CONSIDER THIS: Good tidings from the center of the universe

By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

Michael Rodriguez

On my desk is a New Orleans key chain that has “Birthplace of Jazz” prominently displayed on it along with a rendering of Bourbon Street. I kept the key chain in plain sight while penning this column; I guess you can say it served as a source of inspiration. Not that additional motivation is necessary when writing about Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center founders Rogelio Nuñez, David A. Garza and Ramón de León, but it helped remind me of what these individuals have done for San Benito.

Let me put it to you this way: The late Don Narciso Martinez of San Benito, the Father of Texas-Mexican Conjunto and El Huracan del Valle, established the Resaca City as the Birthplace of Conjunto; Nuñez, Garza and De León don’t let people forget it.

We should put that on a key chain.

It was 22 years ago when these men, who were moved by Martinez’ music but burdened with budgeting concerns, established in Don Narciso’s name a veritable house of conjunto, culture and the arts; where creativity in the Hispanic community can flourish; where la voz de la gente is not silent but amplified; where San Benito is the center of the universe.

By the way, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard Nuñez say that line: “San Benito is the center of the universe.” Between Nunez and Rey Avila, founder of the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum, it’s a wonder why I haven’t tattooed an accordion and bajo sexto on my bicep.

Such influence is a testament to the promotional efforts Nuñez, Garza and De León have implemented, which, in the center’s case, initially consisted of a strong grassroots campaign and guerrilla-style marketing. What’s interesting, though, is that the center’s survival and relevance is largely maintained as a result of continuing to utilize these very methods. Funds are scarce and staffing is non-existent, but they open the center’s doors and people come. If what most clubs need are two turntables and a microphone, it could be argued that all the center needs is a stage.

It took the vision of three men—Nuñez, Garza and De León—to recognize that the demand for conjunto, or what many refer to as the “working man’s music,” wasn’t a fleeting trend but forever part of San Benito’s identity. This was evident then, when during its first event over 200 people tried cramming into the tiny confinements of the center’s original Sam Houston Boulevard location to watch Don Narciso perform, and it’s evident now, when over 3,000 people visit Plaza de San Benito on Stenger Street—the center’s home for the last 15 years—from all over the country for the annual Conjunto Fest.

For these efforts and more, we at the San Benito News felt it was about time that Nuñez, Garza and De León were honored with the publication’s annual Citizens of the Year award. After all, San Benito just wouldn’t be San Benito without these individuals.

This brings to mind a conversation I had with them at the center on Thursday. They were sitting in a half circle along with my reporter, Francisco E. Jimenez, who appeared to be highly entertained by their hijinks. As I handed them their plaque, each of them joked about how stately the honor now made them and whether they were deserving of it given their rather modest backgrounds. What’s funny is that these doubts were expressed in a building that has attracted world-renown artists, musicians, authors and theater productions, not to mention the attention of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, which recorded the 1998 Conjunto Fest, packaged and released it for wide distribution under the name “Taquachito Nights.”

Relax, gentlemen. I bring you good tidings from the center of the universe: You did it.