When the Hollywood location of the Blue Note first opened, it was during difficult times. Like almost all of L.A., the venue was impacted by the January wildfires, and a March opening was pushed back to August.
However, since the SoCal location of the beloved jazz club franchise opened its doors, it’s kicked off with a memorable run of sold-out shows and iconic moments, like Stevie Wonder joining Robert Glasperon stage last week. So, given all that has transpired in this unique opening year of 2025, the team at Blue Note knew their first New Year’s Eve show had to be noteworthy.
On Wednesday, L.A. resident and R&B legend El DeBarge will perform at the club to ring in 2026.
The Times recently spoke with DeBarge about his relationship with jazz, why he’ll never retire and why he loves playing NYE shows.
We’re talking about your New Year’s show at Blue Note. Will it be with the full band?
The New Year show at the Blue Note in Los Angeles with [be with] half of my band. The place is kind of small but it’s just a great powerful place. I sat in with Robert Glasper at the New York location and I’m very honored to do the Blue Note again.
It’s a very big deal because this is the club’s first New Year’s Eve in L.A. How do you approach it and is it special for you to be first?
It’s very special for me to be the first person to play Blue Note NYE because it’s an honor. Robert Glasper called me up and said, “Hey, El, I was very instrumental in helping launch the Blue Note in Los Angeles.” I said, “Great,” because he told me they were getting one out there, Next thing I know I’m getting a call from my manager saying, “Hey, they would love for you to do New Year’s Eve at the Blue Note.” I was like, “What? That’s great to me.” I’ve heard nothing but great things about it. I love the acoustics there [in New York].
Have you had memorable New Year’s shows over the years?
Every time I’ve done a New Year’s show it’s just been great. Like you said, people are in great spirits, they’ve all made their resolutions and are happy and looking forward to it and we just have a great time. Nobody wants to go home (laughs).
What is the best song for you to play at midnight?
“Rhythm of the Night” is one of my favorites to play. People actually request it. If I say, “What do you want to hear to bring New Year’s in?” The majority will say “Rhythm of the Night.” It’s just a fun, dancing, happy moment. It brings back a lot of memories for people.
When you do smaller venues like City Winery or Blue Note are there songs you like to revisit?
Yeah, I find I can get away from the regular way of playing and singing a song and that I could just spread out the song a little bit and maybe slow it down, take my time with it, stop. Then you have a lot of people from the audience are getting loose and just singing with you and I can hear them because it’s up close. Sometimes I’ll even go over and take the microphone to somebody and just sit and sing with them at the edge of the stage because they’re just that close. It’s fun that way.
As someone who lives in L.A., you know this year has been so difficult, as it started with the fires. Given how tough this year was, do you feel like this New Year’s holds extra significance?
I think this New Year’s is very special for a lot of reasons, but especially to all the people who were suffering, who were hurting from the fires. I even want to take a moment, if I can, on stage, and just honor them. It’s just a moment of silence. Just remember them, ones who lost things, ones who lost lives. And I’m very grateful like I’ve never been before to be here. And it’s such an honor that they selected me to bring in the new year.
Blue Note is a storied jazz club. Talk about your relationship with jazz.
I have a very deep association with jazz from my childhood, because of my brother, Bobby, rest in peace. And a gentleman by the name of Ricky Calliar, who I speak a lot of lately because he was an important mentor in my life as a child. When I first met him, I was like 9 years old on the piano, and he taught me so much. He took a special interest in me, and he always played Thelonious Monk, Joe Sample from the Crusaders, and he would refer to them, and Miles. Ricky plays trumpet himself. Like I said, I’ve been speaking a lot about him lately because he’s been so instrumental in my learning experience of music. But he and my brother Bobby were very instrumental in connecting me with jazz. And I just recently received the Joe Sample Award. I flew to Houston, Texas, and they honored me with that. I won’t say that I played piano as well as Joe Sample, but it was an honor to receive that.
When you go back then and listen to your own work over the years, are there jazz influences that you hear in your music?
It’s funny you should say that. I was listening to a lot of Joe Sample and the Crusaders, as I said, and also Earth, Wind and Fire. I did not realize how much of an influence Maurice White’s production and writing, he and Philip Bailey, had on me. I started slowing the music down and just listening. It just hits you at a point in your life, you’re like, “Wow, when I wrote this song I didn’t realize that song influenced it so much.” Because it becomes so much a part of you it’s automatic. Just sitting down and writing, I’m writing songs as if I’m sitting right there with Joe Sample or Earth, Wind and Fire. If I was to sit down and depict it for you, you would see and hear it.
