When veteran jazz man Lenny Price decided to form a quartet that explored contemporary jazz in a new way, he chose an intrepid explorer as the group’s icon. And thus, The Galileo Quartet was born.

“We tend to favor small contemporary ensemble pieces while paying homage to the classics like Miles Davis,” Price said.

The Galileo Quartet performs Oct. 20 at Collective Visions Gallery in Bremerton.

The group consists of Price on saxophone, Gregg Lyman on bass, Marshall Bilodeau on drums and Bremerton native Dan Taylor on keyboards.

The group formed at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, where all four were students. Price, 42, went back to school to earn a masters in music after a lengthy career as a professional musician, last performing with jazz guitarist Earl Klugh.

While jazz began as a rebel sound, escaping the confines of classical music, it has become encased in the boundaries of rules put down by jazz aficionados who decree what jazz should sound like. For diehard jazz fans, anything newer than Miles Davis or John Coltrane is not really jazz.

Price wants to break out of that box with fresh new arrangements of contemporary jazz tunes.

“Jazz is the music of change and evolution,” Price said.

He has found a willing group of acolytes in the young members of the quartet.

“They’re too young to know how hard what I’m asking is,” he said.

The group formed in 2004 and played their breakout gig at the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland as part of the college’s jazz band set.

“That really set us on the right path,” Price said.

Another step on that path is the release of their first CD, Live at the Starlight.

Chris Bruya, director of Jazz Studies at CWU, said of the band in the CD’s liner notes, “Each member of the Galileo Quartet has played professionally with a number of players. But what has been so gratifying to hear is the collective voice of the group take shape — one shaped by experience, youth, broad musical influences and creativity. It is a group concept and sound that can stand the test of time, the ears of critics and will spawn musical directions as yet to be determined for all.”

For keyboardist Taylor, the Collective Visions concert will be a homecoming show. Taylor graduated from CWU with a degree in music and moved back home to Bremerton. He is currently teaching piano at a private piano studio in Southcenter.

He’s hoping he gets a good turnout of his friends at the concert.

“I have a lot of friends who haven’t heard us,” he said. “Now they’ll finally get to see what I do every weekend.”

Taylor has been in jazz bands and combos since he was 13, as well as several garage rock bands. He also performed with local bands Jazz Menagerie and the Chester Avenue Jazz Band with Bub Pratt.

He is currently the hired gun keyboardist for the Olympic College jazz band, Jazzline.

Taylor shares Price’s enthusiasm for the sound The Galileo Quartet is producing.

“I think what we’re doing is kind of unique, with newer contemporary jazz from the ‘80s and ‘90s plus old standards. It’s a good mix,” he said.

Collective Visions Gallery has had good luck with jazz groups in the past, but for those who may think they wouldn’t enjoy a jazz concert, Taylor has some advice.

“If people don’t normally come out to see jazz they should come to this concert — we’re really entertaining.”

The Galileo Quartet performs 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at Collective Visions Gallery, 3331 Pacific Ave., Bremerton.

Tickets are $15 advance, $18 at the door. Advance tickets available at the gallery or by phone at (360) 377-8327.