Jazz is undoubtedly America’s music and it isn’t dying. It’s a genre steeped in tradition that’s looking towards the future. Since opening its doors in 1981, the Blue Note Jazz Club has established itself as one of the premier jazz venues in the world and a cultural institution in Greenwich Village. Owner and founder of Blue Note In New York City Danny Bensusan had a vision to create a jazz club that would treat deserving artists with respect, while allowing patrons to see the world’s finest jazz musicians in a close, comfortable setting. Bensusan had taken jazz out of the smoky, underground clubs and into the light. Lionel Hampton, Sarah Vaughn, Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson are some of the artists who had stopped by during the past.
There’s probably no better place to get some hot live jazz in the Big Apple than the Blue Note Jazz Club. Over the years, Blue Note has been an economic engine for Greenwich Village, bringing in jazz fans from all over the world. The club receives rave reviews on a weekly basis in New York’s daily newspapers such as The New York Times and in international travel guides and magazines.
What makes Blue Note Jazz Club so special is that on a given night, anything can happen. It is not uncommon to see the likes of Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Liza Minelli, and Quincy Jones get called up on stage from the audience to sit in. Many have praised the Blue Note for being a club that allows people to be very close to the action. It can happen often to sit just a few meters from the main stage or even to see a musician signing CDs while enjoying a drink at the bar. Not many places in the world gives visitors the opportunity to see their favourite artists up close and personal.
The Blue Note Jazz Club presents a busy weekly schedule filled with multiple music sets each night. Opening acts usually start playing around 8pm, followed by another show at 10:30pm. Longer nights even hosts a late night set, which begins after midnight. All this, in a cosy and intimate atmosphere.
On Sundays, the Blue Note Jazz Club hosts its popular jazz brunch. The price of $39.50 includes show, the brunch and a drink. The menu is comprised of brunch drinks such as Bloody Mary, Screwdriver and juices, eggs Benedict, the popular Blue Note omelette, corned beef, turkey, salads, chicken and grilled black angus burger. The rest of the week, the club offers a wide selection of appetizers, pasta, soups, salads, numerous entrees and delicious desserts. Its sophisticated bar is well-known for its impressive variety of champagne, rose, red and white wine.
Blue Note Jazz Club promotes jazz talent
In addition to being one of the hottest places for jazz Big Apple has to offer, Blue Note In New York City has also launched its own record label and jazz festival. For over a decade, Half Note Records, this is the name of the label, has released a series of albums recorded live at the club – by artists such as James Carter, Avishai Cohen, Elvin Jones and Jeff “Tain” Watts. Half Blue Note hasn’t limited itself to releasing live album only. McCoy Tyner‘s 2008 album Guitars and Kenny Werner‘s 2010 release, No Beginning, No End for example, are some of the studio albums released by the record label.
The Blue Note is also tuning into the lucrative experience economy with the monthlong Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York. The festival, which began in 2011 to celebrate the club’s 30th anniversary, brings both old and new jazz talent to the stages of New York. World renowned artists like Chaka Khan, Bobby McFerrin, The Roots, Esperanza Spalding and Wayne Shorter have all performed at the event.
7 Amazing Jazz Clubs in NYC ~ Hello, Big Apple
NYC remains the best place in the world for jazz. We’ve rounded up the 7 amazing jazz clubs in NYC.
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Jazz is universal language of music
The Blue Note Jazz Club’s own success has quickly reached the other side of the pond. In 1988, Tokyo launched the Blue Note Tokyo. Taking inspiration from the Greenwich Village’s own club, the Blue Note Tokyo has rapidly established itself as one of the country’s high-end jazz venues. Japan also has a second Blue Note, in Nagoya. Blue Note Nagoya, located in the heart of the Sake District, is the place to go for all those who want to hear worldwide favorite such as Keiko Lee and Natalie Cole. You may not speak a word of Japanese, but you can be sure that you will be blown away by universal language of music! On March 19th 2003, Milan, one of Europe’s most popular destinations, saw the birth of the Italian version of the popular club based in New York. Now, eleven years since its opening, the venue is still going strong. Presenting music six nights a week (Tuesday-Sunday), and live music from September to May, the Blue Note Milano has become one of Europe’s top-class music venues.