Flaco Jimenez, San Antonio music giant and trailblazing accordionist, dies at 86

Success·MusicFlaco Jimenez, San Antonio music giant and trailblazing accordionist, dies at 86By Juan A

LozanoBy The Associated PressBy Juan A

Jimenez’s death was announced Thursday evening by his family on social media

He was surrounded by family members when he died in the San Antonio of his son Arturo Jimenez. “Dad was in peace when he left

He started saying his goodbyes several days before

He said he was ud of himself for what he had done and he just leaves memories for the public to enjoy

He said he was ready to go,” Arturo Jimenez told The Associated Press in a phone interview on Friday

Arturo Jimenez said a cause of death has not yet been determined

His father had been hospitalized in January after getting a blood clot in his leg

Doctors then discovered he had some vascular issues

He was the son of conjunto pioneer Santiago Jimenez

Conjunto is a musical genre that originated in South Texas and blends different genres and cultural influences

According to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, the development of conjunto “began more than a century ago when Texans of Mexican heritage (Tejanos) took an interest in the accordion music of German, Polish, and Czech immigrants

The ensuing Tejano accordion music, accompanied by the bajo sexto (replacing the European tuba) soon came to represent the Tejano way of life, which was closely associated with working in the agricultural fields

The music remains unchanged and serves as a symbol that binds many Tejano communities in South and Central Texas.” Jimenez refined his conjunto musical skills by playing in San Antonio saloons and dance halls

Jimenez would later play with Bob Dylan, Dr

John, Ry Cooder and the Rolling Stones

Throughout his career, Jimenez added other influences into conjunto music, including from country, rock and jazz. “He always wanted to try to incorporate accordion into all s of different genres and how to make the accordion blend in

That was always a fascination of his and he was able to,” Arturo Jimenez said

Arturo Jimenez said his father was a humble man who never wanted to be a showman and was focused on playing music for his fans. “I’ve seen where fans come up to him and they literally cry and they thank my dad for all the good music and how dad’s music has been there for them in multiple situations, either happiness or sadness,” Arturo Jimenez said

When Jimenez was named a 2022 National Medal of Arts recipient, the White House said he was being honored for “harnessing heritage to enrich American music” and that by “blending Norteño, Tex Mex, and Tejano music with the Blues, Rock n’ Roll, and Pop Music, he sings the soul of America’s Southwest.” “We appreciate the gift of your musical talent, which brought joy to countless fans

Your passing leaves a void in our hearts,” the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum said in a post on social media

Kyle Young, the CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, said Jimenez “was a paragon of Tejano conjunto music” who “drew millions of listeners into a rich musical world they might not have discovered on their own.” Jimenez d all his life in San Antonio, a city that was “very close to his heart,” his son said. “They call him ‘el hijo de San Antonio’ and my dad always was ud of that,” Arturo Jimenez said, quoting a Spanish phrase that means the son of San Antonio

His family plans to have a private funeral service ed by a celebration of his life with the public

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