Texas Folklife and Conjunto Heritage Taller to host Auditions, Conjunto Performance and Memorial to BENNY LAYTON (picture lower) and TONY GARZA (picture top) during First Friday at Gallista Gallery
Austin, Texas – Texas Folklife and Conjunto Heritage Taller announce that for the second consecutive year the annual Big Squeeze accordion contest for up-and-coming Texas musicians is being presented in San Antonio. The Big Squeeze will come to San Antonio on Friday, April 1, hosted by Conjunto Heritage Taller and Gallista Gallery.
Given the recent passing of two accordion maestros Benny Layton of Edcouch and Tony Garza of Poteet, the organizations will use the event as an opportunity to pay tribute to men who made a significant contribution to the Conjunto music community. Both men died last weekend. Layton (60) died in a motorcycle accident near San Antonio and Garza (73) died of natural causes in San Antonio.
“What a shock and what a tragic loss,” said Juan Tejeda, Conjunto Music Instructor at Palo Alto College and founder/director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s Tejano Conjunto Festival. “Benny Layton was a gentleman and an outstanding button accordionist, musician, and educator.
He created and developed a pioneering Conjunto music program for high school students in the Edcouch-La Joya Independent School District where he taught for almost 30 years until his retirement in 2009. During these 30 years he taught and influenced hundreds of young musicians, many who are now performing professionally with some of the biggest names in Conjunto/Tejano music, such as Bobby Pulido, Dezeo, Elida Reyna, Ruben Vela, Albert Zamora, and many others. He died too young, and he will be missed, but his musical impact and legacy will live forever.”
Layton was the instructor of the 2009 Big Squeeze Champion, Heriberto Rodriguez of Edcouch. He was featured in The Big Squeeze film as well as Accordion Dreams, both directed by Hector Galán.
Clips of Layton in these films will be featured in the evening’s program and the public is invited to bring their own videos of Layton and Garza to share. The public will also be invited to share their stories and memories which will be videotaped and given to the surviving family members.
The evening will also include a tribute to Tony Garza, father of David Lee, Adam, and Richard Garza of the legendary Tejano music band David Lee Garza y Los Musicales. Garza began playing Conjunto music at a young age and passed on his passion to his sons, whom he taught, mentored, and managed for over 30 years.
Through Los Musicales, Garza helped establish one of the most influential bands in Tejano music history; it launched many Tejano music stars such as Ram Herrera, Emilio Navaira, Jay Perez and Marcos Orozco.
The tribute and auditions will be held as part of a free, public program at Gallista Gallery, and held in conjunction with First Friday featuring downtown San Antonio’s vibrant art scene. The evening’s program begins at 7:00 p.m. with the auditions. Contestants are asked to arrive by 6:00.
Following the auditions, a Conjunto jam session and tribute will be held and house band Conjunto El Trio will perform.
The Big Squeeze contest is open to Texas accordionists 21 years of age and younger. All genres of accordion-based music are encouraged to audition, including Cajun; German, Czech, and Polish polka; Tejano, Conjunto and Norteño; Western; and Zydeco.
Contestants will be judged by a panel of esteemed music professionals on song interpretation, technical skill, originality, execution, and stage presence. Contestants may register on-site or in advance by calling Texas Folklife at (512) 441-9255 or by visiting www.texasfolklife.org.
Semifinalists selected by audition or mailed entries will be hosted in Austin to take part in the semifinals held on April 30 at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
At that time, up to four finalists will be selected and awarded $300 each as well as having their hotel stay paid in Houston to compete before a large, enthusiastic audience of accordion fans at the Accordion Kings & Queens Festival on June 4.
Last year’s crowd numbered over 6,000. The Big Squeeze 2011 grand-prize-winner will be selected at the concert by the panel of judges with help from the audience. The grand-prize-winner will receive a prize package valued at $4500, including a $1000 cash prize, a brand new Hohner accordion and recording time at the historic Hacienda Records in Corpus Christi, as well as promotional support from SugarHill Records, Hohner, Inc., Hacienda Records and Texas Folklife, and other professional opportunities.
The Big Squeeze is supported by the members and Board of Texas Folklife, the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board, the Houston Endowment, the Still Water Foundation, the Austin Latino Music Association, the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
Additional support is provided by regional businesses including Hohner, Inc., SugarHill Recording Studios, Hacienda Records, Embassy Suites Hotel, Sign Effects and FlashBang Agency in Austin.
Texas Folklife is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and preserving the diverse cultures and living heritage of the Lone Star State. For more than 25 years, Texas Folklife has honored the authentic cultural traditions passed down within communities and explored their importance in contemporary society.
Called “one of the state’s true cultural treasures” by the Austin American-Statesman, Texas Folklife provides accessible, joyful arts experiences.
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Located in SoCo just south of downtown Austin, Texas Folklife can be found next door to the Continental Club, at 1317 South Congress Avenue. For more information contact (512) 441-9255, info@texasfolklife.org or visit www.texasfolklife.org.
Conjunto Heritage Taller is dedicated to the preservation, instruction, and perpetuation of traditional conjunto music played with the accordion and bajo sexto. It was created to provide instruction on these instruments and to seek venues for performance., (210) 212-8560
Gallista Gallery
(210) 212-8606
Media information:
Sheree Scarborough / (512) 922-5483 / sheree.scarborough@gmail.com
Big Squeeze information:
Cristina Balli, Program Director / (512) 441-9255 / cballi@texasfolklife.org
