The Blue Note Jazz Club has been bringing jazz to life in an intimate setting since 1981.
Located at 131 W 3rd St. in Greenwich Village, the family-owned club has always prided itself on highlighting a variety of artists, whether they have big followings or are just getting started in the industry.
“What’s really been a priority is just making sure that the Blue Note feels like a home for artists and making it a really comfortable performance space and like a home type of vibe,” said Alex Kurland, Director of Programming and Talent Buyer for Blue Note. “Artists appreciate that it enables artists and fans to feel comfortable and to have experiences that are that are very memorable.”
The club boasts an intimate setting, making audiences and artists alike feel at home. Artists who come and play the Blue Note will often do multiple nights or short residencies to allow themselves to fully immerse themselves into not just the Blue Note, but New York City’s music scene as a whole.
“Typically in the music industry, artists may play one night at a venue and then have to go to the next venue, or maybe it’s two nights at a venue,” said Kurland. “But at the Blue Note, there are many cases where an artist may perform 3, 4, 6 nights. Having a home base where artists feel like it is very artistically supported, that’s what’s really important to us.”
As the talent buyer, Kurland is often looking for artists old and new who embody the spirit of jazz and the Blue Note. The team is adamant about making sure each show is an artist-led experience, which often means holding multiple shows for an artist or group.
“It depends on the artist and their goals, how they feel about it and what they’re comfortable with presenting, but there are many cases where an artist may be playing at the Blue Note for multiple nights and they’re actually presenting a variation of projects from night to night or a variation of collaborations, meaning bringing in other artists to perform with,” said Kurland. “That has always been our goal for artists to have experiences at the Blue Note that are meaningful to them, I feel like that’s our responsibility.”
And being in such an iconic neighborhood in New York City, the venue will often lean into the history of Greenwich Village.
“The history is so unbelievably deep just within three blocks of the Blue Note, let alone thirteen blocks of the Blue Note,” said Kurland. “We’re surrounded by an overwhelming amount of musical and artistic history, historic moments that have occurred within feet of the Blue Note that we recognize and acknowledge every day.”
Beyond New York City, Blue Note has experiences throughout the world and recently expanded into Los Angeles. Located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, the new venue boasts two performance spaces, one with the capacity to seat 200 people and 100 in the other. The new club is expected to open this March.
“The community of Los Angeles, the musician community, the presence of Blue Note within music culture, that’s been a driving factor and us wanting to continue to expand and to develop. It’s been a goal of ours to open up in LA,” said Kurland. “As much as we honor the culture of New York City and Greenwich Village, having a Blue Note in LA will represent and reflect characteristics and qualities of Los Angeles, and it is important to embrace the culture and the environment that we’re within.”
Coming up for Blue Note’s lineup include esperanza spalding, The Roots, Ron Carter and Terrance Martin, to name a few.
“We’re fans first, music is so special and important to us,” said Kurland.
For more information about Blue Note, visit bluenotejazz.com.
