The Music
About The Music
Salsa de la Bahía Vol. 3: Renegade Queens
"Renegade Queens is a welcome and necessary record of the indispensable contribution of highly talented women to the Bay Area’s rich jazz and salsa scenes.”
– Catalina Maria Johnson, DownBeat
A soundtrack to resistance. A celebration of legacy.
Released March 21, 2025 by Patois Records, Renegade Queens is a double-disc Afro-Latin anthology and documentary project that amplifies the women who shaped the sound of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Latin jazz scene — clave by clave.
For over 50 years, these musicians carved out space in a world that wasn’t built for them. They led bands. Composed. Taught. Innovated. They blended rhythms from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and the U.S., building bridges with their instruments and breaking barriers with their art.
This project — created by filmmaker Rita Hargrave and musician/producer Wayne Wallace — honors their contributions, their artistry, and their fight to be heard.
What’s Inside
Two discs of fierce, flowing music
Featuring artists like Xiomara Torres, Lichi Fuentes, Mary Fettig, and The Blazing Redheads, the album spans generations and genres — from classic salsa dura to jazz-infused descarga, folkloric fusion to feminist fire.
A parallel documentary film
Through interviews, live performances, and rare archival footage, the film dives deep into the personal histories and cultural impact of these women — the ones who dared to drum, solo, compose, and lead in a male-dominated industry.
Themes that move beyond music
Renegade Queens is about more than rhythm. It’s about resilience. It’s about being the only woman in the room — and staying anyway. It’s about mentorship, memory, and movement-building. It’s about joy as resistance.
Why It Matters
This isn’t just a compilation. It’s a cultural document.
A reminder that the Bay Area’s Latin jazz and salsa scenes were never just “boys’ clubs” — they were built by bold women who refused to stay quiet.
It’s time we said their names.
It’s time we honored the Queens.
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