Jazz is hard work.

And Thursday night at Stephens Auditorium, jazz legend David Sanborn and his band proved it.

With lots of energy to spend and lots of music to give, Sanborn and his clan kicked off the night with Marcus Miller’s “Chicago Song.”

Without missing a beat, the jazz players moved right into favorites from Sanborn’s old album, “Upfront,” including “Benny” and “Spooky.”

It wasn’t until the band had played for awhile that Sanborn slowed down to introduce himself and his fellow bandmates. Seemingly humble and reserved, the saxophone player welcomed the audience and quickly moved on to the next tune.

Throughout the concert, Sanborn used his saxophone to convey his emotions and his facial expressions to show the audience what he was feeling.

In the category of musical versatility and expression, every one of Sanborn’s band members mimicked him to a “T”.

In the form of descending parallel thirds and minor-to-major modulations, every musician, from the B-3 organ player to the percussionist, gave nothing less than everything.

After the band had been playing for about two hours, the musicians looked physically exhausted.

Not only had each musician played his instrument at the level of a virtuoso, but each man had put all of his energy into every last note.

When the band was finished with their last encore, the six musicians took one big bow in the middle of the stage and walked off quietly. They had given everything they had to give.