AIM Ensembles

GLOBAL GROOVE 
Photo Credit: Marco Sanchez

DEREK SMITH, MARIMBA, is a California native who has been playing percussion ever since his mother bought him a drum set at age five, and he continued to study music passionately throughout his childhood. Derek discovered the steel pan when he saw the 30-piece Humboldt Calypso Band playing at Humboldt State University and decided to study music to join the band. He became a professional musician, studying in Trinidad, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. During his time in Trinidad, Derek performed in the national “Panorama” competition with a 100-member band entirely made up of steel pan! He has appeared on a variety of recordings, and he loves to perform all types of music.

AARON GERMAIN, DOUBLE BASS AND UKULELE, began his musical career in Massachusetts, and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 20 years. Playing both upright and electric basses, he plays diverse genres of music and even composes his own music! Aaron has performed with musicians such as Yusef Lateef, Stanley Jordan, Randy Brecker, Paul McCandless, and many others. Aaron has toured all over America and the world and has even performed at the Great Pyramids of Egypt! He has three albums of original music: Before You Go, Chance, and Bell Projections.

ROBERT RANGEL, CONGAS, has been immersed in music since childhood. His father was both his first inspiration and his first teacher! Over the years, Robert has worked diligently to develop music versatility—he loves to transcend barriers between salsa, jazz, R&B, and rock. Robert plays with multiple bands throughout the Bay Area, including Northern California’s top cover band, Pop Fiction, and his father’s 10-piece salsa band, Orquesta America. Robert also teaches percussion and has been featured as a percussionist on many recordings. He has percussion endorsements with Latin Percussion, Soultone Cymbals, and Vater Percussion.

MARLON ALDANA, CAJÓN, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is a multi-genre musician and educator based in Oakland. Throughout his career, Marlon has been part of many acts exploring different music styles such as jazz, flamenco, salsa/timba, funk, rock, Brazilian, cumbia, reggae, and more! He has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Grammy Award winner Antonio Rey, legendary Bay Area rumbero John Santos, the Oakland Symphony, and many more. He has toured around Mexico and the United States with a wide variety of bands and labels. Marlon is now building an independent recording studio and writing some music of his own.

MUSIC MAKERS AND SHAKERS
Photo Credit: Marco Sanchez

PEDRO ROSALES, PERCUSSION & VOCALS, was born in Lima, Peru. Percussion has always been a passion for him. At age 14, while taking classes in Lima, he discovered the cajón as his main musical instrument. In 1992 he traveled to San Francisco, co-founding the experimental ensemble Malambo Kombo with pianist Jorge Molina, mixing Afro-Peruvian elements with rock and jazz. Pedro has also accompanied the most accomplished Peruvian touring singers and artists for more than two decades. He co-founded De Rompe y Raja Cultural Association, which works for the preservation and diffusion of musical traditions from the coastal region of Peru.

JOSE ROBERTO HERNANDEZ, GUITAR AND VOCALS, was born in Tabasco, Mexico, where he learned to play a multitude of instruments from the real masters: his pueblo’s street musicians. Early on in his musical education, he learned to play the baroque flute, and soon after turned his attention to what he describes as his lifelong companion, the guitar. Jose Roberto studied at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Música in Mexico City, where he also learned to play the charango, cuatro, traditional flutes, tres, vihuela, violin, and countless percussion instruments. Today, Jose Roberto plays more than 40 traditional Latin American instruments, and he also works as a singer, composer, and producer.

BRAULIO BARRERA, PERCUSSION AND VOCALS, was born in Lima, Peru. Coming from a family of cultivated musicians and singers of Creole Peruvian music, Braulio was always fascinated by the sounds of his native instrument, the cajón. At age 19, Braulio began his professional career as a percussionist and vocalist in Peru. His musical versatility led him to become one of the lead musicians to perform with Cecilia Barraza, one of Peru’s most respected singers. In 2000, Braulio began touring across the U.S. with various artists, ultimately deciding to take up residence in California as a full-time musician. This move led to opportunities for teaching, composing, and performing Peruvian and Latin American music with numerous cultural groups, including playing cajón on the soundtrack for the award-winning film, The Motorcycle Diaries. He is a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra.

JAVIER TRUJILLO JURADO, GUITAR, was born in Lima, Peru. His father was a sound engineer, so Javier grew up around a recording studio, where as a child he experienced many different types of music. He went to the National Conservatory of Music in Lima, Peru, where he studied classical guitar. While at school, Javier traveled and performed all around South America. He then received a scholarship to study musicology at UC Berkeley. Currently, Javier plays Brazilian and Latin jazz music with different bands all over the Bay Area. He also teaches classical guitar at Holy Names University, BAM Academy of Music, Los Cenzontles, and the Vibo School of Music.

CAMINO TRIO

Photo Credit: Marco Sanchez

ANNA MARIA MENDIETA, HARP, began playing the harp at age seven after seeing the beautiful singing harp in Disney’s Jack & The Beanstalk. She now plays with orchestras and chamber music groups around the world. Anna Maria is the principal harpist with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, and has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Ballet, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Russian National Orchestra, among others. She has performed for Pope Benedict XVI, the King and Queen of Spain, and both US and international presidents. Anna Maria has recorded for movie soundtracks and for many of the video games you play! 

TEO DAGE, CELLO, is currently studying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Amos Yang and Richard Aaron. Born in the Bay Area, he has lived in many places, from Los Angeles to Austin to Seattle. In his free time, he loves hiking and baking.

GAIL EDWARDS, FLUTE, has a diverse and active musical life as a performer, teacher, and conductor. She is the longtime piccolo player with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and the Modesto Symphony, and she also performs with many regional orchestras in the San Francisco area, including the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet orchestras. Gail enjoys playing chamber music with a variety of instruments and performs as a soloist. When she’s not making music, Gail loves sharing her passion for the flute with students of all ages.