All eyes were on the stage as the Duke Ellington Ballroom slowly filled up for a night of jazz on Friday.

The audience, mainly retired folk and families with a smattering of students, enjoyed the refreshments of orange juice, water and coffee as it waited for Loston Harris to take the stage.

The decor at the Holmes Student Center’s ballroom had been specially altered for show, with soft pink lighting and intimate, six-person tables.

Ty Johnson, an electrician from Sycamore, has season tickets to CAB’s Fine Arts season, of which the show was a part.

“The shows are generally good, and it’s the best bargain in entertainment out here,” Johnson said. “I just wish more students would come out to show their support.”

Indeed, most, if not all of the students attending were with dates. The pamphlet for the show declared, “… a noted artist of both soft romance and hard jazz swing.”

When Harris and his trio – completed with trumpet player Marcus Parsley and bassist Christopher Berger – took the stage, they were greeted with polite applause.

By the end of the night, the audience was on its feet cheering. The crowd even convinced Harris to return for an encore.

The show, which lasted a little more than two hours, was filled with tunes by Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole and even a few original pieces by Harris himself, including “Wake Me At One,” which earned him a standing ovation.

Harris played the piano and sang, but was by no means a spotlight hog. Parsley and Berger both stepped up for two three-minute solos, earning cheers and applause from the audience.

In the end, the crowd seemed content, and many couples stayed to take in the evening’s remaining ambience.

This is the first event of CAB’s Fine Arts series. Its next event is Late Nite Catechism, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St.

For more information, visit www.niu.edu/cab.