The club was opened on September 30, 1981, by owner and founder Danny Bensusan, with the Nat Adderley Quintet being the featured performers for the night.

[4] Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, and James Carter have all recorded live albums at the Blue Note.

[6] Numerous musicians have recorded live albums at the Blue Note and released them on this label, including James Carter, Avishai Cohen, Elvin Jones, Odean Pope, Charles Tolliver, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Kenny Werner, Arturo Sandoval, Kenny Garrett and others.

The annual, month-long event features artists who have been integral to the club's history, including Chris Botti,[7] Dave Brubeck, McCoy Tyner, Nancy Wilson, and many others.

In 2023, the festival featured headliners such as Grace Jones, NxWorries, Robert Glasper, Pat Metheny, Buddy Guy, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers and Chucho Valdés & Paquito D'Rivera.