Press for Eva Ybarra
Television
Documentaries
Songs Of The Border (2018)
Accordion Dreams (2001)
“Accordion playing is often a family art for conjunto musicians, as evidenced by the Jiménez family — and challenged by Eva Ybarra, one of only a few well-known women conjunto accordionists.”
Kirstin Cutts – Texas Music Magazine
“Ybarra is one of only a few professional women accordionists on the conjunto scene. The accordion is not only her instrument of choice, but her heart and soul.”
Texas Country Reporter – Texas Monthly
“Eva Ybarra plays her accordion with such passion that it can feel like fury. Smashing the instrument’s buttons and stretching her arms out wide, then quickly contracting, Ybarra bends air to produce rich vibrations of sound. One of her original ballads, ‘El Eco De Mi Voz,’ is a booming, dramatic affair. When she starts to sing, in her low, thunderous belt, the music is all the more powerful.”
Nic Yeager – Texas Observer
“Ybarra, known as ‘the Queen of the Accordion,’ joins San Antonio musicians George Strait and Flaco Jimenez to be so designated [Texas State Musician]”
Nicholas Frank – San Antonio Report
“Ybarra, known as the ‘Queen of the Accordion,’ is a trailblazer in the conjunto genre for being one of few professional female accordionists.”
Madalyn Mendoza – MySA
“Her set of roughly half a dozen songs was full of energy and variance. When Ybarra played long, slow notes, she would stretch her accordion out above her shoulder and below her waist. Speeding up the tempo, Ybarra collapsed the bellows and rapidly tapped across her keyboard and buttons. Her clothes and cowboy hat were black, accentuating the smile that would stretch across her face from time to time while she played.”
Jeffrey Sullivan – San Antonio Report
“Since getting her start as a young girl in San Antonio icehouses in the 1950s, the accordionist has carved out a lasting career with her progressive style and forceful singing. Today, Ybarra is recognized as one of conjunto’s most accomplished players…”
Matt Joyce – Texas Highways
“Eva Ybarra, the undisputed grand dame of the conjunto accordion…”
Hector Saldaña – MySA
“As really the only widely-recognized female conjunto accordionist and bandleader, Ybarra is a true trailblazer, bringing a fiery passion to her playing, writing, and singing, all the while making technical genius at her instrument look exasperatingly natural, easy even. There’s not a single stubborn old vato who would deny Ybarra’s greatness, especially not to her face.”
James Courtney – San Antonio Current
“Eva Ybarra is willpower personified, with the added benefit of pure talent.”
Michael Hoinski – Texas Monthly
“Regarding conjunto music and accordion, names like Flaco Jiménez and Ramón Ayala come to mind before the few-and-far-between recognized female artists in the industry. Time to change that tune. Make way for royalty when la Reina Del Acordeón, or the Queen of Accordion, steps into the fray. Eva Ybarra is one of the few females in the industry that gives the boys a run for their money – a true mastermind of the craft.”
Amanda Lozano – San Antonio Report
“Simply put, Eva Ybarra is a masterful and criminally overlooked accordion player, composing many pieces while others are content to regurgitate standards. She can play a myriad of styles that fall under the umbrella of American folk music (all of the Americas, Yanqui!). Most importantly, she has her own style and voice, something that only the most superb of musicians can claim.”
Travis Buffkin – San Antonio Current
“Legendary Eva Ybarra is known as La Reina del Acordeon, but conjunto’s big-voiced grand dame’s roots are ever so humble… She remains among the rarest of gems in conjunto.”
Hector Saldaña – MySA
“Ybarra, a small, ebullient woman who can’t seem to keep her hands still even when her accordion is firmly in its case, is an interesting example of both the old and new wave. On one hand, she is a perfect example of a “true” folk musician… On the other hand, Ybarra has become famous for pushing boundaries.”
Elisa Murray – Seattle Weekly
“Even if you don’t know the first thing about Tex/Mex music – or the accordion, for that matter – you can hear that Ybarra is a virtuoso. The turns and runs she inserts between phrases are incredibly fast, and she often uses sophisticated, chromatic harmonies. Yet she is never far from the joyous simplicity of the tradition.”
Paul De Barros – Seattle Times
“Word is finally spreading that [Eva] is no novelty but a genuine trailblazer.”
John Morthland – Texas Monthly
Radio
“Eva es la mejor mujer acordeonista en toda la historia de la música de conjunto.”
“Eva is the best female accordionist in the entire history of conjunto music.”
“She’s not only the best female accordion player, she’s one of the best accordion players period.”
“Ybarra is renowned for her virtuosity and is often mentioned in the same breath as another San Antonio conjunto legend, Flaco Jimenez. One music critic said Eva’s approach to the accordion can be compared to Miles Davis.”
Norma Martinez – Texas Public Radio
“In San Antonio, most nights, you can find conjunto musicians entertaining in cantinas across the city. With the accordion taking center stage, usually the player is man. But one of the best accordionists in town is a woman, Eva Ybarra.”
“San Antonio accordionist, Eva Ybarra, was a child prodigy. Now years later, she is the Queen of the Accordion.”
“Narciso Martinez is considered by many to be the father of modern conjunto music – and maybe you’ve heard of Flaco Jimenez… But the role of women in the genre was mostly been limited to singing – that is until perhaps Eva Ybarra came along.”
David Brown – Texas Standard
Books
The following are books published over the years that make mention of Eva Ybarra:
The Real Tejano Conjunto Accordion Book – 2023
Handbook of Texas Music: Second Edition – 2012
Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda – 2012
The Accordion in the Americas: Klezmer, Polka, Tango, Zydeco and More! – 2012
The History of Texas Music – 2008
Women in Texas Music: Stories and Songs – 2007
From Tejano to Tango: Essays on Latin American Popular Music – 2002