Blue Note LA’s opening night with Robert Glasper kicks off with a bang and a hi-hat

“Who would’ve thought? Well, we’re here now,” Robert Glasper yelled to the crowd as he sat behind the keys. “This is the first public audience to be in here. Thank you for coming out and supporting… I’ve been needing this here. So I’m really happy to bring Blue Note culture to LA and Blue Note to LA. The mix.”

It was a fitting declaration for the historic debut of Blue Note LA on Thursday evening, the Hollywood outpost of New York’s legendary jazz club. Opening night on Aug. 14 felt less like the unveiling of a new venue and more like the start of a new chapter for the city’s music scene.

From the moment guests entered, the space exuded an energy that was both nostalgic and fresh. Tables were crammed close together in true East Coast jazz fashion, candlelight flickering between plates of wagyu burgers and cocktails. Along the back, a beautifully lit bar glowed vibrant blue, offering another vantage point for those who wanted to sip and watch.

Black-and-white portraits of Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ray Charles lined the walls, a reminder of the club’s four-decade legacy. No matter where you sat, there wasn’t a bad view — and more importantly, there wasn’t a bad vibe.

Before Glasper and his band took the stage, DJ Jahi Sundance—who also performs as part of Glasper’s group—warmed up the room with a set that stretched from Mobb Deep to Erykah Badu, priming the crowd with the same cross-genre spirit the pianist would later embody. By the time the stage lights came on, the room was buzzing, ready for some much-needed Los Angeles new-era jazz history in the making to unfold.

Glasper, who has become one of the most influential figures in modern jazz, wasted no time in blurring the lines between genres. Midway through “Let It Ride,” he broke into laughter: “Hold up, we’re gonna change the beat to country. I realized this song is country, and I’m also from Texas.”

Later, he dropped snippets of Thundercat and Talib Kweli, before weaving in A Tribe Called Quest’s “Bonita Applebum,” joking, “As you can see, we have musical ADD up in here.”

The arrival of Blue Note LA couldn’t have come at a more vital time. Los Angeles, despite its deep jazz roots dating back to the Central Avenue scene of the 1940s and ’50s, has seen beloved venues like Blue Whale and Steamers close their doors in recent years. The city’s jazz enthusiasts have long needed a space that balances intimacy with world-class programming — and Blue Note LA seems poised to deliver.

With a $20 food and drink minimum and small-plate offerings, the venue leans into the classic tradition while keeping things approachable. And whether you were seated at a tightly packed table upfront or nursing a cocktail from the glowing back bar, every angle carried the warmth of a room built for listening.

More than just a nod to nostalgia, Blue Note LA signals the genre’s future. Its upcoming slate includes Esperanza Spalding, Ravi Coltrane, BJ the Chicago Kid, Mayer Hawthorne, and GoldLink — a lineup that mirrors Glasper’s philosophy of jazz as a living, breathing language, open to collaboration and reinterpretation.

For Los Angeles, the message of opening night was clear: jazz isn’t just surviving here, it’s evolving. And in Glasper’s words, Blue Note LA is “the mix” — a place where past and present meet, and where audiences can expect the unexpected.

On Sunset Boulevard, where so much of LA’s music history has unfolded, Blue Note LA arrives as a new chapter. Its walls honor the giants who came before, its stage celebrates the creators of today, and its audience proves there’s still nothing like the communal thrill of live jazz.