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About Father Of The Texas-Mexican Conjunto
Like Clifton Chenier in zydeco or James Brown in soul, Narciso Martinez is considered the father of his genre--conjunto music. He wasn't the first artist to record conjunto, but he became the first superstar of the late-'40s-era genre, recording behind many of the period's top stars, including Lydia Mendoza and Isidro Lopez. Like his peer Santiago Jimenez Sr., Martinez specialized in instrumental polkas; his signature tunes appear here, among them "Florecita," "El Lucero," and the slow but elegant "Los Arbolitos." The songs are marked by slow rhythms and pronounced hooks on the polkas, mazurkas, and redovas--song forms that recall the Polish-German influence in Texas in the 20th century. Also prototypical is the slow waltz "Alice y San Diego" and the upbeat and rhythmic polka-ranchera "La Desvelada." --Ramiro Burr
