The Blue Note runs two sets a night, at 8pm and 10.30pm, and those are the ones everybody books. The set worth knowing about is the third one, which starts at half past twelve and costs a fraction of the others.
Two headline sets, and a third at half twelve that nobody outside the neighbourhood books.
The three sets
Two sets run nightly, typically at 8.00pm and 10.30pm. On Friday and Saturday there is a late night series at 12.30am showcasing emerging talent, alongside a Late Night Groove series for more contemporary, genre-bending acts.
The distinction matters. The eight and half-ten sets are the booked headliners — the names on the calendar, priced accordingly. The half-twelve slot is a different programme with different artists and a different atmosphere.
For anyone who wants to hear serious jazz in a serious room without paying headliner prices, the late series is the answer, and it is the least publicised thing the club does.
The room and the hours
The club is at 131 West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village. It is open Monday through Saturday 6.00pm to midnight, and Sunday 11.00am to midnight.
That Sunday 11am open is worth flagging — it is the brunch programme, and it makes the Blue Note one of very few places in New York where you can hear live jazz over food in the late morning.
The phone is 1-212-475-8592, and the current calendar lives at bluenotejazz.com/nyc.
Where to sit
This is a small room with tables packed close to a low stage, and there is a real difference between seating tiers. Bar seating is cheaper; table seating puts you in front of the band.
There is a minimum spend attached to seating, which is standard for jazz clubs of this type and is the part that surprises first-timers. Budget for the ticket plus the minimum rather than the ticket alone.
Arrive early for the set you booked. Seating is generally assigned on arrival within your tier, so being at the door when it opens is the difference between the front and the back of the same price bracket.
What to expect from the programme
The 2026 calendar runs well beyond straight-ahead jazz — recent listings include acts like Slum Village with the Chris Rob Band and Louie Vega's Elements of Life with guest Leroy Burgess, plus midnight jam sessions.
That breadth is deliberate. The Blue Note has spent decades widening what it books, and the modern programme covers hip-hop-adjacent, soul and dance acts alongside the jazz that built the room's name.
Check the calendar before deciding what kind of night you want. Booking blind at a club with this range means you might get a piano trio or you might get a full band with a horn section, and those are very different evenings.
The Village around it
West 3rd Street sits between Sixth Avenue and MacDougal, which puts the club in the densest eating and drinking blocks in the Village. That is convenient before an eight o'clock set and essential before a half-twelve one — you need somewhere to be for the four hours in between.
Washington Square Park is a short walk and free. The Blue Note is also part of a cluster — there are several other jazz rooms within a ten-minute walk, which makes this neighbourhood the best place in the city to build a night around live music rather than a single booking.
West 4th Street–Washington Square is the nearest subway and serves a large number of lines, which makes leaving after a 12.30am set straightforward.
How jazz club pricing works
Jazz clubs price differently from other music venues and the difference catches people out at the door. There is a ticket or cover charge, and separately a minimum spend per person on food and drink.
Those two numbers are independent. A low cover with a high minimum can cost more than the reverse, so the figure worth comparing between clubs is the sum rather than the headline price. Bar seating usually carries a lower cover and sometimes a lower minimum than table seating.
The minimum is not a suggestion — it is applied whether or not you order enough to meet it, so you may as well spend it. Two drinks generally clears it at most rooms.
Late sets are frequently cheaper on both counts, which is the practical reason the half-twelve slot is such good value. You are paying less for a cover and often facing a lower minimum, in the same room with the same sound.
Practical notes
Blue Note Jazz Club, 131 West 3rd Street, Greenwich Village, New York. Phone 1-212-475-8592; calendar at bluenotejazz.com/nyc. Open Monday–Saturday 6.00pm–midnight; Sunday 11.00am–midnight, with a Sunday brunch programme. Two sets nightly at approximately 8.00pm and 10.30pm; a late night series runs Friday and Saturday at 12.30am featuring emerging talent, alongside the Late Night Groove series. Seating is tiered, with bar seats cheaper than tables, and a minimum spend applies — budget beyond the ticket price. Arrive at doors for the best position in your tier. Nearest subway West 4th Street–Washington Square. Programme and times change; check the calendar.
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Ask Karpo first
Want to know who is playing the half-twelve set this weekend and what the minimum actually comes to? Ask Karpo for the Blue Note's current calendar and set times, seating tiers and pricing, and somewhere in the Village to fill the gap before a late set.
