The inaugural festival took place on June 1, 2011, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.
The Blue Note Jazz Festival is held in some of the most prominent music venues in New York City.
However, performances have also been held in other notable establishments including Le Poisson Rouge, Mercury Lounge, the Katonah Museum of Art, the Beacon Theatre, the Town Hall, Terminal 5, and Central Park SummerStage.
McCoy Tyner, Charles Tolliver, Lou Donaldson, Arturo Sandoval, Béla Fleck, Cassandra Wilson, Jerry Douglas, the James Carter Organ Trio, Michel Camilo, Stanley Clarke, and George Duke.
Buffy Sainte-Marie, Chris Rob, The Hot Sardines, Dave Liebman, The Manhattan Transfer Buika, Natalie Cole, Buddy Guy, Abdullah Ibrahim