Annette A. Aguilar is a San Francisco Nicaraguan jazz and rock drummer, percussionist, bandleader, producer, and educator based in New York City.
She founded the Women in Latin Jazz Festival and is a U.S. State Department Latin Jazz Ambassador.
StringBeans is Aguilar’s ten-piece ensemble. It has been playing Latin and Brazilian jazz for 30 years in 2022. The band is named for its use of string instruments.
Basically Aguilar is an artist at the top of her game, who uses her girl power to elevate the next generation of women artists in jazz. Respect.
Come to think of it, women are the guardians of culture, and Aguilar is a jazz angel.
Annette A. Aguilar in New York City
Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans celebrate the Women in Latin Jazz Festival with Latin jazz, Brazilian jazz and salsa; featuring Camile Thurman, Ariacne Trujillo, Katherine Jimenez, Catarina dos Santos; in the Main Theater at Hostos Center in Mott Haven, The Bronx; on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 8pm. $25, live-stream $10, students $5. hostos.cuny.edu 🇳🇮 🇧🇷 🇨🇺 🇵🇷 🇺🇸
If you have daughters, bring them so they can see what a woman can be today. This is some serious girl power!
Featured Artists
- Camile Thurman on tenor sax and vocals. @camillethurman
- Ariacne Trujillo on keyboard and vocals. @ariacnetrujilloduran 🇨🇺
- Catarina dos Santos on Brazilian percussion and vocals. @catarinadossantos 🇧🇷
- Katherine Jiménez NY mambo dancer (Alvin Ailey, “In the Heights.”). katherinejimenez_official
OMG. Aguilar gets it that where there is Latin music, there is dance.
StringBeans
- Annette A. Aguilar leader on conga, drums, marimba, and Brazilian percussion. @aaabeans 🇳🇮
- Deborah Resto on vocals.
- Rob Thomas on violin.
- Jennifer Vincent on cello.
- Eddie Venegas on violin and trombone.
- Karen Joseph on flute.
- Reut Regev on trombone.
- Ellen U. Adams on concert harp.
- Nicki Denner on piano and vocals.
- Ricky Rodriguez on electric bass.
- Renato Thomas on percussion.
- Willie Martinez on timbales and vocals.
- Norberto Goldberg on drums.
How do you define this? Latin jazz: Cuban, but with Haitian and New Orleans influences. So we are Yoruba (Nigeria) and Dahomey (Benin). Brazilian jazz derived from samba, so we are Kongo (Angola and the Congos). Salsa, so we are Indigenous and Puerto Rican, but a little of everyone in New York. And Yoruba and Dahomey and Kongo are all mixed together in the Americas. Annette is Nicaraguan American. Oh and those string instruments are European, Arab, and Persian. This is a crazy good mix. This is Latin jazz.
The Annette A Aguilar Trio, featuring Uruguayan guitar hero Bele Beledo, plays late night jazz on New Year’s Eve morning at the Uptown Garrison in Hudson Heights, Manhattan on Sunday, January 1, 2023 from 1:30-4:30am. No cover. 🇧🇷🇳🇮🇺🇾
Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans, with guests Randy Brecker and Ada Rovatti, play Brazilian and Latin jazz and salsa at Hostos Center in Mott Haven, The Bronx on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 8pm. Live $20 ($5 students). Streaming $10. cuny.edu 🇧🇷🇮🇹🇳🇮
This concert has some serious heavy hitters, and is an unusual meeting of rock and latin jazz. Randy Brecker is a seven-Grammy winning jazz and rock trumpeter (Blood, Sweat & Tears; Jazz Messengers; Eliane Elias). Ada Rovatti is an Italian jazz saxophonist and regular Brecker collaborator.
The show’s lineup is:
- Annette A. Aguilar, percussion and leader
- Karen Joseph, flute
- Nicki Denner, piano
- Jennifer Vincent, cello and bass
- Laura Dreyer, saxophone
- Sofia Tosello, vocals
- Eddie Venegas, trombone & violin
- Rob Thomas, violin
- Rubén Rodríguez, bass
- Renato Thoms, percussion
- Benny Koonyesvky, drums
Annette A. Aguilar & StringBeans
As an American Latin, Aguilar brings diverse influences into her music. We love her story because it is representative of who we are as Latins – the great mix (a little bit of everyone).
Born and raised in San Francisco to Nicaraguan parents, Aguilar grew up in San Francisco’s rock scene.
Aguilar has played with a long line of rock, rhythm and blues, Latin jazz and pop stars. She also performs on Broadway. She’s played Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. She was a percussionist for The Grateful Dead, played with members of Santana, and even Sheila E who is another amazing woman percussionist.
She studied classical music at San Francisco State, has a Masters from Manhattan School of Music, and another Masters in music education from City University of New York. She also studied Latin music at Boys Harbor Conservatory and with the Fort Apache Band. [Hint: get as much education as you can. It helps.]
Most Latin drummers are men, but Aguilar breaks that glass ceiling in the most elegant way. Just keep up with her if you can. Today nobody things twice about it, but back in the day, a woman percussionist was revolutionary. She founded the Women in Latin Jazz Festival in 2014.
Annette is now seeding the next generation of artists. She currently teaches percussion at the Third Street Music School Settlement in the East Village, and the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music.
Aguilar gives a lot of love through her music. In return, she is much loved by New York City’s Latin Jazz community. Annette A. Aguilar is a true force of nature.
