When you hear the word "jazz," what comes to mind?

Smoky clubs in Chicago in the '50s? Louis Armstrong's gravelly voice filling the streets of New Orleans?

The devil's music? Upper-class academic jive? Struggling poor folks? Improvisational outcry?

The only true American art form?

If your definition is blurred, now is a great time to sharpen your own opinions because many well-respected jazz musicians are performing in the area.

For many musicians and jazz enthusiasts, there's not a uniform definition. And with Hurricane Katrina devastating the New Orleans landscape, the face of jazz is rapidly evolving.

Tomorrow night, Wynton Marsalis & the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra will be performing at the MSU Auditorium.

Drummer for the Jazz Orchestra Ali Jackson, who decided he wanted to be a musician at the age of 2, believes Katrina has revised public opinion of jazz.

"It put it (jazz) on the map for regular America — people that didn't know what jazz was or that New Orleans was actually the birthplace of jazz," Jackson said.

MSU Associate Professor of double bass and Director of Jazz Studies Rodney Whitaker acknowledges that the hurricanes were devastating to New Orleans but were not completely negative for jazz music.

"Well, I think it's dispersed the musicians, but in a way, the positive has come out of it that it has sent New Orleans musicians all over the world," Whitaker said.

Katrina brought jazz into backyards all across America, rather than just frequenting the New Orleans area. This has forced many musicians to delve deeper into the true spirit of jazz.

Don Julin, mandolin player for the Traverse City-based jazz/folk band Neptune Quartet, believes jazz is similar to other American musical styles.

"The lines kind of blur between jazz and blues and folk and rock 'n' roll, which are all kind of indigenous art forms that didn't come from Africa or Switzerland. They happened here and they all kind of happened at the same time," Julin said.

The Neptune Quartet performed Saturday night at Lansing's Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St., where they demonstrated jazz influence upon country and classical style tunes.

Crispin Campbell, the cello player for the band, understands jazz as an affirmative influence upon the younger generation.

"Kids — young people — need something that is positive to identify with that is part of American culture and I think for a lot of kids our political situation might not be something they want to identify with," Campbell said. "And American music and jazz is sort of the indigenous American art form."

Jackson, a graduate from Cass Technical High School in Detroit, has his own definition of jazz and also believes the art form is crucial to the youth of America.

"Jazz is the classic music of America," Jackson said. "Jazz is democracy."

Audience members should expect a wide variety of jazz numbers from Marsalis and his orchestra, Jackson said.

"We play everything from 'Jelly Roll' Morton to, I don't know, whatever came out last week."

Whitaker acknowledges Marsalis and his band as prominent in contemporary jazz.

"I think he's (Marsalis) an important figure because he taught my generation to be interested in the history of the music," Whitaker said. "Every aspect of music — musicianship, everything he inspired (in) us."

Whitaker went on to say Marsalis is an immense figure.

"My generation of guys that are out there playing, grew up playing R&B and funk, too. So most of us got a little bit of that in us because that is what we grew up hearing.

"But I think that sort of our sentiment, in terms of how we look at the music and how we view it — I would say Wynton Marsalis is the biggest influence upon my generation," Whitaker said.

The concert presenter at Creole Gallery, Meegan Holland, believes Whitaker is the reason the jazz scene has snowballed locally.

"I've seen the jazz scene grow so much in this area, ever since Rodney Whitaker took over the MSU Jazz Studies program and hired some spectacular faculty," Holland said.

The Professors of Jazz concert series, featuring MSU jazz professors accompanying musical guests, will be in full swing in the coming months. The next show will take place at Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre Feb. 23 with the heartfelt vocals of Kevin Mahogany.

Although Holland does feel the jazz scene is growing, she says it is still not where it should be.

"I would love to see the jazz audience — including MSU jazz students — be more adventuresome, and attend events that aren't MSU-based," Holland said.

One of those events she is talking about is the Jeff Haas CD release party March 11 at Creole Gallery. The concert will feature nationally recognized trumpeter Marcus Belgrave.

Another concert that should not be missed is B.B. King's performance March 16 at the MSU Auditorium. He's celebrating his 80th birthday with a farewell tour and has been mixing jazz and blues sounds since before Elvis swiveled his pelvis.

It shouldn't be hard to find your own solid definition of jazz locally, so keep your ear to the ground and a jazzy ticket in your hand.