Coming together at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Fall of 2018, Simply This Quintet was formed with the goal of reinterpreting the classic two tenor saxophone jazz ensembles of the 1950’s and 60’s in a modern jazz idiom through composition and performance of their original music. Since its inception, Simply This has been heard across central Illinois and is continuing to grow their following. Their first EP, Simply This, was released in August 2020. With the help of funding from the Presser Graduate Award received by bandleader Matthew Storie, Stepping Up was created.
