When I was a young, ignorant musician circa 2013, I figured I had my work cut out for me as a great teenage drummer. I was no prodigy by any stretch of the imagination, but my self-confidence was at an all-time high. Little did I know that this was a funny phase every musician goes through when they have been playing for a few years and, especially as teens, are arrogant enough to believe they have the right to exercise independent thought just because they grew their first chest hair.

I had memorized every single hit in Yes’ first true epic, “Heart of the Sunrise,” was being madly inspired by the drum wizardry of Carl Palmer, and had learned to play Clyde Stubblefield’s legendary rhythm from “Funky Drummer.” Through prog rock and more complex rhythmic structures, I thought I was the you-know-what. I then got somewhat into jazz through prog rock and thought, “Yeah, I can do that.”

In retrospect, I’m glad I encountered real jazz musicians at the time. My world would completely shatter, demonstrably proving that I was not a great player at all. But, at the time, I was truly devastated.

Two of the perpetrators of this cerebral paradigm shift were Connecticut’s own Christian and Ryan Sans, brothers who were coaches and mentors at the Neighborhood Music School summer jazz program I attended in 2012 and 2013. I had never seen anyone play music the way they did. A highly technical yet feel-oriented drummer, Ryan’s limbs did things I never thought were possible. Christian, a prodigal pianist, was like a sage of the instrument who lived and breathed jazz piano because he was born to be remarkable. Both of their supreme musical talent was lauded by one man we all looked up to: Jesse “Cheese” Hameen II, the affable Yoda of percussion in the New Haven jazz scene.

Lucky for me, Jesse was an incredibly open-minded guy who recognized the talent that young rock musicians like me possessed and the harmonious intertwining that rock and jazz could form. This was unlike some other jazz heads, young and old, who were self-imprisoned in the Ivory Tower of the latter genre.

Other guys and gals I performed with in the rock ensembles at Neighborhood. We were not great (at the time), but we had enough talent to write and play some difficult material in rock music that Jesse appreciated.

But it was a whole ‘nother level when jazz was the genre at play. The truth was that at heart, I was a rock drummer who was overall OK and only slightly better than some at my age. So, no matter how hard I tried, my amateur attempts to be like Gene Krupa or Art Blakey could not hold up around the Sans brothers.

Even though I have grown considerably as a drummer since those ignorant days, I still would not stand a chance with Christian and Ryan, as was proven on Aug. 2 during their performance at the Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme.

The three-piece band included Christian, Ryan, and Yasushi Nakamura, all remarkably gifted musicians whose passion for their respective instruments is palpable, albeit with different attitudes.

Even with the drummer by his side, Nakamura is the most physical on the stage, his hands moving about his upright bass with force, producing a powerful reaction from his strings. His bass solos were statements rather than obligatory filling-in spaces of notes that are usually offered to supporting musicians. They would’ve stood out regardless of how many musicians on stage.

Ryan is slicker in his playing. While Nakamura makes a "bassface" during his solos, Ryan’s drumming does all the talking, with a calm and cool face attached the entire time. There’s no stress, no great exertion, just chill. The result is fluid playing around the kit that couldn’t miss a beat even if he tried.

Then there is Christian. Given the pianist’s fluid and acrobatic playing mirroring his brother’s, it makes you wonder about the synergy formed by musical siblings who, presumably, have been playing music for the same amount of time and practicing together. That’s why Eddie and Alex Van Halen were so harmonious in their approach to the guitar and drums, respectively. It is a similar case to the musically athletic Sands brothers. Christian’s fingers seem to move too quickly to calculate, but every note is a clear, precise, challenging sound in an acrobatic presentation of playing.

In conclusion, I got schooled again, and this time I am very thankful.

Other shows coming to the Side Door Jazz Club, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, are: