Jesse Ponce and the Conjunto Genre

By: Catherine Keithley

To most Californians, we know the "Conjunto" as the small group band that plays Spanish music while we gobble down our fresh Mexican food with fresh avecados and our margaritas shaken on the rocks. Well I regret to inform you Californians that the Conjunto music didn't actually originate in California, it all actually began in Texas. Conjunto is a traditional, non-commercial style of Latino music, with roots of Tejano ("Tex-Mex") music.


Example of Today's Conjunto Music- ROJELIO HINAJOSA 2010

The word Conjunto literally meaning "group" in Spanish and from Latin "coniunctus," was no longer to be just a group. It was forever known as a small musical group. As Conjunto music appears mostly today in Texas and California, conjunto is also well known in the Caribbean and Cuban musical groups, such as the "Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba" and everywhere else in the Spanish speaking world. The four instruments used in Conjunto music are the button accordion, the bajo sexto, an electric bass, and a drum kit.

To understand more about the Conjunto music and its events leading up to a well respected genre check out PBS' "Playing From the Heart: The Story of Jesse Ponce."

PBS' "Playing From the Heart: The Story of Jesse Ponce"- http://wbgu.org/community/documentary/PlayingFromHeart/JessePonce_index.html

Jesse Ponce is a well respected man in the Conjunto genre for becoming the first man to assemble the small group musicians that play Conjunto music. He uses his music to express and reinvent his Latino identity. Ponce's passion for his music touches many
and his perfectionism enables his audience to feel what he is feeling. Without a doubt, Jesse Ponce is the most admired man in his genre for his impeccable timing, drive, and passion for the Conjunto music and his fans.