By FINN HARTNETT

Staff writer

Peabody enjoyed an evening of jazz on Saturday as a young quintet entertained an audience of 40 at Sunflower Theater.

The show was free, though donations could be made to the theater’s ongoing restoration project.

Red tablecloths and finger sandwiches contributed to an elegant feeling inside the theater, though cold ceiling lights cast a more clinical glow from on high.

The quintet, performing under the name “On Lease,” consisted of trumpeter Parker Holuska, saxophonist Jacoby Wells, bass guitarist Jasper Fast, drummer Bryant Young, and trombonist Alex Young.

The two Youngs are local lads.

Their grandmother, Virginia Skinner, was an organist at Peabody’s Lutheran and Methodist churches for many years, Sunflower Theater secretary Becki Yoder said.

Alex Young met the other musicians in a Wichita State University jazz band and recruited them for the performance.

Alex was largely responsible for the event taking place, Yoder said.

“He’s the one who directed it, organized it, made the arrangements,” she said.

The quintet played jazz classics like “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck and “Take the ‘A’ Train,” a signature tune of Duke Ellington’s orchestra.

The crowd was lively, with many residents clapping along.

“I thought the audience was really receptive,” Yoder said. “If you do any kind of performing… the audience makes or breaks it.”

The group played for an hour and a half.

“Everybody enjoyed it,” Yoder said. “I’m hopeful we can do a bigger one next spring.”