New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club to Open Hollywood Location
New York’s famed Blue Note Jazz Club is coming to the Sunset Strip.
On Tuesday (Dec. 17), officials with Blue Note Entertainment Group announced plans to open a Hollywood location modeled after the company’s New York flagship, which is known for its intimate atmosphere, performance roster of icons and rising stars, and propensity for regularly staging world-class jazz shows.
The new L.A. club, which is set to open its doors in March 2025, will mark Blue Note’s ninth location outside of New York with venues in Hawaii; Napa, Calif.; Tokyo; Rio de Janeiro; Sao Paulo; Milan; Beijing; and Shanghai.
“We are excited to bring the Blue Note experience to Los Angeles, offering the same intimate atmosphere and world-class performances that have defined our New York club,” says Tsion Bensusan, COO of Blue Note Entertainment Group, in a statement.
As part of the expansion, Blue Note officials announced that they have inked a partnership with the LA Philharmonic to rebrand the long-running Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival as the Blue Note Jazz Festival. Presented by the LA Phil, the 2025 edition of the festival kicks off on June 14 with a full lineup scheduled to be announced in February.
“This collaboration represents a union of two iconic institutions dedicated to celebrating jazz and its profound impact on music and culture,” said Steven Bensusan, president of Blue Note Entertainment Group. LA Phil president/CEO Kim Noltemy added, “This partnership represents a shared dedication to celebrating jazz and its extraordinary artists while continuing the legacy of world-class music at the Bowl.”
The Blue Note in both New York and Los Angeles will be curated by artist, composer, producer and frequent collaborator Robert Glasper. In 2018, Glasper and Blue Note launched Glasper’s annual residency ROBTOBER. That partnership has since expanded to include events like the Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa, Blue Note at Sea and The Black Radio Experience, also in Napa.
“I’m honored to partner up with Blue Note once again for what will be a significant cultural intersection for the Los Angeles community,” said Glasper in a statement. “Los Angeles has always been a second home to me and I can’t wait to bring LA culture to the Blue Note.”
Dave Brooks
Billboard