Blue Note Jazz Club is a

jazz club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is lice ...

and restaurant located at 131 West 3rd Street in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. The club was opened on September 30, 1981, by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, with the

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition ...

Quintet being the featured performers for the night. The club's performance schedule features shows every evening at 8:00 pm and 10:30 pm and a Sunday jazz brunch with performances at 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. The venue has also started a bi-weekly Late Night Groove Series giving New York's up-and-coming jazz, soul, hip-hop, R&B and funk artists an opportunity to showcase their talents on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 12:30 am. The club has locations in

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and

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, Japan;

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;

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;

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;

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; and

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History

Bensusan's belief was "that if he brought big acts into a comfortable environment with great food, he could pack the house night after night."Alison Morris
"Blue Note Jazz Club now a global brand"
, Fox5NY, March 11, 2015. The Blue Note was soon established as the city's premier jazz club, with Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Canadian born drummer David Mendel,

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

, Dan Frieber,

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charle ...

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

and the

Modern Jazz Quartet The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical, cool jazz, blues and bebop. For most of its history the Quartet consisted of John Lewis (piano), Milt Jackson (vibraphone), Percy H ...

among prestigious regular performers there.Alex Beram
"Interview with Mega-Owner Steven Bensusan"
''Music Business Journal'',

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

, March 2008. Bensusan booked

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

for a full week every year. It is still considered one of the world's most famous jazz venues and one of the best known and most expensive in New York.

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and " ...

, Keith Jarrett,

, Dizzy Gillespie, and James Carter have all recorded live albums at the Blue Note.

Half Note Records

Half Note Records is the Blue Note's live record label, founded in 2001. Numerous musicians have recorded live albums at the Blue Note and released them on this label, including James Carter, Avishai Cohen,

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebra ...

Odean Pope Odean Pope (born October 24, 1938) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Pope was raised in Philadelphia, where he learned from Ray Bryant while young. Early in his career, at Philadelphia's Uptown Theater, Pope played behind a numbe ...

Charles Tolliver Charles Tolliver (born 1942) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and co-founder of Strata East Records. Biography Tolliver was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1942 and moved with his family to New York City when he was 10. During his ch ...

, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Kenny Werner,

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became hi ...

Kenny Garrett Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960) is an American post-bop jazz musician and composer who gained recognition in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for his time with Miles Davis's band. His primary instruments are alto a ...

and others. Since its founding in 1998, the label has also expanded its scope to include studio releases, including

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gr ...

's 2008 album ''

Guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

'' and Kenny Werner's 2010 release, '' No Beginning, No End''.

Festival

On the 30th anniversary of its founding, the Blue Note Entertainment Group hosted the inaugural Blue Note Jazz Festival in June 2011, with more than 80 performances in 15 venues throughout New York City. The annual, month-long event features artists who have been integral to the club's history, including

Chris Botti Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an award-winning American trumpeter and composer. In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album ''Impressions''. He was also nominated i ...

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

, Nancy Wilson, and many others.

Gallery

Program at Blue Note Jazz Club, New York City, 10 December 2016.jpg, Program at Blue Note Jazz Club, New York City, December 10, 2016 Chick Corea and John McLaughlin, Blue Note Jazz Club, New York City, 10 December 2016.jpg,

's 75th Birthday, Corea and John McLaughlin, December 10, 2016 BlueNoteJazzClub.jpg, The Blue Note Jazz Club, August, 2012 Chickcoreaband ny.JPG, Chick Corea Elektric Band, 2007 Blue Note (New York).jpg, Blue Note Jazz Club, New Year's Day, 2006

References

External links

Official website

Blue Note Napa website
{{Authority control Jazz clubs in New York City 1981 establishments in New York City Drinking establishments in Greenwich Village Music venues completed in 1981