Felipe Perez began playing accordion while still in elementary school. Some of his earliest memories came from watching his uncle play next door, “with a big ol’ cigar in his mouth and a can of beer,” and knew he wanted to learn himself. With little money in the family, Felipe saved up to buy his own accordion, shining shoes along the Corpus Christi cantinas, where the many sailors stationed in town provided consistent business.

Back in the early 1990s, when Ed Poullard apprenticed under the guidance of the famous Creole fiddler Canray Fontenot, he recalls being told how important this apprenticeship would be for future generations. As Mr. Poullard remembers, “He said that when Canray’s gone, you become a torchbearer. You have to do whatever you can to bring this to others and show them what you know.” Over two decades later, Mr.