Various Artists – Salsa de la Bahia Vol. 3: Renegade Queens (Patois Records, 2025)
Spearheaded by trombonist-arranger Wayne Wallace and filmmaker Rita Hargrave, Salsa de la Bahía Vol. 3: Renegade Queens is a mouth watering two-disc anthology that documents the often-overlooked role of women in the San Francisco Bay Area’s Latin jazz scene. Building on the foundation of the first two Salsa de la Bahía volumes, this latest installment shifts focus from regional history to gender equity. It offers a rare and overdue spotlight on female artists shaping the sound of Latin jazz in northern California.
The project’s origins trace back to Hargrave’s 2014 documentary The Last Mambo, which chronicled Bay Area salsa. Encouraged by radio DJ and journalist Jesse “Chuy” Varela, who also authored the album’s liner notes, Hargrave set out to address the absence of documentation on women in the genre. She found that female-led recordings before the 2000s were scarce. Renegade Queens not only acknowledges this gap but also provides an urgent and celebratory corrective.
Released through Wallace’s Patois Records, the album includes archival material and newly recorded tracks. Both discs begin with original compositions that highlight Wallace’s continued role as a producer and mentor.
“We Were Born to Drum” opens the first disc with an elegant, joyful big band mambo led by vocalist Christelle Durandy and featuring lyrics by poet Avotcja. Performers such as saxophonist Mary Fettig, percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz, and vocalist-trombonist Natalie Cressman, who appears alongside her mother, vocalist Sandy Cressman, anchor the ensemble.
The second disc begins with “La Mensajera,” a Wallace-arranged salsa number spotlighting violinist Sandi Poindexter, tenor saxophonist Jean Fineberg, and trumpeter Marina Garza. Garza previously led the 1990s all-female ensemble Orquesta D’Soul. These new works exemplify the present-day impact of women on the San Francisco Bay Area scene, while also honoring those who paved the way.
Several highlights selections from the compilation reinforce this delicious cocktail of past and present. Afro-Colombian vocalist Xiomara Torres appears with “Me Quedo Contigo,” a 2022 release from her debut album La Voz Del Mar, arranged by vibraphonist Dan Neville. Meanwhile, Venezuelan vocalist María Márquez contributes a 2004 recording of the traditional ballad “La Lagrima,” accompanied by percussionist Gustavo Ovalles and cuatro player Jackeline Rago.
Further back in time, The Blazing Redheads, an all-female septet active in the late 1980s, are represented with “Cosmo,” a samba-inflected tune from their 1991 album Crazed Women, composed by Goerlitz and featuring flutist Donna Viscuso.
Closing the arc of generational influence is Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Góvea, known as La Doña. The album includes the title track from her 2023 album Can’t Eat Clout, an assertive feminist anthem fusing Latin styles with reguetón (reggaeton). A rising star whose work was recently featured on President Obama’s summer playlist, La Doña exemplifies the spirit of the compilation’s title, carving out space in a traditionally male-dominated genre.
As Wallace observes, “Women in Latin jazz, they’re a community within a community, a genre within a genre.” Through Renegade Queens, that community finally steps into the center of the stage.
Artists featured:
Renegade Queens:
Patricia Thumas (keyboards), Murray Low (keyboards), Michaelle Goerlitz (timbales, bongo, güiro, clave), Sue “Suki” Kaye (congas), Joyce Baker (trap drums), Sylvia Sherman (bass), Natalie Cressman (trombone), Mara Fox (trombone), Sara Julian (trombone), Sarah Cline (trombone), Mary Fettig (1st alto saxophone, flute), Kasey Knudsen (2nd alto saxophone), Jean Fineberg (1st tenor saxophone), Robin Nzinga Smith (2nd tenor saxophone, flute), Carolyn Walter (baritone saxophone), Tiffany Carrico (1st trumpet), Marina Garza (2nd trumpet), John Worley (3rd trumpet), Sandy Poindexter (violin), Christelle Durandy (lead vocals), Sandy Cressman and Natalie Cressman (backing vocals).
Key Elements:
Patricia Thumas (piano), Robin Nzingah Smith (flute), Susan “Suki” Kaye (congas, percussion), Colin O’Leary (bass), Michaelle Goerlitz (trap drums, percussion).
Montclair Women’s Big Band:
Sonja Jason (1st alto saxophone, solo), Mad Duran (2nd alto saxophone), Jean Fineberg (1st tenor saxophone), Annelise Zamula (2nd tenor saxophone), Amelia Catalano (baritone saxophone), Ellen Seeling (trumpet, solo), Tami Ellis (trumpet), Christy Dana (trumpet), Marina Garza (trumpet), Sarah Cline (trombone, solo), Mara Fox (trombone), Becca Burrington (trombone), Tammy Hall (piano), Jan Martinelli (bass), Allison Miller (trap drums, solo).
