The Beat Goes On: The Michael Aragon Quartet

Michael Aragon's legacy as a jazz institution is centered on his extraordinary 36-year residency as the drummer at the No Name Bar in Sausalito, considered the longest-running jazz gig in the Bay Area. The article highlights the evolution of his Michael Aragon Jazz Quartet, which served as the heartbeat of the venue every Friday night. Key players who shared the stage with Aragon over the decades included pianist Dick Conte and bassist Chuck Sher at the start in 1983, sax master Vince Wallace, and guitarist Jackie King (with whom the group once recorded an album with Willie Nelson). In its final, long-running iteration, the quartet comprised Aragon alongside saxophonist Rob Roth, bassist Pierre Archain, and pianist Casey Filson (KC Filson). This musical brotherhood defined Sausalito's nightlife for a generation.