Midland’s Espresso Milano is a favorite place for people of all ages to relax and enjoy some delicious drinks with friends. Every once in a while, however, people come to the shop for a different reason: to listen to the instrumental band of Bryan Rombalski and Three Worlds as they fill the small coffee shop with full, atmospheric jazz-inspired tones. With the lead of Rombalski on electric guitar, the band plays both originals and covers, always taking a completely unique takes on the songs they cover, which range from old jazz standards to the Beatles.

“I really thought it was interesting to listen to that side of music,” senior and avid guitarist Connor Wilson said. “It’s not very often that people get to hear stuff like that and its complexity is awesome.”

Rombalski interacts with the crowd in a personal and friendly manner, making conversation and often explaining some of the nuances in the band’s style that makes them stand out from anyone else. One such example was the quartal harmonies featured in one of the band’s originals, which Rombalski then explained to the small audience: while most chords in music are formed by varieties of thirds intervals stacked on top of each other to create major and minor sounds, Rombalski stacks fourths and moves up and down the neck in order to create a free-floating atmospheric sound that doesn’t seek resolution, unlike most standard chord progressions.

“Most people don’t normally listen to jazz but if you actually do, you realize how awesome the stuff they’re playing is,” Wilson said. “I would recommend anyone who is into music checking that out because it was pretty sweet.”

Bryan Rombalski and Three Worlds plays at Espresso Milano on the first and third Wednesday of each month from 8:00-10:00 p.m. For more information about the band and upcoming performances, visit their Facebook page here.

By Jasmine Purtell