From Django Reinhardt's slick fingers to Josephine Baker's hypnotizing dance moves, jazz has deeply seeped into the culture and heritage of Paris. In fact, apart from New Orleans and New York, the French capital is the best-known city for the genre. Not only was the city's Jazz Age among the most electrifying in history, but even today, you'll hear jazz at every corner of Paris. Of course, the best places in the city to truly listen, feel, and immerse yourself in jazz are at the clubs. Offering both classic and modern jazz, these places are every jazz lover's paradise!
Jazz Club Etoile
Having started out as a patio bar in
Le Méridien Etoile hotel in 1975, no one would've guessed that Jazz Club Etoile would become the musical hotspot that it is today. On its early days, it was simply a hotel bar with a single piano and a stage, pretty plain by today's standards. But as more and more influential names in the jazz scene started to perform here—the likes of Maxim Saury, Marcel Zanini, The Count’s Men, and more— it eventually became the go-to club for all things jazz in Paris. Today, it's among, if not the most popular establishment of its kind in the city.
Source: Jazz Club Etoile Facebook Page
La Petite Halle
Compared to other genres of music, jazz is most beloved for its openness and welcoming attitude to emerging artists and even other genres. As long as you have your own beat and you can keep up with the rhythm, you can join in on the fun, even in a jazz club in Paris. And this is why La Petite Halle, located on Avenue Jean Jaurès in the
19th arrondissement, is such a popular hotspot in the city's jazz scene. In this one-of-a-kind space, artists from all walks of life gather to celebrate music at its finest. It's only here where you can listen to a DJ set converge with top-notch jazz musicians for a truly unique performance.
Source: La Petite Halle Facebook Page
The Bal Blomet
You can tell how great a place is by how long it has served its purpose. The Bal Blomet jazz club, for instance, has provided a platform for the finest entertainers in Paris since 1924. That's right! It's a
1920s hotspot that's still alive and kicking to this day. It's particularly famous for having helped launch the careers of many black artists, ranging from the iconic dancer Josphine Baker to the influential musician, Ernest Léardée, among many others. Today, it remains a hub for all things jazz, as well as an open stage for up-and-coming artists to show the world what they got.
Source: The Bal Blomet Facebook Page/ Victor Tonelli Photographe
Mon Coeur Belleville
Mon Coeur Belleville doesn't just provide excellent music. It actually sets the scene for a dreamy Parisian moment, the likes of which you've probably only
seen in movies and on TV. Picture it: you're in an outside terrace, jazz music is playing in the background, and you're in-between sips of coffee and whiffs of your cigarette as you watch the sunset. Sounds pretty cinematic, doesn't it? Well, that's the sort of energy you'll find in Mon Coeur Belleville. Since it overlooks Parc de Belleville, you get a gorgeous view of this outdoor jazz club that you won't find anywhere else!
Source: Mon Coeur Belleville
Nubia
Three-time Grammy Award-winning bassist, Richard Bona, opened Nubia, a jazz club and restaurant, in March of 2018. This is practically all you need to know about this place. The fact that this world-famous artist, who has worked with the likes of Quincy Jones, Mike Stern, and more, established a hub for all things music should already tell you that you'll want to come here. Though it's mostly regarded as a jazz club, Bona actually opened this place as a haven for sound technology; a fitting platform for musical frontiers the likes of which the world has yet to hear.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Caveau de la Huchette
When you think 'Paris jazz club,' you're probably envisioning someplace exotic, intimate, dimly-lit, with cigarette smoke filling up the entire space. Well, such a hotspot actually exists and it's called Caveau de la Huchette. Located on the narrow yet bustling Rue de la Huchette, this ancient underground cellar-turned-jazz club is the type of 'hidden gem' you'd expect in a city like Paris. Though it's not necessarily all that hidden, it's undeniably a gem for music lovers who want to listen to old-school 1920s jazz at its finest. Just don't dwell on the fact that the place itself was once used as an execution chamber back in the 1500s!
Source: Caveau de la Huchette 'officiel' Facebook Page
38 RIV Jazz Club
Haven't had enough of cellars-turned-clubs in Paris? Well, you simply must check out 38 RIV Jazz Club too! Tucked away medieval cellar on Rue de Rivoli, between the
1st and
4th arrondissements, and located practically a stone's throw away from the Notre Dame, this seemingly-underground jazz club is definitely a mood. It has retained its original medieval stonework, adding only a stage, a bar, and instruments for that early 20th-century appeal. And while this place looks vintage from every corner, you can expect the very latest in jazz music to fill up the cellar. Here, you're in for a night of fine music and excellent drinks, all within an ancient ambiance, that you won't soon forget!
Source: 38 RIV Jazz Club
Le Baiser Salé
Jazz, more or less, is a pretty intimate genre of music. It's the kind that touches your soul with every beat, every rhythm, and every scat you hear. And it's this sort of closeness that Le Baiser Salé has become one of the hottest jazz clubs in all of Paris. Located on Rue des Lombards in the 1st arrondissement's Châtelet district, there's no amplified sound in this cozy little nook of an establishment, allowing the audience to not just listen, but actually absorb the music coming from the stage in its entirety. And since a ticket here only costs €3.00 each, it's also one of the more affordable and most accessible clubs on this list.
Source: Le Baiser Salé
Life in Paris isn't complete without a little jazz. If you fancy yourself a jazz baby, you'll want to go to any or all of these amazing clubs, each cooler than the next. You'll get your jazz fix here with little to no problem at all!
You can also immerse yourself in Parisian jazz by playing a record in your own
luxury home!
