The legendary New York jazz institution is opening its first UK venue this September, in the basement of the St Martin’s Lane Hotel, and it’s arriving with a genuinely serious lineup.
We told you Blue Note was coming to Covent Garden earlier this year. Now it has a date and a lineup to match. Blue Note Jazz Club opens on 23 September, the ninth Blue Note worldwide and the first ever outside continental Europe, Asia, the US and South America. The date isn’t an accident either, 23 September would have been John Coltrane’s 100th birthday.
Who’s playing first
Five-time GRAMMY winner Robert Glasper headlines the grand opening on 23 and 24 September, then returns for a further seven shows in November. He’s also taking on a creative ambassador role for the venue, helping shape its direction beyond just playing the opening nights.
“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,” Glasper says. “I’m excited to build something in London that feels intimate, fearless, and alive, a place where artists can take chances and audiences can experience the music up close.”
The first drop of shows also includes Erykah Badu, Jamie Cullum, Nubya Garcia, Yussef Dayes, KOKOROKO and East London rapper Hak Baker, with a full autumn and winter programme already booked out to December. Every date below runs two sittings a night, 7pm and 9.30pm, and more shows are still to be announced.
September
- Weds 23 & Thurs 24 Sept: Robert Glasper (grand opening)
- Sun 27 Sept: Yussef Dayes
- Mon 28 & Tues 29 Sept: Jamie Cullum
- Weds 30 Sept: Nik West
October
- Thurs 1 Oct: Nik West
- Fri 2 Oct: Nubiyan Twist
- Sat 3 Oct: The Banger Factory
- Thurs 8 & Fri 9 Oct: Jamie Cullum
- Sat 10 & Sun 11 Oct: IMEHO, an intimate experience with Erykah Badu
- Weds 14 Oct: Emily Bear
- Thurs 15 to Sat 17 Oct: Nubya Garcia
- Sun 18 Oct: Hak Baker
- Mon 19 & Tues 20 Oct: SHABAKA
- Thurs 22 & Fri 23 Oct: Steamdown x NYJO
- Sat 24 & Sun 25 Oct: Keyon Harrold
- Mon 26 Oct: The Soul Rebels
- Sat 31 Oct: Milena Casado
November
- Mon 2 & Tues 3 Nov: Richard Bona
- Sun 8 Nov: Brandee Younger
- Mon 9 & Tues 10 Nov: Trane, James Carter’s Coltrane 100 tribute
- Fri 13 to Sun 15 Nov and Thurs 19 to Sun 22 Nov: Robert Glasper (residency)
- Fri 27 Nov: Jazzanova Live feat. Wayne Snow
- Sun 29 Nov: Tank and the Bangas
December
- Thurs 3 Dec: New Regency Orchestra
- Fri 4 Dec: Waaju x Majid Bekkas
- Sat 5 to Mon 7 Dec: Cory Henry Trio
- Sun 13 to Tues 15 Dec and Sun 20 to Tues 22 Dec: The Brand New Heavies
- Weds 16 Dec: KOKOROKO
Two rooms, two sets a night
The main room holds 250 people across two shows nightly, 7pm and 9.30pm. A second, smaller room, B-Side, will open later in the year with a 100-person capacity and a specific focus on emerging British talent rather than the touring international names filling the main stage.
Getting here hasn’t been entirely straightforward. Blue Note’s licensing application was partially rejected back in February 2025, with the full licence only granted that May, so this September’s opening caps a genuinely uncertain road to actually landing in Covent Garden.
Beyond the music, expect a full kitchen running dinner service throughout the week, built around what the venue describes as international comfort food with a British flair, and a cocktail programme mixing classic technique with house specials. The room itself was designed by Julien Legeard of Legeard Studio, deep blue interiors, heavy drapery, and the branded plaque tables that have followed Blue Note to every city it’s opened in.
The London x London Take: London has never been short of serious jazz venues, Ronnie Scott’s is a five-minute walk away, but a brand with Blue Note’s global pull landing here properly, rather than as a one-off pop-up, says something about where the city’s jazz scene is right now. Book early if Glasper, Badu or Garcia are on your list, a 250-capacity room for names this size will not stay easy to get into.
Need to know
- Where: Blue Note London, 42-49 St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4EJ
- When: Opens 23 September 2026, main room shows nightly at 7pm and 9.30pm
- Tickets: Membership presale from 10am Wednesday 12 August, venue presale from 10am Thursday 13 August, general sale from 10am Friday 14 August
- Website: bluenotejazz.com