Is there an Earth, Wind and Fire song you’d love to cover?
“September” is the happy song, but the one I would love to do is “I Can’t Let Go.” That song had a great influence on me. I would love to even sit down and perform that with them if I could. I love that song. I met them many times over the years. And I love sitting down. I sat down and played with them at DJ Cassidy’s birthday party. He and I, Philip Bailey and Verdeen [White], we were sitting at the piano at his birthday party, and we sang “That’s the Way of the World.” I played it on the piano, Philip Bailey sang, and Verdeen was on the bass. I was in paradise.
As you said, your Blue Note association goes back to Glasper. Your music has influenced so many people. How much fun is it to play around with different people?
There’s a young gentleman by the name of Lucky Day. He inspired me — I was doing a concert with he and Stevie Wonder at Stevie’s annual Christmas show. Just being on stage and listening to him, he is just a remarkable young man. As a matter of fact, I dare say that he and I were talking about doing something in the near future, possibly in ‘26, together. I’m really looking forward to that.
If there was anybody that you could have come out and jam with you on New Year’s, who would it be?
It would be Sting. I would love to just stand there and improvise because with the energy we would both bring I know it would be phenomenal. If I was to have another choice, definitely Robert Glasper because I want to exchange chops with him. He’s so great at improvising. I love his ear and I love people to encourage my ear. I know Sting and Robert, they would very much encourage my ear. It would just be igniting. And I can’t say that about very many people. Those are two people that would really get me going creatively.
What songs would you want to do with Sting?
I would like to do “King of Pain” with Sting if it was one of his songs. If it was a DeBarge song, “Stay With Me.”
Are there songs in your catalog over the years that you’ve really developed a new appreciation for or that are favorites to do?
“Stay With Me” really resonates with me. One thing I didn’t know when I was younger was the importance of the paperwork. I wrote that song with my brother Marty. And I didn’t pay any attention to the paperwork when I was with Motown and my name never, ever, to this day, ended up as a writer on the song. And it’s far gone now, probably too late for me to do anything about it. But I didn’t understand the paperwork, the importance of it. Because being an artist, sometimes we just keep on writing, we just keep on performing, and we don’t take time to handle the business. That was a mistake I made.
Now being older, do you have a much better appreciation and understanding of that and for just everything that happens in general?
Yes, I do. I have very much a deep appreciation for the whole business side of the show business I would give advice in a minute to any up-and-coming artist: Handle your business, because it is show slash business and it’s every bit of that.
Do you find that you also appreciate the moments differently?
My thing is it’s also euphoric for me because I passionately love music. So, whenever I’m having a musical experience, be it on stage with Robert Glasper at the Blue Note or Stevie Wonder or just in the studio writing with people it’s so euphoric to me that hindsight is often much better for me because I get caught up in the moment. It’s just so much ecstasy because I love it like that. And music is really like a high for me. So, yes, often I look back and that’s when I really appreciate things. And I say, “Wow, if I could have that moment again, I would have done this or I would have said this or I would have acted like this.”
Since you don’t play L.A. often, when you do play here, is every show special?
Yes, it is. I love L.A. and I say this wherever I go, I love L.A. And whenever I get an opportunity to play in L.A., it’s usually because someone asked me to, I guess you could say modest or I’m just humble. I just don’t put myself out there. If I didn’t have a manager, I probably would just be home. I don’t ever put myself out there, but I’m a people person. So, I love playing L.A. and I love every opportunity I get to play L.A. I’m always honored and I’m always trying to be at my best when I do L.A. because that’s home for me. It’s like New York. Whenever I do those two places, I’m like, “Oh boy, I got to put on my best.”
You say music is euphoric for you. It is impressive you still have this level of enthusiasm and reverence for it after so many years doing it.
I don’t think I’ve ever once lost my joy, my enthusiasm for music. I don’t remember a time in my life where I’ve ever said I was absent of the joy and splendor of just doing music, singing, playing the piano, writing. I’ve heard other artists talk about retirement, I’ve heard some artists actually planning out their retirement. “I’m going to do this until I get this age and then I’m going to do that.” I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know how to feel that way. Because to me, music is everything. I’m going to do it until I stop breathing. The way I feel about music, what I’ve learned in years is I’ve learned so much about myself, just through music. I feel like we’re one. I feel like we’re inseparable. I don’t know what I would do without it.
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