“Music is the closest thing to heaven we have,” attendee Nancy Sereduck said.

At least, that’s how music can feel when listening to performers in the quaint Strauss Hall at Hancher Auditorium. The Sean Mason Quartet filled this venue with traditional and contemporary jazz on Friday night.

The Sean Mason Quartet is headed by Sean Mason, a jazz pianist and composer. The other three members of the quartet include bass player Felix Moseholm, drummer Domo Branch, and trumpet player Tony Glausi. The four men met while students at The Juilliard School in New York.

For many attendees, Club Hancher performances in Strauss Hall are the best way to see shows at Hancher Auditorium.

“Here, you can just look at the artist from their eye level. It’s a little bit more personal,” attendee David Whittaker said.

Strauss Hall, filled with general admission seating, contained an arrangement of small, round tables, each accompanied by five chairs — an intimate way to meet fellow music lovers.

Similarly, every seat felt close to the musicians performing. There were several rectangular tables so close to the stage that the Sean Mason Quartet could have walked right onto them.

For others, this venue brought back memories.

“Strauss Hall reminds me of the old supper clubs,” attendee Marianne Weiss said.

For Mason, the setup on stage was simple: a piano, a bass, and a set of drums all sat in a half circle, awaiting the arrival of their players.

Even before the show began, the lighting in the room was dark, as just the stage was lit up with an array of colors from bright yellow to magenta to a dark red. As the show progressed, the lighting reflected the mood of the music, with darker colors displayed during the softer parts of songs and bright colors displayed during the more vibrant moments.

After being introduced as one of the best jazz quartets, the men took the stage. They didn’t say anything; they just began playing. All four men were dressed in suits, each outfit tweaked to show a little bit of the musicians’ personalities.

The first song the quartet played was “One United” from Mason’s debut album, “The Southern Suite,” which was released in 2023.

The song seamlessly wove together upbeat and mellow sections, almost making it seem as if the audience was listening to several songs played back-to-back.

While performing, the men made sure to have fun, often making faces at each other, especially if one of the musicians played a particularly good part, laughing with each other at said faces, and providing encouraging “yeahs” and “mm-hmms.”

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Similarly, the men engaged with the audience, mostly by pointing at people who seemed to be having a good time. Mason also told the audience, “Everyone here is beautiful,” and said he couldn’t normally make out faces in the crowd.

The men then played a preview of a new song, “Boneback,” which has yet to be officially released.

“Boneback” contained several sections to display the individual artists’ talents, including an energetic drum solo and a back-and-forth between the drums and the bass.

The quartet then played a throwback song, “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” written by Jimmy McHugh. At this point, Mason joked about how everyone should know this song.

The audience proved they knew it well, as most people swayed along, some hummed, and some even quietly sang along to the words originally performed by Dorothy Fields.

“‘On the Sunny Side of the Street’ is the good ole stuff,” Sereduck said.