Accordion Master Flaco Jimenez has died at 86: NPR

The master of the Tex-Mex Akcordeon Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez, whose traditional tone was defined Conjunto or Tejano Music from South Texas died. During a career that crossed for more than 70 years, he carried this sound through his work with megastars throughout Genres to an international audience. He was 86 years old.

An explanation of his family about Jimenez's Official Facebook page offered no cause of death.

“We share the loss of our father Flaco Jimenez with great sadness tonight,” says the explanation. “He was surrounded by his loved ones and will be missing immensely. Many thanks to all of his fans and friends – those who appreciated his music. And a big thank you for all the memories.

There is a scene in the legendary documentary from 1976, Chulas Fronteras, Where Flaco plays in a dancehall in south -wing. He wears a chic cowboy shirt. He drips sweat. His golden teeth flash. He grins ecstatically, while Mexican-American couples swirl across the dance floor. The fingers on his right hand fly over his Hohner button accordion when he sings the trickster Gringo, who stole his girl away.

At this moment in the mid-1970s, Flaco was largely unknown outside of Spanish-speaking Texas and was still undetected by the Anglo music world. He worked with Ry Cooder, Dr. John, Texas Tornados and Carlos Santana together and win a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

But the essentials Flaco – his nickname means slim – never lost its roots in the rich musical traditions of Mexican Texas.

He took off the accordion from his father Santiago Jimenez Sr., one of the conjunto pioneers. Don Santiago was influenced by the exuberant polkas by German and Czech OOM PAH dance bands in southern and central texas.

“He (my father) liked it so much that he somehow had a one-in-line accordion and began to learn how to copy the German polkas,” Flaco said in 2003 to NPR.

Flaco's brother Santiago Jr. is Also a accordion virtuoso who learned from her father. His considerable skills were overshadowed by his superstar brother. But Flaco said he and his brother had not received any formal instructions. In 2014, Flaco from Scott Simon from NPR said that he taught himself without his father's permission.

“I wanted to grab the accordion because dad was still at work. He came home early. Suddenly he just opens the door and I said: 'Oh man, I'll get it,'” recalled Flaco. But instead of being crazy, his father was pleased. “The first thing he did, he went straight to me, he gave me a great hug and then started crying. See, he was so proud of my autodidactic game.”

Flaco Jimenez was The A-list Tex-Mex Akcordeonist for every artist who wanted this west side of San Antonio Bail Feel in her song. From the late 80s to the 90s, he appeared anywhere and took up with artists who were as different as Bob Dylan, Dwight Yoakum and the Rolling Stones.

“Flaco Jimenez brought the Mexican-American feeling of Tex-Mex into the blues, in the rock, in the country,” said Josh Baca, another San Antonio accordo and protégé from Flaco, who plays with Los Texmaniacs.

During his long life, Flaco influenced a generation of talented young accordion players with the music when he always described AlegreHappy. “When you switch on the radio, you know, oh man, that's Flaco!” Baca said: “You know that he is playing the accordion. Flaco has always remained loyal to his sound and game.”

He also remained loyal to his hometown San Antonio, the undisputed Conjunto Capital city.

“He is loved in San Antonio and was the largest ambassador for Conjunto Music worldwide,” said Hector Saldaña, Texas Music Curator at Wittliff Collections at Texas State University. “Only recently I spoke to some visitors from Germany and they asked questions about Flaco Jimenez.”

Saldana wrote that Flaco Jimenez was to San Antonio, which was Louis Armstrong in New Orleans.