Blue Note opens first London jazz club with Robert Glasper and Erykah Badu

The famous American jazz club Blue Note is opening its first UK location on September 23rd. The club is tucked away in the basement of the St Martins Lane hotel in Covent Garden, London, with a capacity of 250 people in the main room. The opening date was chosen deliberately: it marks the hundredth birthday of saxophonist, bandleader and composer John Coltrane, one of the most influential figures in jazz history.

The honour of opening the club goes to Grammy winning pianist and producer Robert Glasper, who has also been appointed as creative ambassador for Blue Note London. In that role he will help shape the artistic direction of the new venue. Glasper performs on the opening nights of September 23rd and 24th and returns later in the year for a seven night residency running from November 13th through the 27th. His most recent release is the 2024 live album Keys To The City Volume One. "London has been a big supporter in my career from the very beginning and I've always had so much respect for the musical culture of the UK past and present," Glasper said. "There is a deep love for music that pushes boundaries and Blue Note has always been a home for that same spirit. Starting this new club is about creating a space where jazz, R&B, hip hop and everything in between can meet, evolve and surprise people. I'm excited to build something in London that feels intimate, fearless and alive, a place where artists can take chances and audiences can experience the music up close."

Alongside Glasper, an impressive lineup of artists has been confirmed for the opening season. Neo soul singer Erykah Badu is on the bill, as are jazz pianist and songwriter Jamie Cullum, saxophonist and composer Nubya Garcia, drummer Yussef Dayes, the Afrobeat collective Kokoroko and East London singer and rapper Hak Baker. More names are still to be announced. The club has also said it will make room for surprise appearances by internationally renowned artists, something that has become a trademark of Blue Note venues around the world.

The main room hosts two shows every evening, at 7pm and 9:30pm, and stays open until 1am Monday through Saturday and until midnight on Sundays. Later this year a second, smaller room called B Side will also open, with a capacity of a hundred people and a focus on emerging British talent. Tickets for the first round of shows go on general sale on August 14th, with a presale for members and through the venue itself starting August 12th.

Blue Note Entertainment Group was founded in 1981 in Greenwich Village in New York and has since opened locations in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, São Paulo, Milan, Tokyo and Shanghai, among others. London is the company's first expansion into the United Kingdom. Co owner Tsion Bensusan described the opening as one of the most significant milestones in the organisation's history and expressed hope that Blue Note London will grow into a home for musicians and a gathering place for the community. Programming director Nick Lewis highlighted the ambition to provide a platform for both the thriving British jazz scene and top international artists, right in the heart of the British capital.

For Dutch music lovers, the opening of Blue Note London is an exciting prospect. London is easy to reach from the Netherlands and the combination of established names like Erykah Badu and Glasper alongside British jazz talents like Nubya Garcia and Yussef Dayes makes the new club a destination well worth building a city trip around.