Gualala Arts and Fred Adler Present “Our Great Guitars plus Clarinet”

Gualala Arts and Fred Adler present “Our Great Guitars”, a special concert event featuring four outstanding Bay-area guitarists: Randy Vincent, Ian Scherer, Joel Kruzic and Chris Doering. In addition, joining them is the concert’s featured guest performer, Robby Elfman on clarinet. The concert is set for Coleman Hall on Saturday, April 29 at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are $29 advance, $5 more the day of and are available at Gualala Arts, Dolphin Gallery, and online at EventBrite.com.

Our Great Guitars” is a perfect fit for Gualala Arts. According to Fred Adler, “Inspired by the ‘Great Guitars’ ensemble recordings and concerts by jazz guitar legends of the 1960s—Herb Ellis, Barney Kessell, Charlie Byrd and others—this performance should be stunning. I have added Sonoma County’s clarinet and sax specialist Robby Elfman to the blend for depth and variety. This event will be musically and visually artistic in every way. 

Magically inspired solos, duos and full ensemble by the Bay-area guitarists will illuminate Coleman Hall, I promise! A diverse list of classic composers will likely be included, classic gems by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Eric Clapton.” All jazz guitar styles, including European Gypsy jazz, swing and rock, blues and modern will be presented.”

Guitarist Randy Vincent has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1980, dividing his time between performing and teaching. Vincent’s students include Julian Lage, the Santa Rosa-prodigy who appeared on the 2000 Grammy Awards show at age 11. Vincent has performed or recorded with such jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson and Billy Childs.

Pittsburgh-native Ian Scherer has also spent a lifetime nurturing his craft and developing his skills. He started with the trumpet, but after three years picked up the guitar at age 14. Hv relocated to northern California where he began working with a number of regional and international acts, and in 2003 he began composing and producing soundtrack music. 

Joel Kruzic, who is one of the Bay Area’s most reliable guitarists will bring his talents to the event. A Sonoma County native, Kruzic grew up in with music, playing guitar as a child, adding the upright bass as a teen, and then pursued music as a career. He relocated to the Bay Area (from New York City) and displays an East Coast influence to his West Coast musical roots. 

Chris Doering brings his extraordinary skills on 7-string guitar. He clearly loves what he does. He has been playing and practicing ever since, moving from blues, rock and funk into jazz, along with academic studies in music theory.

Robby Elfman is a Bay Area music composer and multi-instrumentalist. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he composed his first film score at the age of 16 for an indie short, “The Spittin’ Image”, featuring Bradley Whitford. A few years later he won the coveted Music Center Spotlight Award for his jazz saxophone performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Elfman has composed symphonies, clarinet quartets, a saxophone concerto, and music for television.