Outdoor jazz concert to pay tribute to the former Dante’s Down the Hatch

Singer Tony Hightower is among the musicians who will perform and pay tribute to Dante's Down the Hatch during the outdoor concert.

Credit: Courtesy of Tony Hightower

Credit: Courtesy of Tony Hightower

Singer Tony Hightower is among the musicians who will perform and pay tribute to Dante's Down the Hatch during the outdoor concert.

Jazz Matters, a nonprofit dedicated to keeping live jazz alive in Atlanta, will remember music performed at the former Dante’s Down the Hatch during a concert at Wren’s Nest on Friday.

Dante’s Down the Hatch was a jazz club restaurant in Buckhead and Underground Atlanta that drew crowds six nights per week for 43 years, before closing in 2013.

Bassist and Jazz Matters co-founder Edwin Williams performed with The John Roberston Trio at Dante’s for 23 years. Williams is among the performers at Friday’s outdoor concert which also includes singer Tony Hightower.

The outdoor event will include musicians reminiscing on performing at Dante’s.

Restaurateur Dante Stephensen, who died in July 2020, opened Dante’s Down the Hatch in 1970 in Underground Atlanta and relocated the operation to Buckhead in 1981.

Wren’s Nest, located in Atlanta’s West End, is the historic home of author Joel Chandler Harris, known for his Uncle Remus Stories.

Tickets for the concert event are $30 for individual seats and $400 per table of 10. Attendees are welcome to bring alcohol and picnic baskets.