Esteban Jordan
Encyclopedia
Esteban "Steve" Jordan (February 23, 1939 – August 13, 2010) was a jazz, rock, blues, conjunto
and Tejano music
ian from the United States
. He was also known as "El Parche", "The Jimi Hendrix
of the accordion
", and "the accordion wizard". An accomplished musician, he played 35 different instruments.
Born in Elsa, Texas
to migrant farm workers and partially blinded as an infant, Jordan was unable to work in the fields. Left at home, he found friendship and guidance among the elderly. At a very young age he was introduced to music, especially the accordion. At the time, the musician Valerio Longoria followed the community of migrant farm workers and played for them in the labor camps. These circumstances brought the two together and the young Esteban mastered the instrument quickly. While he has remained close to his traditional conjunto
roots, he has never limited himself musically. More than any other accordionist, Jordan pushes the diatonic accordion to its limits, both musically and physically, playing traditional conjunto, rock
, jazz
, salsa
, zydeco
and more.
Unlike many conjunto musicians, he kept abreast of technological developments, using devices such as phase shifters, fuzzboxes, echoplex
delay (for which he named a song, "La Polka Plex"), and synthesizer
s, and was one of the few conjunto musicians to weave styles such as fusion jazz and rock into his music. He had also recorded country, western and mambo numbers. Members of his family frequently backed him up, including his sons Esteban Jr., Esteban III, and Ricardo. Esteban III (guitar) and Ricardo (bass) accompanied Esteban on-stage and in recording. Esteban established his own record label Jordan Records, Inc. on his birthday Feb. 23, 2010. He released one of his nine albums named Carta Espiritual (spiritual letter), on which he had spent over 15 years recording new music still yet to be released on Jordan Records. His sons Esteban Jr., Esteban III, and Ricardo along with Juanito Castillo(accordion) and Alejandro Valdez(percussion) continue Esteban's musical legacy. His sons perform all his music and go by "El Rio Jordan de Esteban Jordan", the band name given by Esteban.
In 1988 while attending the Berlin Jazz Festival, Hohner Germany invited Steve to their factory. Hohner and Steve collaborated in making an accordion with Steve's specifications that included his jazz tuning (dry tuning), octaves, and note changes to the accidentals to be able to do the chromatic jazz licks that he is famous for. In 2009, Hohner USA in recognition of Steve's contribution to the music world, launched the Steve Jordan Rockordeon reissue in his honor.
New wave polka
bands such as Brave Combo
have cited Jordan's influence. In 1987 he was nominated for a Grammy, but lost out to his old friend Flaco Jiménez
. His bid for mainstream presence continued in 1986 when he was asked to do the soundtrack for the Cheech Marin
film Born in East L.A.
He appeared in the film Texas Conjunto: Música de la gente, a documentary about Texas conjunto music, and in True Stories
, an American musical film directed by and starring musician David Byrne
. He did the music and appeared as an accordion street player in the film Born in East L.A.
starring Cheech Marin.
Esteban was inducted to the South Texas Conjunto Music Hall Of Fame on May 27, 2001. Also the National Hispanic Music Hall Of Fame in 2003.
Esteban battled cancer for four years and died of complications liver cancer
on August 13, 2010. He was 71.
Radio Documentary NPR's Latino USA by "Alex Avila" (Also found on prx.org)
Conjunto
Conjunto literally translates as "group," and is regionally accepted in Texas as defining a genre of music that was born out of south Texas at the end of the 19th Century, after German settlers introduced the button accordion. The bajo sexto has come to accompany the button accordion and is...
and Tejano music
Tejano music
Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
ian from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was also known as "El Parche", "The Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
of the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
", and "the accordion wizard". An accomplished musician, he played 35 different instruments.
Born in Elsa, Texas
Elsa, Texas
Elsa is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,660 at the 2010 census. It is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:...
to migrant farm workers and partially blinded as an infant, Jordan was unable to work in the fields. Left at home, he found friendship and guidance among the elderly. At a very young age he was introduced to music, especially the accordion. At the time, the musician Valerio Longoria followed the community of migrant farm workers and played for them in the labor camps. These circumstances brought the two together and the young Esteban mastered the instrument quickly. While he has remained close to his traditional conjunto
Conjunto
Conjunto literally translates as "group," and is regionally accepted in Texas as defining a genre of music that was born out of south Texas at the end of the 19th Century, after German settlers introduced the button accordion. The bajo sexto has come to accompany the button accordion and is...
roots, he has never limited himself musically. More than any other accordionist, Jordan pushes the diatonic accordion to its limits, both musically and physically, playing traditional conjunto, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
and more.
