Paris Trip Overview
Jazz was born in New Orleans….but the Jazz Age flourished in New York & Paris, or to be more precise, Harlem & Pigalle. After WW1, numerous African American artists emigrated to Paris from Harlem, bringing with them a new style of music born in America : jazz. By the late 1920s, there were over 300 jazz clubs, bars and cabarets in Paris, for the most part in Pigalle. This is the fascinating story of the men and women who made Paris a mecca for Jazz, ushering in the Roaring 20s.
Additional Info
Duration: 2 hours
Starts: Paris, France
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Paris Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Paris, Île-de-France, France
Jazz was born in New Orleans….but the Jazz Age flourished in New York & Paris, or to be more precise, Harlem & Pigalle. After WW1, numerous African American artists emigrated to Paris from Harlem, bringing with them a new style of music born in America : jazz. By the late 1920s, there were over 300 jazz clubs, bars and cabarets in Paris, for the most part in Pigalle. This is the fascinating story of the men and women who made Paris a mecca for Jazz, ushering in the Roaring 20s.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Place de Clichy, Pl. de Clichy, Paris, France
Just next door to the Place de Clichy is the location of Josephine Baker’s club, called “Chez Josephine”. Known as the “Black Venus of Paris”, Baker became a French national and lived here from 1925 until her death in 1975.
After starting her career in vaudeville shows in Harlem, Baker arrived in France in 1925 as a dancer for the NY Syncopated Orchestra, accompanied by a young clarinet player named Sidney Bechet. She headlined the orchestra’s new show, the “Revue Negre”, which was commissioned by the Theatre des Champs Elysées. It was an audacious show featuring 13 dancers, 12 musicians…and Josephine Baker, aged 18 & wearing very little more than feathers. Her erotic dancing fascinated the French & turned her into an immediate star, an icon.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Place de Clichy, Pl. de Clichy, Paris, France
After visiting Josephine Baker, we will stop in front of Zelli’s, the mythical Parisian cabaret of the 1920s. It was the most popular club in the city thanks to its avant garde jazz music. Here we will “meet” the fascinating Eugene Jacques Bullard, son of a freed slaved from Martinique. He became the 1st African American fighter pilot in history. Fighting for the French, he flew 30 missions and downed 2 German planes, earning a promotion to Corporal & the nickname “Black Jacques”. After the war, he learned to play drums and was hired as a musician at Zelli’s, where he rose to the position of manager. With backing from Joe Zelli, he opened his own night club, the Grand Duc, where he offered a mix of hot jazz & soul food, becoming one of the most popular clubs in Paris.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Place de Clichy, Pl. de Clichy, Paris, France
Next we “meet” Bricktop Smith, who opened her club (called Chez Bricktop) in 1929. She became one of the pioneering figures who transformed Paris into a Jazz mecca in the 1920s. Daughter of slaved, she began her career doing vaudeville in Chicago before moving to Harlem. In 1924 she emigrated to Paris, where she remained until 1939. A true rags to riches story, she arrived in Paris with just a few dollars in her pocket, and ended up rubbing shoulders with stars, celebrities & even royalty. She worked in 6 different jazz clubs before opening her own, with financing from the French designer Elsa Schiaperelli and backing from Cole Porter.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Place de Clichy, Pl. de Clichy, Paris, France
We will discover the Jazz Ladies & their legends. Adelaide Hall, largely forgotten todays, was a huge star in the 1920s. When she arrived in Paris, the crowd of fans & journalists greeting her was as large as the crowd that welcomed Charlie Chaplin 2 years earlier. Singer, dancer & jazz lady, Hall ended up in the UK where she became a singing legend. Next we “meet” Alberta Hunger, blues singer, who retired after WW2 to become a nurse…only to be “discovered” at the age of 83, when she recorded the soundtrack for Robert Altman’s movie “Remember my Name”. Then on to Valaida Snow, the 2nd best trumpet player in the world (Louis Armstrong’s words!). She played 8 different instruments, she sang, she danced and she charmed audiences everywhere. A beautiful and talented woman, she became a star in Europe in the 1930s. In 1940, while playing in Denmark, she was arrested by the Nazis. Saved in a prisoner exchange, she returned to the US a broken woman, unable to play any more.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Cotton Club, 25 rue Victor Masse, 75009 Paris France
Sadly the club is closed, a victim of Covid. But in front of the club we will hear the story of Alberta Hunter, an extraordinarily talented blues singer. Having lived the Jazz Age in both Harlem & Paris, she abandoned music in the 1940s to become a nurse for 20 years. At the age of 83 she was persuaded to come out of retirement and she relaunched her singing career, becoming a star all over again with her sublime voice.
Duration: 5 minutes
