Live Jazz in Atlanta: Where to Hear Jazz Tonight

CHURCHILL GROUNDS (Downtown Decatur)

Atlanta's legendary Churchill Grounds has a new permanent home inside the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center in Downtown Decatur. The intimate jazz club presents live music seven nights a week, with dinner and bar service during shows. Tickets include a $10 food and beverage credit, with no additional food or drink minimum.

Quick Details

• Jazz nights: Every night — Monday 8PM; Tuesday–Thursday 7:30PM; Friday–Saturday 8PM & 10PM; Sunday 7PM ($25-$50)
• Parking/Transit: Limited on-site parking; reservable spaces and street parking nearby. Decatur MARTA station is a five-minute walk
• Dress code: No formal dress code; upscale atmosphere
• Age: Most events all ages

More Details

THE VELVET NOTE  (Alpharetta)

The Velvet Note is an intimate listening room that books jazz artists almost exclusively, with a 1924 Baldwin baby grand piano on its stage. A full restaurant and bar menu runs during shows, with no food or drink minimum. The Thursday open mic is billed as Georgia's longest-running open mic jazz jam, and it's the most affordable way to experience the room.

Quick Details

• Jazz nights: Ticketed concerts most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (typically $40-$50); open mic jam Thursdays, 8PM ($20)
• Dress code: Smart casual to polished
• Parking: Free parking in Brookside Commons Shopping Center
• Age: 21+

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ST. JAMES LIVE (Camp Creek)

St. James Live is a supper club with seated shows and table service, booking jazz, R&B, soul and tribute performances Thursday through Sunday. Every guest needs a ticket, but there's no food or drink minimum, and a full dinner menu, craft cocktails, beer and wine run throughout the show.

Quick Details

• Jazz nights: Thursdays, 7:30PM, and Sunday afternoons 4PM (typically priced $35-$45)
• Dress code: Business casual
• Parking: Free in the shared shopping center lot; fills quickly at peak hours
• Age: 21+

Read the full St. James Live guide

RED LIGHT CAFE (Amsterdam Walk)

Red Light Cafe is an intimate listening room near Piedmont Park, with table seating and a full-service bar and kitchen serving drinks and snacks during performances. Every Wednesday, the Gordon Vernick Quartet hosts one of Atlanta's longest-running jazz jams. The rest of the week, the calendar covers folk, blues, funk and soul, plus comedy, burlesque and variety shows.

Quick Details

• Jazz night: Wednesday jazz jam, 9PM ($10)
• Parking: Free on site
• Age: Most events all ages

Read the full Red Light Cafe guide

NAPOLEON'S (Decatur)

Monday nights at Napoleon's belong to trumpeter Joe Gransden, who hosts one of Atlanta's longest-running jazz jams. The players are seasoned jazz musicians and the crowd is full of jazz regulars, so expect standards played at a high level. It's a full restaurant, so plan on dinner with the music.

Quick Details

• Jazz night: Monday jam, 7:30PM (free)
• Food and drinks: Full restaurant menu

ASW WHISKEY EXCHANGE  (West End)

ASW Whiskey Exchange is a distillery tasting room on the BeltLine's Westside Trail at Lee + White, and its Sunday jam is one of Atlanta's most open. Musicians rotate in and out song by song, and on a busy afternoon three or four players on the same instrument wait their turn. It's casual and drop-in: people come and go, some watch the game, and you can sit at a whiskey-barrel table, the bar or the long outdoor patio.

Make an afternoon of it. Lee + White is a walkable complex with a food hall and several breweries, and the Westside Trail runs right past.

Quick Details

• Jazz night: Sunday jam, 3PM (free)
• Food and drinks: Whiskey flights, cocktails and boozy slushies; food hall and breweries next door
• Parking: First 2 hours free; $5 for up to 5 hours

VIRTUE ROOFTOP (Midtown)

Virtue sits above 5Church in Colony Square, at the corner of Peachtree and 14th Street. Tuesday jazz comes with cushioned outdoor lounge seating, seasonal cocktails and small plates. Bring your camera: the green plant wall and the "Stay Sexy Atlanta" neon sign are two of Midtown's most photographed backdrops. Prefer a bar stool? The indoor bar opens partly onto the rooftop, so you can sit inside and still hear every note.