Unlike many conjunto musicians, he kept abreast of technological developments, using devices such as phase shifters, fuzzboxes, echoplex
Echoplex
The Echoplex is a tape delay effect, first made in 1959. Designed by Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s and was used by some of the most notable guitar players of the era; original Echoplexes are highly sought after....
delay (for which he named a song, "La Polka Plex"), and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, and was one of the few conjunto musicians to weave styles such as fusion jazz and rock into his music. He had also recorded country, western and mambo numbers. Members of his family frequently backed him up, including his sons Esteban Jr., Esteban III, and Ricardo. Esteban III (guitar) and Ricardo (bass) accompanied Esteban on-stage and in recording. Esteban established his own record label Jordan Records, Inc. on his birthday Feb. 23, 2010. He released one of his nine albums named Carta Espiritual (spiritual letter), on which he had spent over 15 years recording new music still yet to be released on Jordan Records. His sons Esteban Jr., Esteban III, and Ricardo along with Juanito Castillo(accordion) and Alejandro Valdez(percussion) continue Esteban's musical legacy. His sons perform all his music and go by "El Rio Jordan de Esteban Jordan", the band name given by Esteban.
In 1988 while attending the Berlin Jazz Festival, Hohner Germany invited Steve to their factory. Hohner and Steve collaborated in making an accordion with Steve's specifications that included his jazz tuning (dry tuning), octaves, and note changes to the accidentals to be able to do the chromatic jazz licks that he is famous for. In 2009, Hohner USA in recognition of Steve's contribution to the music world, launched the Steve Jordan Rockordeon reissue in his honor.
New wave polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
bands such as Brave Combo
Brave Combo
Brave Combo is a polka/rock band based in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1979 by guitarist/keyboardist/accordionist Carl Finch, they have been a prominent fixture in the Texas music scene for more than twenty-five years...
have cited Jordan's influence. In 1987 he was nominated for a Grammy, but lost out to his old friend Flaco Jiménez
Flaco Jiménez
Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez is a Tejano music accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. Jiménez's father, Santiago Jiménez Sr. was a pioneer of conjunto music. He began performing with his father at age seven and recording at age fifteen, as a member of Los Caporales...
. His bid for mainstream presence continued in 1986 when he was asked to do the soundtrack for the Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin is an American comedian, actor and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s, and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez on Nash Bridges...
film Born in East L.A.
Born in East L.A.
Born in East L.A. is a 1987 American comedy film written and directed by Cheech Marin of the Cheech & Chong comedy team.The film is about an American of Chicano descent whom authorities deport to Tijuana...
He appeared in the film Texas Conjunto: Música de la gente, a documentary about Texas conjunto music, and in True Stories
True Stories (film)
True Stories is an American film that spans the genres of musical, art, and comedy, directed by and starring David Byrne of the band Talking Heads. It co-stars John Goodman, Swoosie Kurtz, and Spalding Gray. Byrne has described the film as, "A project with songs based on true stories from tabloid...
, an American musical film directed by and starring musician David Byrne
David Byrne (musician)
David Byrne is a musician and artist, best known as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography,...
. He did the music and appeared as an accordion street player in the film Born in East L.A.
Born in East L.A.
Born in East L.A. is a 1987 American comedy film written and directed by Cheech Marin of the Cheech & Chong comedy team.The film is about an American of Chicano descent whom authorities deport to Tijuana...
starring Cheech Marin.
Esteban was inducted to the South Texas Conjunto Music Hall Of Fame on May 27, 2001. Also the National Hispanic Music Hall Of Fame in 2003.
Esteban battled cancer for four years and died of complications liver cancer
Liver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
on August 13, 2010. He was 71.
External links
Esteban 'Steve' Jordan Official Site "website"Radio Documentary NPR's Latino USA by "Alex Avila" (Also found on prx.org)