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London’s jazzophiles, here’s some exciting news. Iconic New York jazz club Blue Note is planning to open in London. The institution, which was founded in NYC’s Greenwich Village but has since expanded to cities around the world like Tokyo, Milan and Rio de Janeiro, has applied to open in Covent Garden.
Blue Note’s prospective London location is at 42-49 St Martin’s Lane, a short step from London’s beloved jazz clubs in Soho.
However, Blue Note’s route to opening a London venue hasn’t been plain sailing. This week’s application to open on St Martin’s Lane was actually a reapplication after a previous request back in February was partially rejected.
The club currently has a license that will let it stay open until 11.30pm Monday-Thursday and midnight on weekends. However, the club has said that these hours wouldn’t be enough for musicians to play two sets per night. It’s looking to have the closing time extended to 1am.
The new application would reduce the number of customers on site after midnight from 350 to 250, limit alcohol sales to certain guests and reduce Sunday opening hours. Westminster City Council's Licensing Committee will review the application today (May 1).
The OG Blue Note Jazz Club (which isn’t affiliated with equally-legendary jazz record label Blue Note) was founded in Greenwich Village in 1981 and, over the years, has hosted plenty of the biggest names in jazz. Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ray Charles and Chick Corea have all graced its stage. The club bills itself as the ‘jazz capital of the world’.
The best jazz clubs in London, according to Time Out.
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