Grupo Falso Baiano:
Ami Molinelli (pandeiro), Brian Moran (7-string guitar), Zack Pitt Smith (soprano saxophone), Jesse Appelman (mandolin), Jeff Cressman (trombone), Henry Huns (trumpet), Kasey Knudsen (alto saxophone), Lorca Hart (snare drum).
The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra (featuring Avotcja):
Sheldon Brown (alto saxophone, solo), Larry De La Cruz (alto saxophone), Mike Zilber (tenor saxophone), Marcus Stephens (tenor saxophone), Charlie Gurke (baritone saxophone), Rob Ewing (trombone), Jeff Cressman (trombone), Patrick Malabuyo (trombone), Rich Lee (bass trombone), Erik Andrews (trumpet), Darren Johnston (trumpet), Erik Jekabson (trumpet), Doug Morton (trumpet), Steven Blum (piano), Jordan Samuels (guitar), Tommy Folen (bass), Dillon Vado (drums).
Cocomama (featuring Christelle Durandy):
Christelle Durandy (lead vocals), Nicki Denner (keyboards, background vocals), Mayra Casales (percussion, background vocals), Jennifer Vincent (bass, cello, background vocals), Ariacne Trujillo (piano, background vocals), Karina Colis (drums), Lafrae Sci (drums).
The Blazing Redheads:
Klaudia Promessi (tenor saxophone), Donna Viscuso (flute), Danielle Dowers (trap drums), Patricia Thumas (electric piano), Michaelle Goerlitz (timbales, congas, hand percussion), Joy Julks (bass).
Kristen Strom:
Kristen Strom (tenor saxophone), Scott Sorkin (guitar), Ken Okada (bass), Jason Lewis (drums).
Bobi Céspedes with the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet:
Bobi Céspedes (vocals), David Belove (bass), Murray Low (piano), Michael Spiro (congas, percussion), Paul van Wageningen (trap drums), Jeff Cressman (trombone), Natalie Cressman (trombone), Dave Martell (trombone), Wayne Wallace (trombone, solo).
Xiomara Torres:
Xiomara Torres (lead vocals), Dan Neville (vibraphone), John Benitez (bass), Santiago Melo (piano), Julián Trujillo (trumpet), Harlinson Lozano (saxophone), Carlos Latoche (trombone), Maria Del Mar Goyes Rojas (violin), Alejandro Escobar (cello), Adrian Areas (quinto), Cununo (conga), Miverr Andrés Mina Grueso (timbales), Paola Ponce, Jhon Edinson Garcia Sánchez, and Ciro Silva (coros).
Mary Fettig:
Mary Fettig (flute), Marcos Silva (keyboards, hand percussion), Chico Pinheiro (acoustic and electric guitars), Scott Thompson (6-string electric bass), Celso Alberti (drums), Michael Spiro (congas).
Kat Parra:
Kat Parra (vocals), Murray Low (piano), Peter Barshay (bass), Paul van Wageningen (trap drums), Katja Cooper (darbuka, riq, bells), Masaru Koga (flute), Anthony Blea (violin).
Maria Marquez:
Maria Marquez (vocals), Sheldon Brown (soprano saxophone), Bob Crawford (keyboards, synth strings), Michaelle Goerlitz (percussion), Gustavo Ovalles (Venezuelan percussion), Jackeline Rago (Venezuelan cuatro), Saul Sierra (baby bass).
Carolyn Brandy:
Carolyn Brandy (batá drums, percussion), Paul van Wageningen (trap drums), Marc van Wageningen (bass), Molly Holm (vocals), Melanie Rath (vocals), Susan Muscarella (piano), Melecio Magdaluyo (soprano saxophone).
Jackie Ryan with the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet:
Jackie Ryan (vocal), David Belove (bass), Murray Low (piano), Michael Spiro (congas, percussion), Paul van Wageningen (trap drums), Wayne Wallace (trombone).
La Doña (Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Góvea):
La Doña (vocals and composer).
Sandy Cressman:
Sandy Cressman (vocals), Ian Faquini (acoustic guitar), Scott Thompson (bass), Phil Thompson (drums), Jeff Cressman (trombone), Natalie Cressman (trombone), Harvey Wainapel (tenor saxophone), Michael Spiro (percussion).
Buy Salsa de la Bahía Vol. 3: Renegade Queens.
Author: Madison Quinn
