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Jessica Valiente
A conservatory-trained classical musician, she began to expand into jazz improvisation and studies of traditional musics from all over the world about 10 years into her classical performance career. Her musical interests reflect her family's mosaic heritage, including African-American traditional and popular styles, music of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, and indigenous music of both North and South America. She specializes in Afro-Cuban and other Latin styles, Brazilian choro, straight-ahead jazz, early music, and performs on traditional Native American style courtship flutes and the Andean quena as a soloist.
Her debut in the Latin music scene came when she took over the flute chair in the conjunto of legendary mambo/pachanga-era bandleader, Orlando Marín, while also frequently performing with the critically-acclaimed bilingual Spanish/English theater company, Teatro Pregones. During these years, she also maintained her position in the world of early music (her first love), performing on recorders and renaissance flute with the internationally-renowned bilingual Italian/English commedia dell'arte troupe, I Giullari di Piazza.
Today, Dr. Valiente is known primarily as the musical director of Los Más Valientes, the salsa and Latin jazz ensemble that she has been directing since 1995. Together, she and her band have produced and released three CDs on the Laughing Buddha label, and one on the 706 Music label, all of which have received wide critical acclaim. She also performs on flute and piccolo with the Brazilian choro ensemble, Choro Down Neck, while staying in touch with her classical music roots, as flutist with the chamber ensemble Trio Non Sequitur, and as recorderist and baroque flutist with the Fieldstone Early Music Ensemble. She has had a long career as a private teacher, and has taught music at Brooklyn College, John Jay College, Baruch College, University of Bridgeport, New School University, Mercy College, and the John J. Cali School of Music of Montclair State University.
Awards
2014-2015 recipient of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) American Dissertation Fellowship for her dissertation on charanga entitled: “Siento una Flauta: Improvisational Idiom, Style, and Performance Practice of Charanga Flutists in New York from 1960 to 2000.”
Tags
"A tight and engaging ensemble. Not a weak spot on the album." Dave McElfresh, Jazz Now
"Valiente...has a fresh approach to the flute that is very appealing. She has some competition...Valiente stands out from all these through conception rather than raw technique. That she has technique I can attest...But she also has a wealth of knowledge about both jazz and Latin forms..." Peter Westbrook, AllAboutJazz.com
Primary Instrument
Flute
Location
Newark
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
B.A. Music, Barnard College/Manhattan School of Music Cooperative Degree Program M.A. Music Performance, Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, CUNY D.M.A. Flute Performance, CUNY Graduate Center Availability and locations: Sundays and Weekdays: Montclair, NJ Saturdays: Belleville, NJ In-home lessons and remote lessons via Skype available by appointment, upon request. Conditions apply. 2016-2017 rates: $60/hr at my location, $75/hr in-home, $40/hr via Skype (conditions apply) for information or to register, please visit http://theglobalflutestudio.mymusicstaff.com/
