Atlantic Station Resident to Open Jazz Restaurant

Frank Taylor is ready to share his love of jazz with the foodies and socialites of Atlanta.

The Atlantic Station resident, who has been in the music business since 1989, is set to open Acoustix Jazz Restaurant and Lounge in West Midtown on March 24. Located on Marietta Street in the space that once housed restaurants such as La Vida Mexican Cantina and Utopia Martini & Tapas Lounge, Taylor plans to serve "great food" alongside live jazz music. 

"This has been a vision of mine for years," said Taylor, who runs Taylord Music Group off Defoor Hills Road in southwest Buckhead. 

"I'm trying to go back to the traditional jazz," Taylor said, noting his love of intimate jazz spaces like Churchill Grounds on Peachtree Street in Midtown.  "I want to go back to scatting ... I want it to feel like Harlem or New Orleans."

Acoustix will eventually feature three spaces: a restaurant, a lounge and a VIP room with a private entrance. The restaurant and the lounge will open first. Each has its own stage for jazz performers. 

All the food on the menu is named after jazz greats. Try the "John Coltrane," a 16-ounce New York strip steak or the "Ella Fitzgerald," a roasted herb half-chicken with garlic whipped potatoes. 

Taylor said he envisions spoken word nights with a live jazz backbeat and opportunities for amateur jazz singers to take the stage.

Overall, Taylor hopes to enhance the jazz scene in Atlanta. "I want to bring more culture," he said. "For me, it's going to be mostly about the music."