Sunset Sunside

About the Venue

Originally a trendy American-style bar, the Sunset Sunside Jazz club was transformed into a jazz club at the request of musicians who saw its vaulted cellar space as ideal for intimate concerts and creative freedom. The club quickly gained momentum in 1983 with a jazz fusion collective, establishing itself as a pioneering venue on the Rue des Lombards.

By the mid-1980s, the Sunset became a major destination for both jazz fusion and classic jazz styles, hosting legendary late-night jam sessions with artists such as Jaco Pastorius, Michel Petrucciani, and Didier Lockwood. Under Jean-Marie Balzano’s artistic direction from 1989, the programming took on a more international scope, bringing American jazz greats like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock into the club’s warm, welcoming atmosphere. This period cemented the Sunset as one of Paris’s most important jazz institutions, attracting both established figures and adventurous performers.

When Stéphane Portet took over in 1993, the club embraced his motto of being “the club for all jazz.” From global icons such as Roy Haynes, Richard Galliano, and Ravi Coltrane to rising stars like Erik Truffaz and Richard Bona, the Sunset became the most frequented jazz space in Paris. In 2001, its expansion introduced the Sunside, focusing on acoustic jazz while the Sunset specialized in electric and world influences. Today, with two clubs offering concerts every evening and prestigious collaborations throughout Paris, the Sunset-Sunside complex remains a vibrant hub for jazz lovers and performers worldwide.