Joaquin Diaz is a master of the raw, frantically-paced, traditional style of merengue called tipico — or, as its known in his native Dominican Republic, "perico ripiao" (ripped parrot), a name taken from that of the brothel where the music was supposedly born in the late 1800s. The style is the country cousin of the slick, brassy, pop-fueled merengue that has become an international sensation and is commonly heard at salsa clubs around Indy. Diaz's tipico is merengue stripped to its essence: percussion, bass and the maestro's own wailing, diatonic accordion, on which he plays a mix of traditional classics and original compositions.

I recently caught up with Diaz via phone to talk about merengue and his musical roots.

Joaquin Diaz: Yes, my dad was a musician, and we always had a guitar and accordion in our house. I started playing the accordion when I was nine years old. As a child I would play on the streets or in the parks and restaurants of my village, San Pedro. There was a beach there called Boca Chica, which is the biggest beach on the island, and on the weekends my father and I would go there to play music together.

Diaz: The merengue I make is the root. It's the pure Dominican merengue, with accordion, played in the original style. Merengue has grown into something that is different — the popular merengues use piano and horns. But I continue to play the traditional meringue of the Dominican Republic, so we don't lose our folkloric identity.

I'm known for playing the traditional meringue, but I can play the popular style too.

In Santo Domingo people want to hear the pop stuff, but I am trying to preserve the traditions of the Dominican Republic.

Diaz: Yes, it was great. I had the opportunity to play with people like Mingo Saldivar, Santiago Jimenez and Eva Ybarra. These are the stars of Tex-Mex music. I was in San Antonio for six months, studying and playing music. Playing together we fused these two different folk musics — conjunto and merengue — into one. I loved the experience.

Diaz: I also love the Forró music of Brazil — artists like Sivuca, Luiz Gonzaga & Forró in the Dark, who I played with in New England a few years ago. There's a great connection with all these Caribbean rhythms; it's all a part of the same musical family.

Yes, I was in Indiana two years ago, and the people really supported our Dominican tipico music. We just ended a tour of Europe where we played in places like Switzerland, Estonia and Belgium. I also played in Borneo, Malaysia. To us it's a great pleasure to expose international audiences to the traditional merengue sound. I'm happy to have the opportunity to share this great, joyous music.

Thanks to Artur Silva for interpreting this interview.

See: an appearance by Diaz on a Montreal TV show