Latest news with #Arhoolie
UPI
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Conjunto music pioneer Flaco Jimenez is dead at 86
Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Texas conjunto music pioneer Flaco Jimenez, 86, died while surrounded by his family at one of his son's homes on Thursday night, his family announced. Flaco was born in San Antonio in 1939 and began performing with Tex-Mex bands at age 15, which led to his earning multiple Grammy Awards many years later. "It is with great sadness that we share tonight the loss of our father, Flaco Jimenez," his family said on Thursday in a Facebook post. "He was surrounded by his loved ones and will be missed immensely," his family said. "Thank you to all of his fans and friends -- those who cherished his music," the family continued. "His legacy will live on through his music and all of his fans." The post was signed by Arturo and Lisa Jimenez, Javier and Raquel Fernandez, Gilbert Jimenez and Cynthia Jimenez. Flaco Jimenez suffered from a long-term illness prior to his death, the San Antonio Express-News reported without saying the nature of the illness. His last words were, "Ya estoy cansado," which is Spanish for "I'm tired," Arturo Jiminez said. Flaco and his brother, Santiago Jr., were born and raised in San Antonio and became leading performers of conjunto music, which their grandfather, Patricio Jimenez, pioneered. Conjunto music combines Mexican, German, Polish and Czech waltz and polka musical traditions to create a danceable form that features the accordion with accompaniment from guitars, bass and drums. Conjunto is particularly popular in northern Mexico and Texas, and Flaco played a three-row button Hohner accordion and sang. He recorded his first regional hit, "Hasta La Vista," in 1955 for the Tipico record label. Flaco's early conjunto recordings were made for small record labels and later were collected by folk recording label Arhoolie. Flaco in a 1973 interview described conjunto as "happy music" and said it combined polka with rock and roll and cumbia forms. "You can't just stick with polka and redova and schottisches," he told Arhoolie owner Chris Strachwitz in the interview. "You have to play what's going on in the world." Flaco recorded with fellow conjunto pioneer Doug Sahm in New York City in 1972 and contributed to Ry Cooder's 1976 album, "Chicken Skin Music," which helped spread conjunto beyond its Tex-Mex roots in San Antonio. He also performed with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Dr. John, among others. Flaco was especially influential as a solo performer and as a member of the Texas Tornados and Los Super Seven musical acts. Flaco's career led to his receipt of many awards, including six Grammy Awards from 1987 to 2015. One of his Grammys was a Lifetime Achievement award. Notable deaths of 2025 Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg waves to the crowd before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field in Chicago on October 12, 2015. Sandberg died on July 28 after a battle with cancer at the age of 65. Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
San Francisco Chronicle
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Rolling Stones just dropped their best single in decades — on a Bay Area label
The Rolling Stones have released a spirited cover of Clifton Chenier's 'Zydeco Sont Pas Salés' — sung entirely in French by Mick Jagger — on a small Bay Area label with deep roots in American folk and roots music. The track leads 'A Tribute to the King of Zydeco,' a 14-song compilation celebrating what would have been Chenier's 100th birthday. The album features contributions from Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal, Steve Earle and others. Founded in 1960 by Chris Strachwitz, Arhoolie became a vital archive of regional American music, documenting artists such as Texas bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins, accordionist Flaco Jiménez and Chenier himself, the Louisiana Creole accordionist widely regarded as the father of zydeco. More than half a century after Arhoolie helped elevate zydeco from Louisiana dancehalls to global audiences, it now brings the genre to one of the most iconic rock bands in the world. Produced by Louisiana musician C.C. Adcock, the Stones' version features accordionist Steve Riley and longtime Chenier drummer Robert St. Julien, blending traditional zydeco elements with the band's signature swagger. Stones guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood recorded their parts in New York and London. The recording appears on a limited-edition 7-inch single, paired with Chenier's original 1965 version. Proceeds benefit the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship Fund and support Smithsonian Folkways' preservation work. 'The Stones are truly honored to be on this tribute album amongst a stellar cast of artists and musicians,' the band said in a statement. 'Clifton Chenier was one of the most influential musicians to come out of Louisiana. He turned so many people onto the wonderful free-spirited dance music of Zydeco, including ourselves back in the day.' The Rolling Stones previously covered 'You've Gotta Move,' a Mississippi Fred McDowell song recorded by Strachwitz, on their 1971 album 'Sticky Fingers.' This November, Smithsonian Folkways will release 'Clifton Chenier: King of Louisiana Blues and Zydeco,' a box set produced by Grammy winner Adam Machado. The collection includes rare live material, a career-spanning retrospective and a 160-page book of essays and photographs. A 1971 live recording of 'Mr. Charlie,' broadcast on KSAN in San Francisco, is available digitally now.
