French Quarter, a multi-day and multi-artist festival in New York City, was created by Paris Jazz Club in France to showcase the burgeoning French jazz scene, its dynamic and diverse artists and styles, and to highlight the connections between the U.S. and French jazz communities. It runs January 11-14, 2020, at four city venues.

 

Shares producer Sébastien Vidal, “French Quarter brings over these French and American jazz musicians together to connect our stories through music and to share what is going on in France. America’s jazz – birthed in the French Quarter of New Orleans – originally incorporated global influences, and it still does.”

 

Complete with creative and electrifying performances, this year’s program features headliners including Anne Paceo, Plume, Thomas de Pourquery and special guests including Jaimie Branch and Kush Abadey. French Quarter kicks off at the Bitter End as part of the renowned New York City Winter Jazzfest during APAP, the annual global arts presenters conference. Since the French Quarter’s first year, Smalls Jazz Club has been a partner to the festival and will host the second night of concerts. The festival will close out with the third and final night of performances at the acclaimed Joe’s Pub, an acclaimed New York City music venue.

 

French Quarter is organized by the nonprofit music organization Paris Jazz Club, the network of French jazz venues and festivals. On the board of this non-profit organization, you find Maria Rodriguez (founder of the historical jazz club “le Baiser Salé”), the internationally renowed jazz journalist Vincent Bessières (curator, founder of the label Jazz& People) and Sébastien Vidal (TSFJAZZ radio, Nice Jazz Festival, Django Reinhardt Fetsival, Duc des Lombards, record producer). The festival benefits from the experience of these three influencials of French Jazz.

 

The festival is also made possibly by ADAMI, SACEM, SPEDIDAM, FCM (Fonds pour la Création Musicale), BNP Paribas Foundation, Marseille Jazz des Cinq Continents Festival, Nice Jazz Festival, Jazz à Vienne Festival, Institut Français-Paris, Bureau Export, Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S.