With every riff, scat and improvised melody, Jazz Pensacola is passing the torch

To many, jazz is just background music for their everyday lives, an instrumental white noise that plays as they read, shop or sit in waiting rooms.

For members of Jazz Pensacola, however, jazz is a lifelong love.

Some of the most electrifying keyboard players now play from a wheelchair and some vocalists clasp the microphone with wrinkled fingers. But through the decades, they have kept the genre alive. The music has kept them feeling young in return, as they work to spread the love to future generations.

Jazz Pensacola is a nonprofit that's been working to advance jazz in Pensacola since 1983.

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Newly elected Jazz Pensacola president Derrick Fishback, a Jazz Fest photographer and active supporter of Jazz Pensacola, said he intends to keep the youth at the forefront of Jazz's Pensacola's long-term mission.

"Jazz is not dead, but it does need energy," Fishback said.

Jazz Pensacola hosts a monthly Jazz Jam where musicians can play for fun, and enthusiasts can come and enjoy the music.

Swanky, sequin-studded outfits could be mistaken for dress code at jazz jams. When the band kicks in, toes start tapping and one raspy vocal and a filthy baseline are all it takes to make everyone in the room forget everything except the stage.

Between sets, attendees share chit chat and glasses of white wine, and regular performers are flagged over to tables and greeted as local celebrities.

Singer Ellen Vinson is one of the longtime staples of Jazz Pensacola.

Onstage, she tells a story with every note, sometimes scrunching her shoulders and tilting her head back to belt out a chorus, sometimes mixing in a little dance step during the musical breaks.

Sometimes, she'll flash a knowing grin to her granddaughter Tori Vinson, a 17-year-old senior at Pensacola High School.

The teen sometimes joins her grandmother onstage, doing her own renditions of classics like Frank Sinatra's "I Won't Dance." As the chorus hits, she hops around stage and sings with the same flair as her grand grandmother.

"She's a natural," another vocalist whispered across the table as they waited to perform.

Tori Vinson has been watching her grandmother sing since she was a baby, and now holds her own batch of musical interests and aspirations.

"Jazz is definitely my connection to her," she said.

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The teen said most people her age associate jazz with a modern-day movie portrayals of it, such as Ryan Gosling's "La La Land," rather than the big names, history or cultural significance of the genre. Her favorite part of the genre is the scatting or improvisation that comes through with the artists' personal music choices and artistry.

Vivian Lamont, an 83-year-old vocalist with Jazz Pensacola, said her infatuation with music began in a similar way.

"I started singing in the church solos when I was 5 years old. My grandmother played piano in the church," she said. "I just love it; I feel like I'm a part of it."

Her inspiration led her to launch the Belmont Youth Band nearly 20 years ago. She would drive to pick her students up from their homes so they would not miss concerts.

"I wanted to make sure they did something with their lives," she said. "It kept them out of trouble."

Now, her legacy is visible, as several have gone on to become professional musicians since.

Donna Blackmon, a 75-year-old vocalist with Jazz Pensacola, said she thinks back to her childhood being born into a family that lived and breathed not just jazz, but music of all genres.

"Our house was all music," she said "It's the thing you wake up to every morning after you say your prayers, you put your music on. It's the way it's supposed to be."

She remembers looking up to famed jazz musician Nancy Wilson as a young girl, who she would eventually meet at a concert in Honolulu.

"I fell in love with Nancy Wilson's voice, and I decided I needed to be her," Blackmon said.

When she finally met Wilson and confessed how much she idolized her, she said Wilson advised her, 'There's already a me. You need to be you.'"

Now when Blackmon takes the stage, honoring Wilson in her rendition of "Save Your Love for Me,"  it's unmistakably Blackmon.

She said it's the responsibility of the seasoned musicians to pass down their experience, but also encourage the youth to pursue their own paths of artistry.

"The older people are responsible for it (jazz) to remain alive. We've got to keep it going. It's not a dead art, not as long as there is someone to teach them," Blackmon said. "They (the younger generation) have to learn from us. But I know that we learn from them too.

"They need to be here," Blackmon emphasized.

Lawrence Young, jazz musician and band director at Booker T. Washington High School, said teaching jazz is not only about teaching technical skills, but teaching the culture.

"You have to kind of live the culture to play jazz successfully," he said.

Young said there is a level of "grooving" that comes with jazz when it is played right.

"You want to dance. It connects with the body and the heart," he continued.

Fishback, the new Jazz Pensacola president, said through all the places he has traveled, whether it be Prague, the Czech Republic or Estonia, a jazz community has existed and transcended every language barrier.

Jazz Fest remains one of the most frequented events hosted by Jazz Pensacola, with next year's festival marking the 40th year.

Jazz historian and Pensacola Jazz Fest founder Norman "Norm" Vickers said the festival has stood the test of time.

"Someone had to do it," Vickers said of starting the festival 40 years ago. "(Jazz) is expressive and fun. It still is a lot of fun!"

Fishback said by providing exposure to Pensacola's budding jazz scene in daily life apart from the momentum of the festival, such as having musicians play on the streets at Gallery Night or provide free workshops for the youth in the area, the community can continue to grow and thrive.

"Jazz only survives because of the community that supports it," Fishback said.

More information on upcoming events for Jazz Pensacola can be found at jazzpensacola.com. The next monthly Jazz Jam is from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 7 at Odd Colony Brewing Co. at 260 N. Palafox St.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Jazz Pensacola keeping jazz active through Jazz Fest and Jazz Jams