Bangkok Post
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Bangkok Post
Remembering the King of Zydeco
Music fans celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, late last month. Chenier (June 25, 1925 -- December 12, 1987) was a pioneering musician from Opelousas, Southwest Louisiana who helped create zydeco music, a genre sung in French creole (his first language) that came out of the Creole traditions of the region, spliced with blues, R&B and Cajun music. Zydeco, which takes its name from an Anglicisation of the French word haricot (snap beans) -- most famously in Chenier's genre-defining hit, Zydeco Sont Pas Sales -- is the music of black communities in Louisiana and parts of Texas. It is based on the accordion, a rubboard (or frottoir) and drums, while Cajun is the music of French settlers. Last week, The Rolling Stones released a limited edition vinyl 7" single, with their version of Chenier's signature tune, Zydeco Sont Pas Sales on one side, and Chenier's original recording on the flip side. The single is part of Box set, King Of Louisiana Blues And Zydeco, which features his seminal recordings from 1954 to 1983. The box set is available in 4-CD or 6-LP vinyl set (a whopping 67 tracks) with an illustrated 160-page booklet that includes an essay by radio DJ Nick Spitzer and an interview with Chenier's son, and musician CJ Chenier. The tribute compilation released on the Smithsonian Folkways label which acquired Arhoolie, an independent folk and blues based label found by Chris Strachwitz (his 1965 recordings of a live session are included in the album's line-up and the version of Zydeco Sont Pas Sales on the 7" single is from this session), in 2016. For more information on this new release plus events being held to celebrate Chenier's life and career, head on over to The music video of The Rolling Stones cover is already online, so you can check out and hear Mick Jagger sing in French creole (he also adds R&B harmonica) on a track that doesn't attempt to recreate an authentic cover. Instead, it gives Chenier's song the Stones treatment -- a sort of rock and roll version. Reports say that Jagger has been a fan of the genre since he saw Chenier perform in the mid-1960s. Born into a musical family, he accompanied his father playing at 'Saturday night fish fry' dances. His father played the diatonic or button accordion (as did all zydeco players initially before migrating to the full chromatic accordion) and his uncle played fiddle. He absorbed blues from Muddy Waters and Lightin' Hopkins, as well as zydeco (and La-La, the genre before zydeco emerged) creole musicians like Sidney Babineaux. He began playing the accordion around 1947. The period just after WWII brought great musical change -- R&B was being created in New Orleans by pioneers like Professor Longhair and in Chicago (harmonica led), Kansas City and Los Angeles (saxophone led) and this fed into Chenier's music, so that in addition to the zydeco two-step songs he performed (when instruments like the accordion and harmonica arrived with German immigrants, the local Creole population was quick to adapt the instrument and some of the songs, as did Latin musicians as they developed Tex-Mex music (think of Flaco Jimenez). As a result, Chenier became a master of adapting his music to the audience he was performing for -- his R&B and soul-tinged songs maintained his popularity throughout his career. When I DJ an R&B and soul night I always spin a few two-steps and zydeco R&B tracks to perk up the dancefloor (zydeco is highly infectious). My current favourite is a 1976 Chenier track, Ti Na Na. Kudos to the Smithsonian for releasing a tribute to one of the USA's great musical pioneers. Long may it continue. Finally, World Beat salutes the incredible career of Argentine jazz pianist and movie soundtrack maestro Lalo Shifrin, who died last week aged 93. It was the late music collector Alfred Pawlin, of Visual Dhamma Gallery, who alerted me to the amazing career of this master composer. You all know the first few notes of the Mission Impossible TV theme -- and I'll bet you can summon it effortlessly from your musical memory. You might forget where you left your house keys but not the Mission Impossible tune! This is just a partial list of his movie scores: Cool Hand Luke, Bullitt, Enter The Dragon, The Eagle Has Landed, Amityville Horror, the Dirty Harry films (a collaboration with Clint Eastwood) and many more.
