Ninth Annual Whale & Jazz Festival Gualala Hotel & Jazz Francis Vanek & Terry Rodriguez Historic Gualala Hotel 39301 S Highway 1, Gualala Saturday, April 16, 2011 Canceled

The Francis Vanek & Terry Rodriguez Duo at the historic Gualala Hotel.

Luscious standards and up-tempo swing and bop performed by these two highly respected and accomplished musicians.

Regular menu; full bar. No cover charge. Dining reservations recommended. (707) 884-3441

Jazz Artists

Francis Vanek, saxophone

Jazz saxophone player Francis Vanek originally hails from Pittsburg, PA, where he attended Duquesne University. Later on he played in bands with Roger Humphries and J.C. Moses and studied with the great Carl Arter. His early influence was Stanley Turrentine. He holds a masters degree in music from University of Nevada, Reno, where he was a full time faculty member. While in Reno, Vanek shared the bandstand with such saxophone stalwarts as Ernie Watts, Tom Scott, David Leibman and Eddie Daniels.

His smooth sound was noticed by Jesse Hamlin of the SF Chronicle, who said of him, "...a superb saxophonist." He currently lives in Fort Bragg, CA, and plays all around Northern California including the Bay Area.

Terry Rodriguez, piano

Rodriguez lives in Oakland and has been playing jazz piano in the Bay Area for over 20 years. Although his father, Dick Oxtot, was a well-known fixture on the traditional jazz scene, Rodriguez did not begin playing until his 20s.

He has played with Eddie Henderson, Richie Cole, Frank Rosolino, Noel Jewkes, John Handy, Faye Carol and others. For the last nine years he played twice a week with former Dave Brubeck bass player Ron Croty at the Oakland Museum and can be currently heard on Fridays with trumpeter Warren Gale and saxophonist Vince Wallace at Van Kleefes on Telegraph in Oakland.

This year Rodriguez is playing at both tonight's historic Gualala Hotel with tenor sax player, Francis Vanek and with Greg D'Augelli at Arena Cove & Jazz on April 17.