The marquee on St Martin’s Lane read “Grand Opening”, and Robert Glasper made sure the first night sounded like one. Blue Note, the New York jazz club, opened its first UK venue in Covent Garden on Wednesday 23 September, and Glasper christened the stage with a set that moved from Radiohead to Dolly Parton to John Coltrane, Jazzwise reported.
The date was chosen with care. It marked the 100th anniversary of Coltrane’s birth, and Glasper, the club’s creative ambassador, headlined both opening nights before a return run of seven shows in November.
A Set That Moved From Radiohead to Dolly Parton
Glasper opened behind a Fender Rhodes and synth with a reprise of Radiohead’s “Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box”, singing with harmonies from turntablist Jahi Sundance Lake, Kevin Le Gendre wrote in Jazzwise. Bassist Burniss Travis and drummer Justin Tyson formed what the review called a stupendously heavy rhythm section, bouncing on and off the beat in clear reference to Glasper’s hit albums such as 2012’s Black Radio.
Then the show took a turn. According to Jazzwise, Glasper left the stage while Lake spun records and Travis and Tyson improvised over them, bringing in the spirits of Dolly Parton, Crystal Waters and Technotronic, with A Love Supreme woven into the music to mark the centenary. Forbes described the same stretch of the night as a seamless medley in which Glasper moved between Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” refrain, Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, D’Angelo’s “Lady” and De La Soul’s “Me Myself and I”, linking jazz, soul, country and hip-hop.
There was a guest, too. Laura Mvula was in the room on opening night and thrilled the crowd by taking over from Glasper for one number, Forbes reported. She returns for full shows of her own on 29 and 30 October.
Why the Opening Date Was 23 September
Blue Note picked a date the jazz world would recognise. The club opened on the 100th anniversary of Coltrane’s birth, one of the most influential figures in jazz history, according to the announcement carried by Record of the Day. Weaving A Love Supreme into the opening set gave the music a surge of devotion to offset the pop mix, as Jazzwise put it, while also marking the anniversary.
The centenary runs through the autumn schedule as well. The first published list of dates includes two nights billed as Trane, with James Carter, under a Coltrane 100 banner on 9 and 10 November.
Glasper’s Role Goes Beyond Opening Night
Glasper is more than a launch act. The club named him its creative ambassador, whose partnership will help shape the culture of Blue Note London, and he returns for seven further shows in November, on the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd, according to UK Jazz News. The two public shows on 24 September sold out, Forbes reported.
He has explained what he wants the room to be. “London has been a big supporter in my career from the very beginning, and I’ve always had so much respect for the musical culture of the UK past and present,” Glasper said in the announcement. “Starting this new club is about creating a space where jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and everything in between can meet, evolve, and surprise people.” He added that he wanted to build something that “feels intimate, fearless, and alive, a place where artists can take chances and audiences can experience the music up close.”
Jazzwise judged him as good a choice as any for the inauguration: a Texan pianist with artistic credibility, commercial clout and party-hearty energy in equal measure.
Inside the Room on St Martin’s Lane
The club sits in the basement of St Martin’s Lane. Its 250-capacity main room hosts two sets a night, at 7pm and 9.30pm, and a second room, the 100-capacity B-Side, is due to open later in 2026 as a platform for emerging British artists, Forbes reported. The venue is open until 1am from Monday to Saturday and until midnight on Sunday, according to the announcement.
Julien Legeard of Legeard Studio designed the space, combining contemporary interiors with the intimacy of the original club: rich blue walls, drapery, bespoke lighting, jazz photography and the familiar Blue Note plaque tables, with sightlines and acoustics planned so that no seat is far from the stage. Jazzwise noted a swish, long bar and a raised stage that gives good sight lines across the basement.
The kitchen is part of the pitch. The announcement promised international comfort food with a British flair, and Forbes found the menu surprisingly good, from burgers and schnitzel to a tuna tartare, with a well-made old fashioned and cosmopolitan at the bar. Two membership tiers launched ahead of the opening, including a Founders Society limited to 100 members.
The Family Business Behind Blue Note
For all its reach, Blue Note remains a family-run business. Founder Danny Bensusan opened the original club in Greenwich Village in 1981, and his sons Steven and Tsion now run it, Forbes reported. Early performers at the New York venue included Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Lionel Hampton and Oscar Peterson. Blue Note clubs already operate in New York, Tokyo and Rio, Jazzwise noted, and the announcement listed sister venues in Los Angeles and Milan among others.
London had been a long-held ambition. “Bringing Blue Note to London is something we’ve envisioned for many years, and opening our doors here marks one of the most significant milestones in our company’s history,” Tsion Bensusan, co-owner of Blue Note Entertainment Group, said in the announcement, adding that he hoped the club would become “a home for musicians” and “a gathering place for the community”. The announcement also promised occasional surprise performances from major artists, a hallmark of Blue Note venues worldwide, in a city whose jazz scene was pioneered by basement clubs.
Who Plays Blue Note London Next
The first programme mixes international names with the British scene. The published schedule includes Yussef Dayes, Jamie Cullum, Nubiyan Twist, two nights billed as an intimate experience with Erykah Badu on 10 and 11 October, three nights of Nubya Garcia from 15 to 17 October, Hak Baker, Shabaka, Keyon Harrold, Richard Bona, the Cory Henry Trio, Kokoroko and a run from The Brand New Heavies in December, according to UK Jazz News.
Nick Lewis, the club’s director of music and programming, framed that balance as the point. “We’ll be welcoming some of the greatest jazz artists worldwide whilst shining a light on our exceptional emerging homegrown UK jazz scene which has been on fire in recent years!” he said. Jazzwise made a similar observation, noting that the stylistic range of Glasper’s set also defines a programme spanning several generations of British talent alongside US neo-soul star Erykah Badu.
What the Opening Says About the Club’s Direction
Blue Note has long programmed beyond straight jazz, and Forbes noted that the club’s diverse bookings continue to attract younger audiences after 45 years. Opening with Glasper, whose blend of jazz, soul, funk and electronica has given him a broad fanbase, as Jazzwise put it, signals that London will follow the same path, with a push to feature and nurture homegrown talent.
The medley itself fits a wider moment in which artists keep reworking familiar songs; blacksounds.news recently covered how Anderson .Paak and Cordae built “A Good Day” on Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day”. For Robert Glasper, the first night in London was a statement of intent for a room he will help shape, and he is back on that stage in November.
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