Mobile jazz fans will have the chance to hear two well-traveled musicians share a stage with a local favorite when the Mystic Order for the Jazz Obsessed, better known as MOJO, hosts its monthly Jazz Jambalaya on Monday, March 28, at 6 p.m. The show takes place at Club 601 inside the Elks Lodge at 601 State St. in downtown Mobile, with tickets priced at $15 for the general public and $10 for MOJO members.
MOJO has been a fixture of the Azalea City’s live music scene for two decades, organizing a Jazz Jambalaya on the fourth Monday of nearly every month, pausing only during the Mardi Gras season. The recurring series is built around an intimate club setting that lets audiences hear both established local players and visiting musicians in close quarters, a format organizers say has helped sustain a steady jazz following in Mobile even as larger touring acts have come and gone.
The March installment will be led by local drummer Jimmy Roebuck, a familiar presence on the Mobile jazz circuit, who will be joined by two guest performers making the trip in for the occasion.
Keyboardist Red Young, who grew up in Texas immersed in influences ranging from classical pianist Van Cliburn to blues and country artist Delbert McClinton, has built a career working alongside a long list of major recording artists, including Dolly Parton, Cher, Eric Burdon and Linda Ronstadt. During the swing and big-band revival of the late 1990s, Young toured and recorded with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, one of the acts most closely associated with that resurgence. His return to Mobile gives local audiences a rare opportunity to see a musician with that breadth of experience in a small-venue setting.
Also joining the lineup is woodwind specialist Bob Maksymkow, traveling from Florida for the performance. Maksymkow holds a bachelor’s degree from Juilliard and spent years performing on saxophone and clarinet as a band leader and clinician with the U.S. Air Force, work that took him around the world. He has since remained active as a performer for hire while teaching at Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida. His improvisational style has made him a regular guest at MOJO’s Jazz Jambalaya over the years.
Organizers say the combination of a seasoned local rhythm section with visiting soloists is typical of what keeps the monthly series drawing repeat crowds, offering something different each installment while maintaining the same relaxed, listening-room atmosphere. More information on the series, including ticket details and future dates, is available at mojojazz.org.