Black Paris and Music, 1950–2000

This selection offers a musical journey through Black Paris, blending iconic tracks and hidden gems. From John Lee Hooker's first Paris concert in 1962 to the African music boom of the 1980s (Toure Kunda, Mory Kanté), from 1950s Antillean cabarets featuring Moune de Rivel to Afro-American jazz legends like Art Blakey, Quincy Jones, and Miles Davis, from the echoes of 1970s free jazz (Archie Shepp, Art Ensemble of Chicago) to the emergence of hip-hop, Paris has been a stage in constant evolution.

In 1962, John Lee Hooker electrified the city. In 1978, Grace Jones made the Palace her own with "La Vie en Rose." In 1988, Kassav' ignited the Zénith with "Le Grand Méchant Zouk," celebrated by Miles Davis and Youssou N'Dour. Manu Dibango, an tireless connector, wove links between Africa, the Antilles, and funk, collaborating with African musicians like Ernesto Djédjé, Franklin Boukaka, and Antillean artists like Jacob Desvarieux, Jean-Claude Naimro, Claude Vamur, and the collective Bisso Na Bisso, blending rap and African music. Simultaneously, Public Enemy set the Globo ablaze, and Lucien Revolucien brought French hip-hop to Radio Nova, inspiring A Tribe Called Quest.

These stories and melodies have shaped the soundtrack of Parisian nights. Each listener may find a memory or be pleasantly surprised.

Since the post-war era, Paris has been a hub where African music has been reimagined.

In legendary cabarets and halls, generations of artists from the continent and the diaspora have crafted a vibrant soundtrack, balancing roots and modernity. In 1952, Keïta Fodéba's Ballets Africains captivated the Théâtre de l'Étoile. Later, Tabu Ley Rochereau became the first African to perform at the Olympia, while Fela Kuti's historic concert at the Hippodrome of Paris left a lasting impression.

Starting in 1978, the Africa Fête festival, initiated by Mamadou Konté, celebrated this vibrancy, bringing together Toure Kunda, Salif Keita, Youssou N'Dour, and Kassav'. In 1989, Africolor continued the legacy, promoting West African sounds. The 1980s marked a musical explosion: Toure Kunda's "Emma," Mory Kanté's "Yéké Yéké," and Alpha Blondy's "Brigadier Sabari" resonated far beyond Paris. Meanwhile, soukous energized Afro-descendant communities with artists like Papa Wemba, Zaïko Langa Langa, and Koffi Olomidé.

Paris also became a playground for bold experiments: Boni Bikaye and Hector Zazou fused afrobeat and new wave; Black Mic Mac popularized African club grooves; and Manu Dibango built bridges between continents.

From Miriam Makeba's activism to Amadou & Mariam's energy, this selection celebrates the incredible diversity of a city where African music continually reinvents itself.

Antillean musicians have always graced Paris. 

In the 1950s, numerous Caribbean clubs enlivened the capital: La Boule Blanche, L'Élan Noir, Le Caraïbe, La Cabane Cubaine, La Canne à Sucre, and the Bal Blomet (then known as Bal Nègre). Over time, these gave way to nightclubs like Le Mambo, the Rex Club, and Le Galion in the suburbs. Radios such as Radio Nova, Africa N°1, and Média Tropical broadcast Caribbean culture.

Paris welcomed all the great names of Antillean music. Artists like Eugène Mona and Max Cilla, deeply rooted in their traditions, delivered memorable concerts, with Mona's performance at La Mutualité being hailed by Le Monde as a "star of the Black world."
From the outset, biguine made its mark with Eugène Delouche, Moune de Rivel, Ernest Léardée, and Gérard La Viny. The 1970s saw a gwoka revival (Mona, Ti Céleste, Cilla), resonating with a growing Antillean community following the establishment of BUMIDOM in 1963.
Latin American influences (salsa, merengue, boogaloo) also shaped the musical scene, championed by Henri Guédon, Marius Cultier, Les Vikings, and La Perfecta.

Finally, jazz musicians such as Patrice Caratini, Richard Raux, and Louis Xavier have enriched the Parisian music scene.

This non-exhaustive selection highlights the essential contribution of Caribbean artists to the musical landscape of Paris.

This selection traces the presence of African-American musicians in Paris between 1950 and 2000. Nearly all the great names in jazz, blues, soul, and funk performed in the French capital—some leaving behind an indelible mark.

Parisian labels such as BYG (free jazz), Black & Blue (blues, jazz), Barclay (jazz), and Saravah (Brazilian jazz, free jazz) captured this effervescence in landmark recordings.

As early as 1945, Saint-Germain-des-Prés became a vibrant hub for jazz, welcoming legends like Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Erroll Garner, and Charlie Parker to its iconic venues: Club Saint-Germain, Le Tabou, the Vieux Colombier cellar, or the Caveau de la Huchette. The Jazz in Paris collection offers an evocative window into this golden age.
The selection crosses genres: soul with Ray Charles, Nancy Holloway ("T’en va pas comme ça"), Terry Callier, and Nina Simone ("Ne me quitte pas"); blues with Luther Allison, Roy Gaines, Memphis Slim, and T-Bone Walker; free jazz with Sun Ra, Dewey Redman, Don Cherry, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago ("Je suis un sauvage", sung by Alfred Panou—a precursor of slam poetry); and of course, jazz: Miles Davis ("Ascenseur pour l’échafaud"), Quincy Jones, Erroll Garner, Sam Price, Mary Lou Williams, Sidney Bechet (who outsold Édith Piaf!), Count Basie, Louis Armstrong ("La Vie en rose"), Don Byas ("Laura"), Art Blakey ("Les Liaisons dangereuses"), Ahmad Jamal (his legendary 1971 concert), and even Henri Salvador, with his velvet voice.

These tracks sketch a journey through 50 years of Parisian jazz—not meant to be exhaustive, but to offer an informed and subjective mix of classics, rarities, and hidden gems.