Miller Symphony Hall continues to bring Jazz to downtown Allentown. The monthly "Jazz Upstairs" provides listeners with an intimate clubby vibe.

The Tom Goehring Quintet is the latest offering in the ongoing series. The group bring its smooth easy groove to the Rodale Community Room, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown, 7:30 p.m. May 15.

The musicians who audiences can look forward to hearing in the Rodale Room include Roger Rosenberg on baritone saxophone. He is travelling to the area from New York City and is on tour with Steely Dan. He previously performed at Musikfest when Steely Dan performed there. He has also played with such jazz luminaries as Chet Baker and Mongo Santamaría.

"He's been a real mentor to me," Goehring says of Rosenberg. "I studied composition with him and so I was really pleased when he was able to do the CD and I'm certainly pleased that he's going to be able to make the Allentown Symphony Hall gig."

Pianist John Ballantyne has recorded several CDs, some of which feature legendary tenor saxophonist, the late Joe Henderson. Ballantyne performs frequently in the Lehigh Valley with jazz bassist Gene Perla.

Paul Wells on drums plays with Debbie Harry of Blondie and jazz vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Curtis Stigers. Wells also performs regularly in New York with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

Bassist Matt Parrish toured with renowned trombonist Al Grey, who was best-known for his affiliation with the Count Basie Orchestra. Parrish has also toured with the bands of Stefon Harris and Regina Carter. He has recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D'Rivera, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Clark Terry.

All of the musicians performing May 15, with the exception of John Ballantyne, appeared on Goehring's 2013 CD, "Reflected Journey" CD. The recording represents the first commercially available tracks with Goehring as a bandleader. It features rearranged standards and original compositions.

Goehring is a highly-regarded jazz trumpet player and composer in his own right. He performs often in the eastern Pennsylvania and New York metropolitan areas. He was a regular member of Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and appeared several of the group's Grammy-nominated CDs. He has also appeared with Gene Perla and played in numerous big bands..

These days, the 20-year music veteran is concentrating his energies on the Quintet.

"I am just trying to get work for the quintet and stay busy as a trumpet player. I'm not quite ready to go into the planning stages for another CD as of yet but that would be the next plan," he says.

"I think this time I'd prefer to do all my own compositions versus covering standards and things like that."

Goehring has had a rich education in composition through a 14-year tenure as a member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. The workshop run by BMI features renowned jazz composers who provides instruction and mentoring on composition primarily for the big band medium.

Goehring also honed his skills during the 1980s at the iconic Barry Harris' Jazz Cultural Theatre. On the weekends, the theater functioned as a nightclub, but during the week Harris, a jazz pianist, would offer master classes on improvisation to vocalists and musicians.

"It was a really great hang," says Goehring. "I learned a lot."

"The music that we are going to be performing is a really nice blend of songs from the American Songbook and jazz standards that I've arranged.

"My original writing I like a lot. I've been able to use the orchestration techniques I've learned in the BMI workshop to apply to a small group to get different textures out of a quintet setting," he explains.

"I think for anybody who is a jazz fan and for people who aren't necessarily, I think there will be something pleasing for everybody."

Tickets: Miller Symphony Hall Box Office, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown; allentownsymphony.org; 610-432-6715