By Kevin Lee Associate Editor

Of the three musical disciplines with a home in “the academy,” all are present to greater and lesser extents in the Port City.

The vitality of all three? Well, that’s a bit murkier.

The classical backdrop represented by the Mobile Symphony is healthier than ever, highlighted by recent collaborations with a trio of the world’s most famous and impressive musicians: violinist Joshua Bell in late March, violinist Itzhak Perlman last year and cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 2005. Conductor Scott Speck has proven an able captain and the organization is humming along in facilities expanded and updated within the last few years.

One of the 16 oldest companies in the nation, Mobile Opera seems to be maintaining itself with aplomb. Musical Director Jerome Shannon’s departure and whispers among the organization’s hierarchy revolving the aging demographic of opera patrons are of concern but it appears they are in no danger of folding. They still host a selection of remarkable voices in time-honored tales for sizable audiences. I have faith in their resilience.

But the third discipline’s health is harder to ascertain as the presence and fate of jazz in the Port City is difficult to foresee.

The art form can be extemporaneous and kinetic then dive into something deeply reflective and personal within scant moments. Oddly, both of those sides, rather than drawing in those seeking one or the other, often seem to repel listeners. It sometimes seems too low for the high-brows and too high for the low-brows.

Unsurprisingly, what Artifice finds all-encompassing, others see as off-putting.

Despite its proximity to and shared culture with jazz stronghold New Orleans, Mobile has never really had a particularly strong jazz scene. Older aficionados say there were occasional spots to find it, but that even when jazz dominated American music in the mid-Twentieth Century, it wasn’t found much in Mobile.

What did arise in the Azlaea City were various amalgams, blues or R&B mixed with jazz elements that became staples at legendary joints like the Baby Grand in North Mobile. Later projects such as John Word’s famous Dauphin Street piano bar featured great “straight ahead” work but more at the largesse of the owner and not because it made the cash register ring.

The postulations for such are so complex, room doesn’t allow for discussion here. Check our blog at http://blog.lagniappemobile.com for more in-depth dialogue.

However, the contemporary scene is hard to grasp. Recent gains have balanced setbacks.

The Mobile Jazz Festival has faded away after two decades but the Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival has arisen to fill its niche.

Local jazz radio shows have dwindled and due to the changing nature of media, don’t seem destined to be reinvigorated. Satellite radio and iPods have picked up that slack.

The Mystic Order of the Jazz Obsessed (MOJO), a local jazz society, has brought a bit more regular focus to the genre over the last seven years, mainly through a monthly education/performance series that tackles the head and the heart at once.

Jazz sprinkles musical schedules around the area but too often it is meant as background music and not a point of focus. Some venues offer jazz on a weekly basis with varied success. Liquid Sushi Lounge in downtown hosts an exciting brand of fusion from guitar trio Vibration Configuration each Wednesday. The Royal Street Tavern in the Battle House has gotten into the game recently and a new spot, Thirty-Something Jazz Club on DIP, is going full bore with a line-up more along the smooth jazz line.

Now, April showers bring hope of musical flowers. In conjunction with National Jazz Appreciation Month, the Royal Scam bar/restaurant across from the Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel is featuring the indigenous art form on the Saturday of each weekend by highlighting various combos and voices.

Longtime Mobile drumming mainstay Jimmy Roebuck leads a combo April 5. Roebuck is known for a nuanced style that will blend well with his compatriots bearing notable resumes. Bassist Harold Floyd played with blues legend Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, keyboardist Chris Saunders was in Al Hirt’s band and now works out of Nashville and trumpeter/saxophonist Larry Carter toured with Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Fred Wesley.

The aforementioned Vibration Configuration will charge into the second Saturday, April 12, led by guitar impresario Corky Hughes. Hughes is joined by the band’s original lineup of drummer John Milham and bassist Joseph “JoJo” Morris, Jr. Rumor has it there might be the addition of a horn player for the night. Vibration Configuration will also end the month as the house band for a MOJO jam session.

The night of April 19 features vocalist Debbie Stewart fronting another ensemble with drummer Roebuck joined by keyboardist Sean Worrell and dynamic bassist Ian Combs.

Closing out the month on April 26 is vocalist Sharon Moore and Counterpoint. Moore returned to the Gulf Coast a few years ago after time spent honing her craft in Nashville and brings a versatile style to bear for audiences. She is also set to pay homage to Billie Holiday at a MOJO event in May.

All performances start at 9 p.m. and there is no cover charge.

On a related note, MOJO will host a jam session on Monday, April 28 in honor of the month’s national designation. More details on that will come in a future Lagniappe.

Meanwhile, Royal Scam owner David Rasp wants to get “jazzy” things moving in the right direction with this month-long endeavor. A hotel at the end of his block is due for completion later this year and Rasp is hopeful an influx of travelers used to jazz in other cities can help kick start a more vibrant scene in the Port City. He would be tickled if “the Scam” could an incubator for it.

They need to get out of the gate fast. There’s ground for Mobile jazz to make up in catching its “academy” brethren.

Kevin Lee is Lagniappe associate editor. Contact him at klee@lagniappemobile.com.

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