IN DYING DOWNTOWN, NORTENO CULTURE STILL THRIVES

By Juan Montoya
It was billed as the Second Annual Freddie Gomez Memorial Conjunto Concert.
There, between the hulk of buildings that gave Brownsville its former grandeur, the strains of conjunto music reverberated through Levee Street. This is the spot where the Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival has hewn out for itself and the promoters of the Freddie Gomez concert said they were pleased with the turnout.
"George Ramirez just got here and told us that we have outdone ourselves," said Timo Ruedas, the president of the Brownsville chapter of the South Texas Conjunto Association.
The festivities kicked off with the grandsons of Freddie Gomez (El Ciclon del Valle) playing their modern music predilection of blues and electric modern music before the conjunto groups like Los Halcones, Accordion Whiz-Kid Peter Anzaldua and Los Hometown Boys came on to play the crowd's favorites.
"The Gomez grandkids carry it in the blood," Ruedas asserted.
Various stands sold beer and boatana to the appreciative crowd. And as if to show that locals aren't shy about dancing, the dancing space in front of the stage filled rapidly with couples dancing nortenas, polkas and some more esoteric north Mexico dances.
Downtown may be dead, but the culture that was here when buildings like El Jardin Hotel and the Capitol Theater were erected remains vibrant and taconeando.