Blue Note Entertainment Group Launches
Blue Note announced that Blue Note Entertainment Group has been created.
Blue Note has announced the creation of the Blue Note Entertainment Group.
According to Blue Note, the division provides an easily identifiable corporate entity for the talent buying team responsible for New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club, B.B. King Blues Club & Highline Ballroom, the Regattabar Jazz Club (Cambridge, MA), Showcase Live (Foxboro, MA), Baltimore SoundStage and the Blue Note Jazz Clubs Worldwide (Japan and Italy). New venues will be announced soon in Washington D.C. and Richmond, VA.
The company has just finished adding two floors of office space above the world famous Blue Note Jazz Club which will become its talent buying headquarters.
“The Blue Note Jazz Club was founded 30 years ago and since then our company has grown to include a larger family of clubs,” explained Steven Bensusan, President of Blue Note Entertainment Group. “Each venue has its own name and unique programming. Some of these venues we own while others we book for local operators. With the completion of our new West Village office, and all our buyers under one roof, it was time to create a booking entity that the industry can easily identify.”
Blue Note Entertainment Group also presents shows outside its club network. June 2011 marked the inaugural Blue Note Jazz Festival which included over 80 shows in 14 venues in New York City. In addition, Blue Note is a partner in the festivals on Governors Island which include Rock the Bells and the Dave Matthews Band Caravan.
In personnel moves, Toffer Christensen has been promoted to VP of Talent. His team of buyers includes Chris Zahn, Paolo Suarez, Peter Abraham, Christian VerHalen, Seiko Kinoshita and Liz Perantinides.
Blue Note Entertainment Group can be reached at 131 W. Third St, New York, NY 10012 and (212) 475-0049. It will also house Blue Note Management and Half Note Records.