Nicolás Lell Benavides’s ¡AGUAS! responded to the Zoot Suit Riots with powerful brass writing and rhythmic surges occupying the space between dance and danger. In a clever moment of orchestration, what began as the tight wooden pulse of claves unfolded into a melodic line on the xylophone. The music’s intensity seemed to echo the violent history depicted in the mural.

• Charles Burns, SFCV

“In ¡AGUAS!, Nicolás Lell Benavides takes aim at the Zoot Suit Riots that heavily impacted young Latinos, especially Mexican Americans. Mambo was the music of choice for many of the men who were targeted, and Lell Benavides uses the style’s fast-paced rhythms and brass vibrato as the foundation for the piece. The opening drum solo gives way to an even more varied line up of percussion, from whistles to ratchets to cowbells while the concertmaster engages in a call and response with the rest of the strings.”

Dalanie Harris, ICIYL