"Found Connections" Concerto for Multi-Instrumentalist. José Valentino, C Flute, Tenor Saxophone, and Bass Guitar and University of Florida Wind Symphony, World Premiere Concert. April 25th, 2023. Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, University of Florida. Gainsville, FL

Dr. Ricardo Lorenz’s new composition, Found Connections, features a plethora of different rhythmic and harmonic motifs from the Caribbean, South and Central America. This piece seamlessly melds these ideas with a couple that are right at home here in the US: jazz music and the wind ensemble. Found Connections was commissioned by Dr. David Waybright of the University of Florida and was written for his UF colleague, multi-instrumentalist and Latin Grammy Award Winner, Dr. José Valentino Ruiz. Lorenz centers the composition around the apparent dichotomy of the movements’ titles and strives to find connections between seemingly disconnected ideas. Each movement is written for a different instrument which adds to the impressiveness of Dr. José Valentino’s performance.

The first movement, “Joy and Despair,” opens with the ensemble working through the various motifs that will serve as the basis of the movement. The horns deliver a heavy but powerful rendering of the main melodic motif which is soon juxtaposed by Valentino’s light and nimble reciting of the same melodic material on flute. This heavy versus light relationship continues throughout the movement and leads me to wonder if this was an intentional musical representation of the weightlessness of joy compared to the burden despair, or a happy coincidence provided by the orchestration; the attention to detail present in the music would suggest the former. The music gains energy as it races toward an open vamp section in which Valentino improvises over a tumbao and montuno from the rhythm section. As with any improvised music, this leaves many variables up to the performer and, indeed, means that each subsequent performance contains the chance to add something new to the composition. A gradual ritardando calms the overt excitement of the first section and brings it to a resolution accompanied by Valentino’s gorgeous, wide vibrato. Coupled with a brief pause, this cadence could point to the separation of the two main ideas, joy and despair. The next section utilizes a triple meter and removes the energetic, rhythmic comping of the first section in favor of a more modal jazz-inspired accompaniment, as it quickly enters into another improvised section. The bass line in this second section is reminiscent of Wayne Shorter’s Footprints, a jazz giant that is mentioned in the liner notes as an inspiration to Lorenz. Valentino’s command of the instrument is on full display in this section as he masterfully navigates quick runs over the entire range of the instrument and incorporates extended techniques with tact and ease. The end of the movement comes with a flourish for both the ensemble and soloist who works through the range of the instrument and ends on a high note, both literally and metaphorically.

The second movement, “Spirit and Flesh,” fulfills the traditional slow movement role. The movement begins with lushly-orchestrated harmonies and brief interludes from the saxophone, before launching into an energetic improvisatory section. By writing this movement for saxophone, Lorenz has given Valentino the opportunity to vastly change the sound with which the solo line is delivered. His sound is more in line with jazz or commercial music and his tone is reminiscent of tenor saxophonists from the late eighties and nineties with its bright edge and unrelenting power. This allows the solo line to be constantly audible over several full ensemble sections that oscillate between harmonic support and sharp rhythmic motifs. Much of the development of this movement seems to be on the shoulders of Dr. Valentino, as roughly two thirds of the movement are large improvisatory sections. The peak of the movement is filled with active input from the rhythm section, powerful interjections from the full ensemble, and dense harmonic language from the soloing of Valentino. Valentino’s energetic sound fits perfectly with the intense nature of the orchestration and conveys the urgency of the moment without seeming frantic. To the contrary, his playing seems to be exactly what is called for as the ensemble works to provide harmonic and rhythmic backing to his virtuosic lines. From here, Valentino and Waybright soon guide the ensemble through a sort of development section and then to a suddenly slower ending, ushered in by the harp and piccolo, which resembles the beginning of the movement. With virtually no pause, Waybright begins the next movement’s opening vamp and allows time for Dr. Valentino to switch to the electric bass.

The final movement, “Ascend and Anchor,” finds Valentino greeted by a repeated figure in the saxophones and trumpets that gradually grows with intensity. Though this movement is written for bass guitar, Valentino also utilizes his voice in unison with the instrument, a familiar sight to jazz lovers and one that showcases the vocal dexterity Dr. Valentino possesses. The opening vamp gives way to gradual building that slows before hurtling forward at a brisk pace. Staggered flourishes are passed around the entire woodwind section in a display of virtuosity yet unheard from the ensemble. The fluttering soundscape created is carried on by Valentino, who launches into a section of rapid playing that utilizes the technique of tapping. His ability to play perfectly in time is perhaps what is most impressive about this section. Backed only by the rhythm section and the occasional exclamation from the ensemble, the solo line pushes forward and begins to incorporate other extended techniques, such as harmonics. As in the previous movements, the music seems to be building constantly. With each new section the accompaniment becomes busier. The solo, essentially an active bass line that has been heavily ornamented, becomes increasingly dense as the music approaches the next solo section. Again, Valentino deploys his voice in unison with his improvisation, a union that continues until he dives into another section of tapping. The connective tissue between each section features Valentino playing with exceptional foundational musicianship as he ornaments the bass line and supports the work of the ensemble. Once the new section starts, the bass is given the melody which finds Valentino in the high range of the instrument. The range of the melody complements the busier backgrounds in the woodwinds and gives the listener a sense of song that has, to this point, been hiding somewhere in the ensemble. This interesting usage of the bass speaks to Lorenz’s understanding of sound and texture in his orchestration and allows Valentino to show his musicality on an instrument that does not usually have the melody. What follows is a truly impressive cadenza from Dr. Valentino, during which he demonstrates the remarkable versatility of the instrument through the use of a myriad of extended techniques. The duality of both bass line and melody found earlier in the music are also represented in Valentino’s cadenza, as is a section where he chooses to sing the melody while accompanying himself. At the end, the crowd cannot help but applaud Valentino’s efforts in the cadenza as the ensemble initiates the final push of the piece. Swapping the bass for his flute, Valentino solos with vigor up to the final trill and flourish of this unique and spectacular piece.