Our own tunes

Tonight’s Conjunto of the Year Awards, which will be held in Mercedes, remind us of the music that is largely associated with South Texas traditions. Indeed, like the region it largely represents, the music is an amalgam of diverse elements that have combined to form a unique art form that is distinctly our own.

That’s something worth considering, even as border residents hear many of their fellow Americans — including some in Congress and other chambers of government — tell them that they’re not wanted, even though many of them have lived in the same region since before the Mayflower ever set sail from England.

The border region, which includes the Rio Grande Valley, is predominantly Hispanic, to be sure. But its history, rich with military campaigns and trade on and across the Rio Grande, has brought people from all over the world. Like the rest of the United States, this region has been enriched by the influences of the many distinct residents and visitors who have come our way. Those influenced have permeated our own native culture, turning it into something that is new and distinct, while remaining markedly our own.

Nowhere is that cultural mixture more evident than in the Conjunto music we celebrate today. It shows evidence of its roots in traditional Mexican and American genres, and of the German, Czech and Caribbean people who also have settled in South Texas and Northern Mexico.

combined his accordion playing with a rhythm-harmony supplied by the bajo quinto and bajo sexto that were popular in Southern Mexico. Martinez freely adapted traditional songs, and even modern tunes, to his accordion style that was heavily influenced by polkas and other dance rhythms that were popular in Germany and other European countries.

German polkas, schottisches from France and Italy and stylized cumbias that originated in Afro-Caribbean cultures remain popular conjunto beats.

And while the influences are global, they were combined to form a style of music that was unique to this region.

The growth of conjunto music was hardly an accident. In addition to the popularity of the music at local dances, it was marketed heavily by local record companies like Rio Grande Music in San Benito and Falcon Records that stamped out records by Martinez, Paulino Bernal and Freddy Fender.

In turn, the style has influenced artists who predominantly play other styles of music, such as folk singer Tish Hinojosa, country artist Dwight Yoakam and rocker Ry Cooder.

Today, the conjunto torch is carried on by Flaco Jimenez, Lazaro Perez, Ricardo Guzman and many others. And even as some people celebrate the conjunto tradition, the music continues to evolve as new artists with new ideas embrace the style.

Like the South Texas region where it has flourished, conjunto music is both traditional and dynamic. And it promises to remain so for a long time to come.

It’s clear proof that embracing other cultures, rather than resisting them, can create something beautiful.