Blue Note, the New York jazz institution, has opened its first UK club on St Martin's Lane in Covent Garden, The Times has reported. The club opened on 23 September, a date chosen to mark the 100th birthday of John Coltrane, and joins 11 Blue Note venues worldwide, from Tokyo to Milan. Five-time Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper headlined the opening night, with guest vocals from Laura Mvula, and the opening season includes Erykah Badu, Jamie Cullum, Nubya Garcia, Yussef Dayes, Kokoroko and Hak Baker, with 15 shows already sold out.
The club has a 250-person main room running two shows a night, and a second 100-person room, B-Side, opens later in 2026 to champion emerging British talent, a significant boost at a time when grassroots venues continue to struggle.
Blue Note Entertainment Group president Steven Bensusan said:
"I think a lot of new jazz music is coming out of the UK market and London in particular. It's important for us to be here and it took us a while to find the right location."
Cllr Tim Barnes, joint Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council, said:
"Westminster City Council has a strong track record in supporting small music venues.
"Eight years ago, I led the introduction of a UK-first scheme for grass roots music venues, like the iconic 100 Club, to be zero-rated for business rates.
"It's fantastic to see another world-class venue opening up here that will help build the future of live music in London."
Blue Note joins a West End jazz scene that includes Ronnie Scott's, which has launched "Upstairs at Ronnie Scott's" ahead of its founder's centenary in January 2027, and the Soho Jazz Festival, which ran earlier this month.
You can read Ellie McDonald's article in The Times in full here.
