Courtesy of Jalopy Records
Felipe Perez Y Sus Polkeros will celebrate the release of Dulce Sueños CD with a night of unforgettable music during a free event at The Dakota East Side Ice House in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, from 8 – 11 p.m.
The Conjunto Hall of Fame accordionist will be accompanied by Hunter Chavez and Tolojuanito Fabke with a special appearance conjunto legend Conrado Cruz for a night featuring a rare opportunity to experience the authentic sound of South Texas played with unmatched spirit and passion.
Dulce Sueños will be issued as a deluxe CD by Jalopy Records on March 10, 2023, with a 16-page color liner notes booklet by folklorist and producer Dan Margolies with information on Perez’s life and 70-plus year career, including historic photos and album cover images. The album will also be issued via digital download and streaming. Conjunto music is the sound of South Texas, and nobody plays it better or with more spirit than Felipe Perez. In this recording, you’ll hear Conjunto music played in a perfectly realized style.
Dulce Sueños features seven original songs and tunes by Perez as well as traditional and classic Conjunto songs and instrumentals in Felipe’s distinctive style and arrangements. The album begins with Perez’s new “Coronavirus Polka”. This is música alegre played for dancing, drinking, and having a good time. The rhythms you hear at any Conjunto dance usually run the gamut from polkas to polkas to more polkas. But old-school players like Felipe also play all the rhythms common in the borderlands for the past century and are still revered by dancers there. The floor is never empty when Felipe plays.
Felipe Perez — Conjunto Accordion Master
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Felipe was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on October 15, 1940, and started playing professionally at age ten. He became consumed with learning accordion starting as a small child while he shined shoes on Agnes street in Corpus Christi. Cantinas filled with Conjunto musicians lined both sides of the street and Felipe absorbed it. He learned to play from the legendary Juan Lopez, who was nicknamed “El Rey de la Redova” as well as Conjunto giant Valerio Longoria. Felipe’s playing, though uniquely his own, is definitely influenced by their sound and style. Even now, decades later, Felipe plays quick and exciting music that harkens back to cantinas on Agnes street where he learned his craft. This album features several Juan Lopez pieces that Felipe picked up.
In the 1950s, Felipe recorded 78rpm records with his group Los Sargentos for labels such as Bohemia. These records featured popular singers such as Isidro Lopez and Sofia Rodriguez.
Over the decades Felipe recorded several albums for labels like Joey International, Santiago Jimenez Jr’s Chief Records, and Spring Fed Records. Felipe was inducted into the Conjunto Hall of Fame by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio in 2018 and was featured at the 40th Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival in San Antonio in 2022. He has played at festivals, universities, and other events across the country.
The album features legendary singer Conrado Cruz, now in his eighties, and himself a legend of Conjunto music. He plays all of the Conjunto instruments and has recorded with many of the music’s greats, including Flaco Jimenez.
Felipe has played with many different iterations of Sus Polkeros over the years. The group on this recording includes his son Felipito, who is a superb drummer and also a bajista and bass player. They have been playing and performing together for decades, starting when Felipito was quite young and recorded together on many albums. Hunter Chavez of Schertz, Texas plays bajo sexto on this album and sings.
Despite his youth, he plays bajo like the old-timers. Hunter has also recently learned to tune accordions from Felipe. John Fabke plays electric bass on this recording and also plays old-school accordion with his own conjunto. He considers it a profound honor to play with a True Vine musician like Felipe.
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