New Morning

On the Rue des Petites-Écuries, near the Gare de l’Est, this spacious loft with its minimal decor is a must for fans of jazz in particular and mythic concerts in general. An “enclave of liberty,” according to its owner. With a capacity for 500 people, halfway between a club and a concert hall, the space looks more like a recording studio. But what really set it apart, is the incredible proximity between performers and the public.

Mythic concerts

All music fans have their own unique memories of gigs at the New Morning: from improv concerts by Prince to jam-sessions with Dizzie Gillespie or the soaring dub of the veteran Skatalites.

This musical love story between artists and fans is thanks to Eglal Fahri, the grande dame of jazz, who opened the space, aged 60, in 1981. Her aim was to found a club with rigorously high standards that was open to all.

Forty years later, her mission is more than accomplished and the New Morning has become one of the capital’s legendary music spaces. Her daughter Catherine Fahri has now taken over the programming. There is still jazz, of course, but the walls also vibrate to a melting pot of funk, electro and world music, and the atmosphere remains incredible. Here, to paraphrase Jean-Paul Sartre, another jazz fan, everything is “in the blinding flash of the moment”.

If you like jazz music, indulge yourself with our selection of clubs and concert halls in Paris.