instrument distinctly from the back of the

room, which was 100 yards away!

Most Belizean bands play well but sound terrible. Their sound is very loud

(OK) and muddy (not OK) with a bass that is simply a THUD, THUD, THUD that

envelops all the midrange in the mix. I know how to correct this, but I

will spare you the details. But now, I do know how to improve the sound of

any Belizean band drastically without spending a lot of money!! (I may go

into the business of making and fixing speaker cabinets.)

A CONJUNTO BARBEQUE

Sunday afternoon we went to a barbeque, held at Noel's place. (It belongs

to his uncle.) They were burning mesquite into coals, and ultimately cooked

steak, chicken, and sausage. There was a mob of kids and women who milled

around, kids playing on a playground set, chasing dogs and other kid stuff,

ate a big meal in the house and left. Outside, we ate beef and chicken soft

tacos -- Belize-style -- with a wonderful salsa to die for.

About four, Tim got out his piano accordion and played a couple of German

polkas. In the door to the barn, Joe King set up a little PA, the Frijoles

set up a drum set, timbales, and Congas, and brought out a big Fender

Twin-Reverb with two 15" speakers (the perfect amp for bajo.) Tim & I

played a little C&W -- Zydeco, really -- and he and Kim played a couple of

traditional Conjunto tunes. Gradually, some older men had showed up,

fathers of the Frijoles, and, almost bashfully, they began to take turns

playing THEIR music on the button. Some of the Frijoles took turns playing

bajo, electric bass and drums. THE MUSIC WAS WONDERFUL!!! These men were

"the elders of the tribe" -- honored because they have nurtured and

developed this totally new strain of folk music. And I was in their midst!

For a year, Tim has been playing these CDs, day and night, and practicing

along with them. Sometimes I played along -- sometimes he and I (playing

the bajo part on the guitar) played on our own. Occasionally we have done a

short set of Conjunto music at a jam session or Sunday gig. So, I know the

music pretty well, and I've learned to love it. But this was different.

The players set up in a circle outside the barn door, and played a little

bit acoustically. And then, with long cords, the bajo, & bass chimed in. I

stood in the door, surrounded by amplifiers, and _lived_ this music for the

next four hours! The bajo, played thru a good amp, is wonderfully rich and

deep, and the sound with the accordion is simply thrilling. Of course, it's

danceable (the wedding party the night before were all enthusiastic dancers)

but this was "a guy thing" until about 8 O'clock when a couple of

good-looking young school-marms showed up and added to the appreciation.

(Epi said they were regulars, called "The Faculty.") I played banjo on some

Polkas. Joe King played a set of Texas slide blues, and then we played a

little jazz, with me chiming on my new little red Stratocaster. Bed time.

I slept like a baby, dreaming of bajos & buttons.

RZ

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