From Texas Public Radio:
Max Baca’s Los Texmaniacs are playing Gruene Hall this Friday. They rule the Conjunto music world, often headlining at the Tejano Conjunto Festival. The Grammy-winning group has toured the world for decades, and Max Baca is the front man.
Baca began his musical journey young. “I started when I was five. You know, my father taught me how to play two songs on the accordion, and that was ‘Monterey Polka,’ and Glenn Miller’s ‘In The Mood,'” Baca said.
Growing up, his house was full of music because his father and older brother were both musicians. Baca explained in his biography Crossing Borders that this was their pre-homework homework.
“By the time I was seven, I was playing bass,” he said.
A young Max Baca, who started out on accordion. Courtesy of Max Baca
He wasn’t just playing bass though. He was playing bass in his father’s Albuquerque conjunto band, gigging all over town and on Native American reservations. He hadn’t yet settled on the instrument that he’s known for.
“Me and my brother started playing. After when I got to play the bajo sexto,” he said.
The bajo sexto is a 12-stringed instrument that sometimes sounds like a bass, sometimes like a rhythm guitar, and always has a mysterious sound.
Baca’s seminal moment came after seeing a legendary performer: accordionist superstar Flaco Jimenez.
“When he took us to see Flaco then, we were like, ‘Wow, this is what we want to do,’” Baca said. “And then we’d seen Flaco on television, you know, on Austin City Limits, or Saturday Night Live. And then my dad finally took us to Lubbock, Texas to see Flaco play.”
The Baca family connected with Flaco that night, and over time, became lifelong friends.
“Flaco was like a father to me. And he calls me ‘mijo,’ you know. And that touches me,” he said.
The Baca Brothers band was a big deal in Albuquerque, but eventually, Max joined Flaco’s band leaving ABQ behind and moving to Texas.
“I’m 57. I’ve spent 25 to 30 years playing with Flaco as his bass player, and then later on as his bajo sexto player, too,” Baca said.
Max Baca with nephew Josh Baca. Courtesy of Max Baca
What made Flaco so great as to spend that much time with him? Baca said it’s the way he plays that accordion.
“He’s got some kind of magic that, that it’s hard to describe. You can only hear it and feel it, but on a personal side, it’s his humbleness,” he said.
Flaco has won a total of six Grammys, and with those kinds of accomplishments, it’s also put Max in some interesting company. Like the time on tour in LA when the hotel phone rang, and mega-producer Don Was called saying the Rolling Stones needed Flaco and his accordion for a song.
Flaco got on the phone and said, ‘If you really want a Tex-Mex sound, I need to bring my bajo sexto player Max,’ and they were down with that. Flaco and Baca headed to the recording studio where they were greeted warmly by Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Don Was.