Quick Details

• Jazz night: Tuesdays, 6PM, saxophonist Eric Thomas (free)
• Vibe: Stylish rooftop lounge; dress up a little
• Parking: Up to 3 hours free with validation in the Colony Square deck
• Age: 21+

BREAKER BREAKER  (Reynoldstown)

Breaker Breaker sits right on the BeltLine's Eastside Trail, so Sunday jazz comes with a view of walkers, runners and cyclists passing by. The Gulf Coast-inspired seafood restaurant is built from the remains of the old Stein Steel factory, with an indoor dining room and a large all-ages patio downstairs. Upstairs, the 21+ Floridaman rooftop has its own bar, and you can still hear the music. The crowd is as mixed as the BeltLine: people walk up in workout clothes when they hear the band, next to people dressed for brunch.

Quick Details

• Jazz night: Sundays, 2PM, The Vibe Surfers (free)
• Food and drinks: Gulf Coast seafood, sandwiches and frozen cocktails; counter service on the patio, full service inside
• Getting there: Walk or bike in from the Eastside Trail. Limited free neighborhood parking nearby.

Napoleon's · Decatur · FREE
Joe Gransden Jazz Jam · 7:30 PM

Churchill Grounds · Decatur · Ticketed
Rotating Artists · 8 PM

Desta Ethiopian Kitchen · Toco Hills · FREE
Bassist Benny St. Peixe · 6 PM

Burle's Bar · Old Fourth Ward · FREE
Creosoteclone · 7 PM

Louisiana Bistreaux · Buckhead · FREE
Milkshake Mayfield · 6:30 PM

Eddie V's · Alpharetta · FREE
Tami LaRay · 6:30 PM

Roaring Social · Alpharetta · FREE
Rotating Artists · 8 PM

Virtue Rooftop · Midtown · FREE
Eric Thomas · 6 PM

Churchill Grounds · Decatur · Ticketed
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7:30 PM

Red Light Cafe · Amsterdam Walk · $10
Gordon Vernick Quartet Jazz Jam · 9 PM

Wylie Hotel · Old Fourth Ward · FREE
Saxophonist Eric Thomas · 6 PM

Buena Vida Tapas · Old Fourth Ward · FREE
Saxophonist Marquis Hare · 6:30 PM

Louisiana Bistreaux · Decatur · FREE
Milkshake Mayfield · 6:30 PM

Roaring Social · Decatur · FREE
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7 PM

Churchill Grounds · Decatur · Ticketed
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7:30 PM

Three Taverns Ponce · Old Fourth Ward · FREE
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7 PM

Trattoria Lucia · Glenwood Park · FREE
Bassist Benny St. Peixe · 6 PM 

The Select · Sandy Springs · FREE
Atlanta Jazz Quartet · 7 PM

Indigo Room · Smyrna · $5 entertainment fee
Jazz Jam · 8 PM

The Roux Kitchen · Old Fourth Ward · FREE
Saxophonist Eric Thomas · 7 PM

St. James Live · Camp Creek · Ticketed
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7:30 PM

Churchill Grounds · Decatur · Ticketed
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7:30 PM

Whitley Hotel · Buckhead · FREE
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7 PM

Pricci · Buckhead · FREE
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7 PM

The Velvet Note · Alpharetta · $20
Open Mic Jazz Jam · 8 PM

Taste Wine Bar · West Midtown · FREE
Rotating Jazz Artists · Friday 7 PM

Fermented Wine Boutique · Alpharetta · $10
Rotating Jazz Artists · Friday 7 PM

JB's Record Lounge · West End · $10 / $5 musicians
Jazz Jam · First Friday Only · 8 PM

Churchill Grounds · Decatur · Ticketed
Rotating Jazz Artists · Friday & Saturday · 8 PM & 10 PM

Indigo Room · Smyrna · $5 entertainment fee
Rotating Jazz Artists Friday or Saturday · Check calendar

The Velvet Note · Alpharetta · Ticketed
Rotating Jazz Artists · Friday & Saturday · 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM

Breaker Breaker · Reynoldstown · FREE
The Vibe Surfers · 2 PM

Azotea Cantina · West Midtown · FREE
Multi-Instrumentalist The Human DJ · 3 PM

Churchill Grounds · Decatur · Ticketed
Rotating Jazz Artists · 7 PM

ASW Whiskey Exchange · West End · FREE
Jazz Jam · 3 PM

St. James Live · Camp Creek · Ticketed
Sunday Jazz Lounge · 4 PM

The Roux Kitchen · Old Fourth Ward · FREE
Saxophonist Eric Thomas · 7 PM

Chairs Upstairs · East Point · FREE
Jazz Jam · 7 PM