EL PARCHE

Seriously. Just take a look at that publicity photo. It's Esteban Jordan, a San Antonio musician. Obviously an accordion player. With a look like that, the guy could sing disco songs about dog shit and I'd still eat it up.  But he didn't. What he did do was stretch the boundaries of Tex-Mex, using effects (fuzz, echo, phase shifters), and elements of soul, jazz, funk, and rock 'n' roll to suit his fancy, unknowingly creating what sounds like Tex-Mex psych dub. So, he liked to fuck with things. Cool. But you know what I really like about him? The guy played thirty five different instruments, and chose the accordion. Lest you think he was just some freak that was disregarded by peers, he recorded with Flaco Jimenez, and that's just about all the squeeze box cred that's needed. 

If you think I was kidding about the Tex-Mex psych dub thing, check the video below. As cool looking as it is, let it rip, without watching the screen. I gotta find this record. Maaaan. And take a listen to "Squeeze Box Man", Really. It's funky as all get out.There's also a video of him doing "Summertime" below, as in Gershwin's (posted Ricky Nelson's version of the same song a couple days ago). While I'm not keen on the more contemporary jazz feel, and the scat thing he throws in there, I gotta stand back and marvel at the weirdness of it.

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Listen:
Esteban Jordan - Las Coronelas mp3 at Let's Polka
Esteban Jordan - Squeeze Box Man mp3 at Super Sonido
Esteban Jordan - El Cascabel (streaming) at La Planga
Esteban Jordan - You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling mp3 at To the Sublime
Video:
Esteban Jordan - Summertime at YouTube
Tito Lavaria with Esteban Jordan - Radio Head at YouTube From the film True Stories