This article explores the legacy of Sausalito jazz drummer Michael Aragon and how a Marin-based nonprofit is turning his lifelong passion for music and children into opportunities for foster and underserved youth across Marin County. From Sausalito and Mill Valley to San Rafael and Novato, his influence stretches far and wide.
Table of Contents
Discover hand-picked hotels and vacation homes tailored for every traveler. Skip booking fees and secure your dream stay today with real-time availability!
Browse Accommodations Now
Remembering a Sausalito Jazz Icon
For over thirty years, Friday nights in Sausalito meant hearing Michael Aragon at the No Name Bar. For 36 years, he transformed that modest waterfront spot into a kind of jazz sanctuary for fans from Tiburon, Larkspur, Corte Madera, and all around the Bay Area.
He was more than a drummer. Aragon brought a deep spirituality and generous heart to every gig, making everyone who walked in feel like they belonged. His set lists were never the same, but his mission always was: connect, uplift, and share love through music.
A Final Curtain Call, On His Own Terms
After years battling Parkinson’s disease and prostate cancer, Aragon chose to end his No Name Bar residency in 2019. He didn’t leave because the music faded—he simply wanted time with family and to enjoy the quiet moments that Marin County and Santa Rosa still offered him.
On January 25, 2024, Aragon passed away peacefully at home in Santa Rosa at 79, surrounded by loved ones. For folks in Sausalito, Mill Valley, and San Anselmo, it felt like an era closed, but honestly, his beat still lingers.
A Legacy of Love for Children in Marin County
Aragon’s bond with young people, especially those in tough situations, was clear to regulars from San Rafael, Fairfax, and Novato. They’d seen him quietly give away his tip jar more than once, especially to support foster youth and kids on the margins.
Through the hardest parts of his life—including losing his children and his late wife—music stayed his compass. That same resilience and compassion now fuel a Marin nonprofit created in his honor.
The Aragon Foundation: Turning Rhythm into Resources
To keep his spirit alive, Aragon’s cousin Carrie Souza and social worker Haley Mears started the Aragon Foundation. This nonprofit funds music, art, and dance education for foster and underserved kids all over Marin County.
The foundation’s programs reach into communities like Novato, San Rafael, Mill Valley, and Sausalito. They want to open doors that are too often closed for kids in the foster system.
The Aragon Foundation takes the kindness of a No Name Bar tip jar and spreads it across Marin’s towns—from San Rafael’s canal to Mill Valley’s hills, even the houseboats of Sausalito. It’s a big-hearted idea, and it just feels right.
“Love in My Pocket”: A Song, a Story, a Marin Memory
Souza and Mears didn’t just launch a nonprofit. They also wrote and recorded a tribute song, “Love in My Pocket”, capturing the warmth and quick compassion that defined Aragon’s life from Sausalito’s waterfront to Santa Rosa’s streets.
The song was inspired by a tense night at the No Name Bar, when things could’ve gone sideways. Aragon defused it with his calm, spiritual presence—the same vibe he brought to every show. He’d always say, “it’s all about the love.”
From Short Film to Documentary: “The Beat Goes On”
To keep his story alive for Marin and beyond, Souza and Mears produced a short film, “Michael Aragon: The Beat Goes On.” It’s a love letter to both the man and the jazz culture woven through Sausalito, Mill Valley, and Marin County.
They’re hoping to expand the short into a full-length documentary. The film will capture his journey from gigging on Bridgeway in Sausalito to inspiring new musicians in places like Ross, Belvedere, and Greenbrae. Rhythm, once shared, never really disappears—it just finds new hands and new hearts, doesn’t it?
A Bench by the Bay: “It’s All About the Love, Baby”
If you wander through Gabrielson Park in Sausalito these days, with ferries gliding toward San Francisco and fog drifting over Richardson Bay, you’ll spot a memorial bench for Michael Aragon. Folks from Larkspur, Corte Madera, and honestly, all around, tend to pause and check out the inscription.
His mantra is there: “It’s all about the love, baby.” It’s a simple phrase, but honestly, it feels like a roadmap—one that now shapes the Aragon Foundation as it brings music, art, and dance to foster and underserved kids throughout Marin County.
From the No Name Bar to a park bench in Sausalito. From Santa Rosa to San Rafael. Michael Aragon’s beat keeps going—not just as a memory, but as a living, creative pulse for the children he cared about most.
Here is the source article for this story: Marin County drummer Michael Aragon’s legacy: A foundation for young people in music, the arts
Find available hotels and vacation homes instantly. No fees, best rates guaranteed!
Check Availability Now
Cities and Towns in Marin County
Things to Do in Marin County
Places to Stay in Marin County
