Skyrocketing gasoline prices have made the idea of an easy commute most attractive. And members of the UPensemble will have a pretty fuel-efficient journey ahead of them when they put on a free show at Skyline Music in Westlake this coming Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.

Two of the them — sax man Chris Burge and percussionist Beau Lily — theoretically can just walk over to “the corral,” an outdoor stage area where the Tuesday night summer shows have been dubbed the Front Porch Concert Series. Burge and Lily already work and teach at Skyline, a full-service music store and education center (in the strip at 27010 Center Ridge Road), making this pretty much the “house” band. The third member of UPensemble, Matt Charboneau, has to come in from the Lakewood Public Library, where he holds a day job in the library’s computer-technology center.

Otherwise, they’re full-time musicians, “as much as we can be, in Cleveland,” Charboneau said. A Lakewood High School graduate, he got together with Burge, originally from Columbus, and Lisy, a native of Bar Harbor, Maine, to form UPensemble in 2000.

Their specialty is jazz, with an Afro-Cuban flavor.

“The structure is like a jazz trio,” Charboneau said. Burge plays tenor saxophone, while Lisy is on drums, and Charboneau plays an upright double-bass. They frequently improvise jazz standards to a Caribbean beat, as well as perform their own originals.

It’s so freeform, in fact, that you’ll have little luck asking what tunes UPensemble will deliver on July 11. “We don’t usually decide that until the day before, or literally a few hours before we play,” Charboneau said.

Some of the stages UPensemble have played include Crocker Park, the Tri-C Jazz Festival, the downtown Cleveland Sparx in the City events, and a favorite local hangout for serious connoisseurs, the Cleveland Bop Stop, that unmistakable copper-colored building at 2920 Detroit Ave., where you can enjoy a jazzful repertoire with minimal distractions.

“As far as a real good place for people to listen to music and pay attention to the music, it’s the Bop Stop,” Charboneau said.

Of course, at the Bop Stop, there’s a $10 cover charge. The Skyline Music Front Porch Concert series is always no cost to the listeners. Being outdoors, there is always a danger of rain, but in the event of severe weather, said Charboneau, a fallback stage is available inside nearby Picasso Steak House, 26920 Center Ridge.

It’s inside Skyline, though, that you’ll find the group’s recordings for sale.

“We have two full-length albums out, and an EP,” Charboneau said. “The most recent recording came out in November.” 

The trio plans to issue another CD before year’s end. They sometimes record live, but Burge, Charboneau and Lisy also maintain their own studio space amid the Chinese and Korean restaurants on Cleveland’s near-east downtown corridor.

For a full schedule of UPensemble UPcoming performances, check out the band’s Web site at www.up-ensemble.com, where there is also booking information for private parties. 

For more of the Skyline Music Front Porch Concert Series, which continues through mid-August, go to www.skylinemusic.com/events/events.html or phone the store at (440) 871-4140.