REXBURG—Before their music was available to stream, Isaac Ballif and Davey Miller were two high school musicians learning how to play together. Now, the BYU-Idaho music performance students have turned that connection into an instrumental album, “The Want to Know.”
Ballif, a bassist, and Miller, a drummer, both grew up in musical families. Their connection began before they became friends: Miller’s father taught Ballif music lessons for years. They later recognized each other in jazz band at Madison High School, where shared rehearsals and performances helped their friendship grow.
The album brought guitarist Addison Ballif, Isaac Ballif’s brother, into the collaboration. Addison wrote most of the tunes, and all three musicians helped arrange them for the group.
Some of the music existed before the trio decided to record an album. They performed several tunes at a jazz conference in New Orleans, Louisiana in January, where conversations about making an album began. Rehearsals, gigs and recording sessions followed, leading to an August release.
The album’s title grew from a conversation about where Ballif might want to live someday. The idea expanded into wanting to understand people, possibilities and the future before knowing what direction to take.
That sense of exploration also shaped the music. Although the tunes had melodies and structure, the musicians left much of each performance open to improvisation.
“The only thing that we had planned is kind of who’s playing where. Very little was actually written out,” Ballif said.
That freedom allowed the pieces to evolve. Some arrangements sounded different from what the trio originally imagined, requiring them to keep experimenting until they found a version they liked. Finding time to gather and set up recording equipment was another challenge.
Drawing inspiration from jazz fusion and guitarist Pat Metheny, the album invited listeners to approach it with an open mind. Its instrumental tracks move through different moods without lyrics telling listeners what to feel.
For the musicians, releasing the album gave their performances a life beyond the room where they happened.
“I think it’s really nice to have it be out there and not just sitting with us in our heads but to point to people like, “Hey, I did this thing … if you want to check it out, it’s over here,” Miller said.
Listeners can hear Ballif and Miller perform tonight during a concert in the Snow Building at BYU-Idaho. Although they won’t perform as the album’s trio, the two continue to play together through their education.
“The Want to Know” is available on Spotify and Apple music. While the musicians hope listeners find their own meaning in the album, they also hope something of the friendship behind it comes through.
“I hope that they can kind of hear how much we like playing with each other,” Ballif said.