The classically-trained band Secret Keeper performed at the Evening of Jazz in YJean Chambers on Sept. 21.

Secret Keeper is composed of Grammy-nominated bassist Stephan Crump, 44 years old, and 36-year-old Mary Halvorson.

Crump and Halvorson have been playing together for about five years after they met on the New York scene. They recorded their first songs in Crump’s Brooklyn home studio and gathered the songs they recorded in the album “Super 8.”

Crump said they couldn’t deny the energy and connection they have. Both describe the bond as a trust they share which allows for a certain amount of freedom within their sessions. For the pair, jazz is about expression. They said that it’s the improvisational aspect and versatility of the genre that speaks to them.

Crump and Halvorson said they both grew up in musical homes and had a love for music at an early age, with Crump showing interest at age 5 and Halvorson by age 7. Halvorson said that she drew inspiration from greats such as Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery, Joe Morris and Jimi Hendrix. Crump said he finds it too difficult to pinpoint certain artists or things that inspire him.

“There are so many people and things I draw inspiration from: artists, poetry, clouds, nature, you know? Even people just being kind to one another…all things inspire me,” Crump explained.

The audience was a mixture of old and young, including PNW instructors, student board members and passing spectators who were drawn to the room. Applause erupted at every interlude as the audience, as a whole, paid strict attention to the band.

Fans stayed behind to greet and thank the band as they purchased CD’s for $15 and commented on the level of thrill they experienced sitting in the audience.

Paul Hecht, a friend of the band since Crump’s college days, describes the band’s take on jazz as “something new that challenges our expectations and expands our musical experiences…the music shows us that we are capable of having our interests expanded and our sense of possibilities expanded.”

Crump and Halvorson both said with excitement that they would be willing to return to PNW for another performance.

Secret Keeper has composed two albums together, “Super 8” and their second album “Emerge.” Both are available for purchase.