But both musicians were gravitating to straight-ahead jazz by the time the younger Frost finished high school. That transformation started when he heard the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Sonny Rollins. In a way, it’s not surprising that Frost would have been attracted to the music of both Chicago-based bands. Members of both groups played jazz before switching to more pop-orientated music.

Maurice White — Earth, Wind Fire’s leader — played drums for the Ramsey Lewis Trio in the 1960s. Those jazz influences can be heard in the music of both bands. However, once Frost saw how much creative freedom jazz musicians have, he quickly gravitated toward the music. Boris believes jazz’s creativity and freedom is leading audiences back to live jazz. Boris says it was possible for a jazz musician to find work every day in South Bend in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Boris often found work in bands that included Trio’s owner Herb Wilson. “Around that time, dance clubs became more popular, and clubs were hiring DJs to play music and not hiring bands,” Boris says.