Ninth Annual Whale & Jazz Festival Sunset & Jazz with gypsy jazz & Fats Waller swing by On The Air Sea Ranch Lodge Friday, April 22, 2011 Seatings at 5:30 and 8:00 p.m.

Overlooking a pastoral and rugged Sonoma seascape meadow, with spectacular blue and white water ocean views, Sea Ranch Lodge Restaurant rests high above the breaking waves, each table in the dining room offering a dramatic panorama of the ever-changing Pacific Ocean. The exceptional ocean views make it an excellent spot to view migrating gray whales and sunsets while enjoying fine food, wines and jazz!

Sea Ranch Lodge Restaurant is honored to be the recipient of several awards including the Sonoma County Stars - Four Star Restaurant Award in recognition for an exceptional selection of Sonoma County wines, the Wine Spectator Award and the 2008 Wine Enthusiast Award of Unique Distinction, given for dedication to delivering the most wine friendly experience. Advance reservations for this event are recommended, as space will be limited. There will be two seatings for dining, at 5:30 and 8:00 p.m. Please call (707) 785-2371 or (800) SEA-RANCH (732-7262) for information and reservations.

Jazz Artists

On The Air

Ned Ripple, guitar

A native of Lancaster, PA (accidentally born in Texas), Ned's loving parents insisted he have musical instruction on trombone and piano. Then during the folk music craze of the '60s Ned was struck by guitar mania, his parents insisting he have instruction on guitar as well. By junior high, he was involved in all manner of musical activity; marching band, orchestra, stage band, community theater, and fronting the first school rock band. And by the time he finished college, he had added banjo and bluegrass music. Fortunately, the lure of the San Francisco jazz scene was irresistible and Ned joined the migration west. There he discovered gypsy jazz virtuoso, Django Reinhardt, and was hooked. The eclecticism of his early training and experiences served him well, though, and today he's comfortable in most any jazz setting. Every jazz joint in the Bay Area is listed on his resume. He leads groups like On The Air and The Hot Club of Marin and has played in bands with most of the best local stars of hot jazz. Ned played with Paul Gruen of Bo Django for the 2008 & 2009 Dinner & Jazz events and he and Fortin played for the 2010 Dinner & Jazz event.

Dennis Fortin, guitar

Dennis Fortin, a descendant of migrant French Canadians, grew up in Southern California and learned to play guitar at the early age of seven. His father, who also played guitar, and mother, who sang in the church choir, both had a profound effect on Dennis's early musical development, love of music and sense of rhythm and harmony. Dennis moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s where he continued to play in bands and developed an interest in other forms of music beyond rock: jazz, blues, R&B, bluegrass and gypsy swing. In addition to On The Air, Dennis plays with notable Bay Area bands such as Éclair de Lune, The JayByrds, and ThirdWire. Dennis also teaches music at Cazadero Family Camp, is a veteran instructor at Bandworks, and is an audio/video systems design engineer.