Francis Vanek with RLA Trio

Francis Vanek is a tenor saxophonist and flutist originally from Pittsburgh, PA (Duquesne University) who holds a master's in music from University of Nevada, Reno where he was full-time faculty. Influenced by Stanley Turrentine and mentored by Carl Arter, he has played with Roger Humphries, J.C. Moses, Ernie Watts, Tom Scott, Eddie Daniels and David Liebman, and appeared with The Temptations, Little Richard and Martha Reeves. Now based in Fort Bragg and active throughout Northern California, he leads the RLA Trio with Tim Randles, Ken Lawrence and Mike LaBolle, performing classic jazz repertoire at Humboldt venues; Jesse Hamlin of the San Francisco Chronicle called him "a superb saxophonist."