Jazz is Atlanta's abandoned art form. There is now an effort to change that

Jazz is America’s only original art form. It first developed in New Orleans, then traveled north as African Americans fled Jim Crow. Kansas City was a hub, followed by Chicago, New York and the entire country. The music has spread all over the world and today there are incredible musicians and clubs everywhere from London to Copenhagen, Tokyo to Tel Aviv. Atlanta also once had a large jazz scene with venues like the Bird Cage, the Top Hat, and Donn Clendenon’s Supper Club. Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams and Andrew Young ate at Paschal’s and listened to jazz at his club, La Carousel.

But as the Sweet Auburn neighborhood withered, so did Atlanta jazz. Today, there is simply no more room for the extraordinary jazz talent that calls Atlanta home. There are world-class musicians and excellent jazz education programs here, but to challenge themselves and perform in public, they mostly hit the road or migrate to cities where they can more easily exercise their profession.

This is both sad and ironic given that Atlanta is considered one of America’s great music cities. The New York Times has called us the “center of gravity of hip hop,” and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has won 27 Grammy Awards. But jazz is the lonely stepchild of Atlanta’s musical family.

I don’t want to ignore what’s out there. The Atlanta Jazz Festival has just concluded its 46th edition. Sam Yi’s Churchill Grounds was a haven until it closed in 2014. The Velvet Note does big things in a tiny space, but Alpharetta is far from the heart of the city. There are weekly jam sessions at Napoleon’s, TEN ATL and The Red Light Café, but by definition, jam sessions feature tunes that everyone knows and mix amateurs and pros. First Congregational Church, led by senior pastor (and jazz great) Dr. Dwight Andrews, offers fabulous programs several times a year. But add it all up, and there simply isn’t a true hotbed of jazz like there is in so many other American cities. And the bottom line is that Atlanta simply can’t claim to be a great city without a vibrant jazz club at its heart.

Fortunately, that’s all about to change, thanks to local jazz musicians, dedicated jazz fans, community support, and one determined jazz musician/entrepreneur. In addition to his music degrees from Emory and Georgia State, Will Scruggs also holds a business degree from Emory. With a resume that includes recording and touring with Natalie Cole, Scruggs has enjoyed great success both as a jazz musician and as a real estate investor and is combining those skills to launch a new jazz club in Decatur that will be called the Phoenix City Jazz Club. .

Scruggs and his investors are under contract to purchase Greene’s Fine Foods building in the heart of Decatur’s entertainment district. 141 Trinity Place was built in 1935 as Decatur’s original post office and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building will not only house the Phoenix City Jazz Club, but also several other related businesses. The jazz club will be the center of a universe of businesses that will live in the building, including a restaurant, a café, music rehearsal and teaching spaces, an instrument repair shop and a music studio. television/recording/podcast. The plan is to overturn the traditional jazz club model by turning the musicians and their patrons into owners of the property. For those interested in learning more about the Phoenix City Jazz Club, Will Scruggs and his projects, click here or email [email protected].

Another Atlanta organization lent its support to this endeavor. The Jazz Listeners Club of Atlanta was established in 1945 and is made up of die-hard enthusiasts of the art form and a few honorary members like composer/tenor sax legend Jimmy Heath and pianist/singer Freddy Cole, both unfortunately died during the year. pandemic. Club president Monroe Banks says, “New York has the Village Vanguard. London has Ronnie Scott’s. New Orleans has Snug Harbor. It’s time Atlanta had a jazz club of its own, and that’s why we support Phoenix City.

The Jazz Listeners Club hosted an event to support Scruggs on May 25, during which their guests heard a presentation on his vision and were treated to a private concert where Scruggs was joined by Fareed Mahluli, Tyrone Jackson, Craig Shaw and Justin Varnes. Scruggs has more such events planned. Email [email protected] for details.

Scruggs isn’t going at it alone. It has an impressive board of directors and supporters that include not only local and national musicians, but also business leaders who lend their expertise, including Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean at Emory University, and Doug Hooker, CEO of the Midtown Connector Park Foundation and former director. Director of the Atlanta Regional Commission. Scruggs said he is very proud of the community that is forming around this project: “It is inspiring to see so many musicians and enthusiasts come together around this grassroots effort to elevate and preserve this great art form. . Thanks to the Jazz Listeners Club, tonight was a great example of the community we are already building in Phoenix City.

Atlanta chose the Phoenix as its emblem after the city was burned to the ground by General Sherman. Like the mythical bird, the city rises from its ashes to become what it is today. The Phoenix City Jazz Club will also once again grow Atlanta’s jazz scene and help make our city one of the best in the world.