Churchill Grounds

Churchill Grounds joins Atlanta’s jazz community in remembering and celebrating the life of Dr. James H. Patterson, a musician, educator, mentor and historian who made his transition only a month ago. His influence reached across generations. For us, his story carries a particularly meaningful connection as students he mentored graced the stage at Churchill Grounds and those same students went on to bring music to stages across the world.

As our friend and accomplished saxophonist Frank Houston remembers, Dr. Patterson would bring the legendary Mary Lou Williams to Clark Atlanta to spend time with students, giving young musicians the rare opportunity to learn directly from one of the masters of the music.

That spirit of mentorship, of one generation passing the music, its history and its possibilities to the next, is at the heart of the jazz tradition. It is also part of the legacy we hope to honor at the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center and Churchill Grounds.

We are grateful to Frank for allowing us to share his personal remembrance of a man who meant so much to him and to Atlanta’s musical community.

Thank you, Dr. Patterson, for a lifetime devoted to the music, the students and the community. Your legacy plays on.

So you think you know jazz?

You don't have to know jazz to know you enjoy it, but if you'd like to know more, check out the Jazz Theory Course being offered at the brand new Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center. Just like one of our incredible instructors, Dr. Tyrone Jackson, Churchill Grounds has always done its part to keep jazz alive in Atlanta, will you do your part to help us continue that legacy?

Post. Like. Share. Thank you to those who already have spread the word. We see you and appreciate you doing your part.

So you think you know jazz?
Do you really know jazz?
Starting with the African rhythmic traditions kept alive partly through communal gatherings like those at Congo Square, and then moving hearts and souls with a touch of
Blues and spirituals and church music, contributing the "blue notes" and emotional phrasing central to jazz.
Do you know about Ragtime— a syncopated piano style popularized by composers like Scott Joplin, which fed directly into early jazz rhythm and structure.
Add the European harmony and instrumentation — brass band traditions (think marching band) and classical harmonic structures blended in.
Top it off with New Orleans' unique culture — the cultural melting pot of French, Spanish, Caribbean, African, and American influences, all mixing more freely than in most other parts of the U.S. at the time.
So you think you know jazz?
You don't have to know jazz to know you enjoy it, but if you'd like to know more, check out the jazz history course being offered at the brand new Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center. Details are on our website. Churchill Grounds has always done its part to keep jazz alive in Atlanta, will you do your part to help us continue that legacy?
Post. Like. Share. Thank you to those who already have spread the word. We see you and appreciate you doing your part.
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New courses to be offered in our new building! See the link below for details. Fall semester starts in just a couple of weeks. The website provides details on how to sign up for classes.

Jazz Academy | Scruggs Woodwinds 2 Scruggs Woodwinds was founded with a simple mission: to keep jazz alive by teaching it the way it was meant to be learned — through community, mentorship, and real musical connection.

Meet Luis & Yanin, the couple behind Clave- Our Restaurant Partner

Spend a little time talking with Luis and Yanin, and it doesn't take long before the conversation moves between food, family and music. That's probably because, for them, those things have always belonged together. Both are musicians. They grew up in homes with instruments around, raised kids who play music, and brought live music into their restaurants simply because it was something they loved.

Now they're bringing all of that to Clave, our restaurant partner inside the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center and the team that will also be serving food and drinks inside Churchill Grounds. Even the name has music in it.

The clave is the rhythmic foundation at the heart of Afro-Cuban music. In Spanish, the word can also mean the key or the essential thing. For Luis and Yanin, it felt like the right name for a place where Cuban culture, food and music come together.

And then there's the food. Yanin calls it a "jazzy combination."

There will be traditional Cuban dishes and fresh pastelitos, but also flavors they grew up loving here and new creations inspired by the music and artists coming through the Jazz Center.

"We're going to have a base menu, but creations all the time... something that goes with the music, almost like a creative process."

Sounds a little like jazz to us.

We couldn't imagine better neighbors or partners to share this next chapter with.

Welcome to Clave.

