Forget the smoky, dimly lit lounge with only the loud cry of a saxophone to voice the exhaustion felt by the retired workers in their seats.

Drawing open ears to the playful dancing of piano playing, the warm thud of the bass and the foot-tapping hustle of the drums, the Marcus Roberts Trio wants to redefine our notion of jazz.

The Marcus Roberts Trio is set to perform New Orleans Meets Harlem at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Marcus Roberts, bass player Roland Guerin and drummer Jason Marsalis expect to come full circle with their performance of 14 pieces from Thelonius Monk, Duke Ellington and Scott Joplin.

"We want to try to take some of the mystery of when [people think] of jazz," Roberts said. "Unfortunately, I think some people view the music as one-dimensional, or above them and too complicated."

Although the trio expects to cover the works of jazz masters, the jazz improvisations guarantee a new twist and shuffle every time.

"The jazz music is in their own style. Typically performances are two hours, [but] they could play longer because they're playing off the enthusiasm of the audience," said Laura Sullivan, Eisenhower director of marketing and communications.

Playing for nearly 10 years, the trio's success has come from their ability to feed off of one another's diverse musical talents. The trio has toured internationally, and recorded and played with symphony orchestras.

"They all have very quick musical reflexes," manager Lynn Moore said. "It's most fascinating to watch because you can see the interaction among the members, [this] sort of a musical conversation."

Roberts is also an assistant professor at the School of Music at Florida State University when not touring, having played the piano ever since he lost his sight at 5 years old.

"Almost everywhere they go, they have regular concerts, but they usually have some kind of educational program to try to teach younger musicians to play the music and learn about the music," said Moore.

New Orleans drummer Marsalis has been playing alongside Roberts since the age of 17, characterized by his degrees of rhythmic layers and constant motion.

"Marsalis is amazing because he's able to keep many different rhythms all at once without losing time," Roberts said. "When you hear him play you get a real broad palette of rhythm and groove."

Having studied with jazz clarinetist Alvin Batiste, Guerin enriches the sound of the piano and drums with his unique country swing.

"Guerin comes from a musical family and influence of the history of jazz as well. He's very influenced by the folk musicians of the '70s and I try to showcase [his talents] quite a bit," Roberts added.