New Morning

About the Venue

The life of a jazz club is anything but easy, often resembling a tumultuous river that never truly calms. Running such a venue demands risk-taking, passion, and even a certain recklessness since without constant vigilance, collapse is always near. Yet the risks are rewarded with fleeting but luminous moments of joy and musical transcendence, ones best experienced live in intimate clubs where musicians and audiences meet face-to-face in shared intensity.

Among these sanctuaries, the New Morning in Paris emerged as a unique space of freedom and authenticity. Hidden behind unassuming doors in a modest street, it rejected glamour and comfort in favor of direct communion with sound. The club earned a reputation for stripping away distractions, creating an enclave where anonymity, respect, and a reverence for music itself prevailed. Over the years, it attracted artists as diverse as Chet Baker, Abbey Lincoln, Prince, and Nina Simone, alongside writers, dancers, and unexpected guests, each adding to an atmosphere steeped in memory and improvisation.

Born first in Geneva at the end of the 1970s and transplanted to Paris in 1981, the New Morning played a crucial role in reviving jazz in France when the genre had largely faded from public attention. Hosting legendary concerts by Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, and countless others, it became a beacon of excellence and discovery. Decades later, with thousands of performances and a loyal audience, it remains a temple of living jazz, where every night carries the possibility of magic—temporary, unrepeatable, but unforgettable.