2012 - Cotati Accordion Festival

Jimenez & Rybak
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Flaco. Recent recordings, including Corazón
de Piedra and Canciones de Mi Padre, have
appeared on Watermelon Records, in Austin.
The songs, in Spanish, are lively,
direct and deal with real-life situations
— work, love and dance. More than a
revivalist, Santiago Jimenez Jr. is a living
memory of a time when the living
Mexican-American people of South Texas
were making their presence known amid
social oppression, forced assimilation and
economic difficulty.
The music represents the experience
of a people and is celebrated for having
helped shape a society that remains strong
in its identity and cultural presence.
Chris Rybak
Chris has been surrounded by
music since birth. His father, Leroy, has
performed with his own polka band
throughout the state of Texas. As a child,
Chris’ mother brought him to all of the
band dances. Chris fell in love with mu-
Thomas J. Cordoni, Honorary Director
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In Tom’s Own Words:
My name is Tom Cordoni. I have
been a professional accordionist for over
50 years.
My band and I have played for many
parties, political gatherings, parades and
weddings (including Robin Williams’ first
wedding). I also spent many years teaching
accordion. At one time I was director of the
San Francisco Accordion Club Fun Band.
I played for 15 years at LeMontmartre,
a French bistro in North Beach, and
for eight years at Mulcrevy’s, an Irish-
American pub. I have played German
music at William Tell in San Francisco,
Little Switzerland in Sonoma, the Germania
Club in San Jose, the Gasthaus
sic and the accordion while watching his
father perform.
Around the age of eight, Chris began
piano lessons. By age 12, he started
playing the accordion. By age 14, he was
often a requested guest of country music
shows all over Texas. At the age of 18,
Chris realized he wanted to make his living
playing music!
Performing with passion, fire, commitment
and skill, his high-energy style
of accordion music has attracted much
attention. He has recorded numerous
albums and continues to record.
Chris Rybak’s past performances includes
festivals of all types, country clubs,
college dances, picnics, state and county
fairs, weddings, corporate functions, country
music parties, cruise ships and more –
basically anywhere there’s a stage. He also
has performed throughout Europe.
Chris joined the Roland team as a
V-Accordion® Product Specialist in February
of 2008 and is currently looking
forward to working with Roland’s newest
member, Santiago Jimenez Jr. on a new
multicultural CD coming out soon! ▲
in Milpitas and the Pine Brook Inn in
Belmont. I played at the Italian-American
Social Club, the Italian Athletic Club and
the Sons of Italy in San Francisco. I have
also played for many Basque festivities.
After moving to Petaluma in
2000, I appeared before the Petaluma
City Council several times on behalf
of the accordion and was successful in
my endeavor as the council named the
accordion, “The First Official Musical
Instrument of Petaluma” and named the
4th Saturday in June as “Celebrate the
Accordion Day.”
I am a proud member of three
accordion clubs: The Accordion Club
of the Redwoods (Petaluma); The San
Francisco Accordion Club (San Francisco);
and the Golden State Accordion
Club (Vacaville). ▲
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