100 Years of Miles Davis 🎺
Born May 26, 1926, Miles Davis didn't just play jazz — he kept reinventing it, and in the process reshaped everything music could be. From the cool, restrained lines of Birth of the Cool to the modal breakthrough of Kind of Blue (still the best-selling jazz album of all time), to the electric shock of Bi***es Brew, Miles refused to stand still. Just as you thought you understood him, he moved on to the next sound.
That restlessness rippled way beyond jazz. Rock, funk, hip-hop, ambient, electronic — you can hear his fingerprints in genres he never even touched himself, because he taught generations of musicians that space, tone, and risk matter more than showing off.
Churchill Grounds has witnessed hundreds of trumpeters come through its doors. Countless styles across generations. Every single soul they reached with every note played was in some fashion influenced by the man, the legend, Miles Davis.
Here's to the next generation of artists who will push boundaries.
Here's to the spaces, like Churchill, that provided a space for the art. Here's to every musician who continues to carry the spirit of jazz. It's not about showing off. It's always been about showing up.
100 years on, put on Kind of Blue, turn the lights down, and listen to what silence between notes can do.
🎶 Which Miles era hits hardest for you — cool, modal, fusion, or something else? 🎶

We are grateful to have been featured once again by Decaturish as part of the MLWJC and we appreciate the support and interest everyone has given us over the course of this endeavor. The labor of love continues! Please click on the link below to access the article.

Historic post office becomes home for jazz in Decatur Cornerstone Jazz Collective purchased the historic former Decatur Post Office at 141 E. Trinity St. with plans to transform it into a multiuse jazz center. The center, opening in stages later this year, is named for Atlanta native Mary Lou Williams, the pioneering jazz pianist, composer and arranger...

Joe Seymour, owner and operator of TenATL, made his transition on July 24, 2026, leaving behind an immeasurable impact on East Atlanta Village and the greater Atlanta community.
In 2018, Joe Seymour and Sam Yi formed a friendship rooted in their shared love of jazz. Not long after, around 2020, that friendship grew into a collaboration that elevated the spirit of Atlanta's jazz jam sessions to another level. The music pouring from the musicians was matched only by the vibrancy of the audience. TenATL quickly became the place where internationally acclaimed jazz artists would drop in to play alongside Atlanta's incredible local talent. By 2023, Joe and Monday nights at TenATL had become synonymous with Sam Yi and Churchill Grounds. Their respect for the music and the culture in Atlanta was unwavering.
This past Monday, TenATL was once again filled with the music, friends, and community that Joe loved so deeply. Surrounded by his daughters, musicians, and friends from across Atlanta's jazz community, those gathered celebrated his life the way he would have wanted. It was a fitting reminder that while Joe may no longer be with us, the community he helped build continues to bring people together.
Joe was a part of Churchill Grounds and he always will be. As we carry the vision forward we want to THANK Joe for his work that kept the brand, spirit, and community alive. And we are SORRY that he didn't get so see Churchill open and that dream realized.
Thank you, Joe, for believing in Atlanta's musicians, for creating a home where jazz could thrive, and for reminding us that great music is ultimately about bringing people together.
Rest easy, our friend. Your legacy will live on in every note.

People often ask how Churchill Grounds became part of the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center. It is a simple truth.

After leaving the FOX Theater location, SamYi never stopped working to bring Churchill Grounds back in a more permanent home. Sam gathered a small group of investors, including myself and Joe Seymour, and together we purchased a building in East Atlanta Village. Before Sam’s untimely passing, we had finished architectural design and had even identified a builder to complete the work.

In one of our last conversations, Sam spoke positively about the jazz project being developed in the historic Decatur Post Office, which would ultimately become the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center. Sam believed deeply in what founder Will Scruggs and a diverse group of investors were trying to build.

With the help and support of Sam’s family, we continued working hard to bring his vision for Churchill Grounds to fruition after he passed, which is when Joe Gransden suggested that we connect with Will Scruggs to explore possibilities. The more we talked, the more the partners came to understand that we shared a vision with Scruggs and the MLW Jazz Center for the future of jazz in metro Atlanta – a vision centered around community, education, and a musician-forward culture that values artists and their music just like Sam did.

Once the strength of our common vision was clear, those of us entrusted with writing the next chapter of Churchill Grounds happily accepted an invitation to join forces and open the performance space in the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center as the new Churchill Grounds.

The Mary Lou Williams Jazz Center is a multipurpose hub for performance, education, recording, and community engagement named in honor of Mary Lou Williams, a pioneering American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Born in Atlanta in 1910, she helped shape jazz from early swing through bebop and beyond, serving as a mentor for Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillsepie, Thelonious Monk, and many others.

This Jazz Center has the opportunity to positively impact Atlanta, the Southeast, and the broader global jazz community for generations to come. Integrating the Churchill Grounds culture and brand creates a permanent legacy in Sam's memory.

I hope all of you will join me in supporting the MLW Jazz Center. As the doors open this Fall it will be up to us -- the metro jazz community -- to ensure its sustainability. All of us who love jazz and want to see it thrive can help by spreading the word as ambassadors and participating as patrons to support performances, educational opportunities, community programs and the destination restaurant.
Sincerely, Tyler West