JAZZ IN PARIS

[JamesAHarrod]

Several years (about twenty) ago there was a thread about the reissue series from Universal France regarding their magnificent Jazz In Paris releases. Volkher Hofmann documented the release on a web site he created that no longer is active. Discogs has documentation that I have supplemented below at my research site:

https://jazzresearch.com/jazz-in-paris/

Jim

[gmonahan]

I love that series. I have all 123 single discs plus the sampler, the 11 "hors-serie" 2-discs, and the box sets. Still keep them together on the shelf in numerical order, which doesn't make much sense given everything else in my collection is alphabetical by artist, but I guess I just like *looking* at it as much as I like listening to it!

[neveronfriday]

10 hours ago, JamesAHarrod said:

Volkher Hofmann documented the release on a web site he created that no longer is active.

Jim

I'm still around, occasionally.

[ejp626]

16 hours ago, gmonahan said:

I love that series. I have all 123 single discs plus the sampler, the 11 "hors-serie" 2-discs, and the box sets. Still keep them together on the shelf in numerical order, which doesn't make much sense given everything else in my collection is alphabetical by artist, but I guess I just like *looking* at it as much as I like listening to it!

I have nearly all this as well.  I'm sure I'm missing a few.  I still leave the first 75 or so in the tall cardboard box, though that means accessing them is a hassle.  I ripped them all back in the day, but at a low bit rate.  One project (I keep postponing) is to rerip at higher bit rate and add in the most critical info in track properties.  (I've actually just done this recently for the 2 Vogue boxes, but I need a spare portable hard drive before I get started on Jazz in Paris...)

[Kevin Bresnahan]

19 minutes ago, ejp626 said:

I have nearly all this as well.  I'm sure I'm missing a few.  I still leave the first 75 or so in the tall cardboard box, though that means accessing them is a hassle.  I ripped them all back in the day, but at a low bit rate.  One project (I keep postponing) is to rerip at higher bit rate and add in the most critical info in track properties.  (I've actually just done this recently for the 2 Vogue boxes, but I need a spare portable hard drive before I get started on Jazz in Paris...)

Don't go higher bitrate CBR. Instead, switch to Q0 (highest quality) VBR. Same sound quality as 320 CBR but with smaller files... not that storage is an issue anymore... but it might be in your car on a thumbdrive.  

[bertrand]

12 hours ago, neveronfriday said:

I'm still around, occasionally.

But not on Fridays.

[neveronfriday]

1 minute ago, bertrand said:

But not on Fridays.

Never.

[adh1907]

Also of note was the audio quality of the reissues in this series. I loved picking these up on trips to the continent. Always dashed to FNAC and stocked up. 

Edited May 7 by adh1907

[gmonahan]

21 hours ago, adh1907 said:

Also of note was the audio quality of the reissues in this series. I loved picking these up on trips to the continent. Always dashed to FNAC and stocked up. 

Yep, that's where I picked most of mine up as well. Back when FNAC stocked a fair number of cds.....a while ago....

[Chanders]

Thanks so much for the post on this. To be honest I’ve always been intrigued by this series but it has seemed like a LOT to wrap ones head around especially after it is all out (and presumably more expensive than it was when it all came out). 
 

I am curious about the box sets all of which are supposed to be very nice. This is one of those moments when discogs seems to fail as a database - from what I can tell there are mega boxes with all the discs (a 75 and 25 disc set) but there also also compilation box sets? That is what I can’t figure out. What are these sets? It seems like a nice way to start but I have a hard time tracking them down.  

Edited June 8 by Chanders

[jazzbo]

There are quite a few 3 cd and more cd sets including:

https://www.discogs.com/release/6700387-Various-Jazz-In-Paris-Vol-1-Champs-Élysées-19171949

https://www.discogs.com/release/6703895-Various-Jazz-In-Paris-Vol-2-Montmartre-19241939

https://www.discogs.com/release/34297534-Louis-Armstrong-Jazz-In-Paris-Louis-Armstrong-A-French-Love-Affairhttps://www.discogs.com/release/17349856-Stéphane-Grappelli-Stéphane-Grappelli-And-Friends

https://www.discogs.com/release/5234888-Various-Jazz-Cinéma

https://www.discogs.com/release/9694454-Various-Classic-Jazz-At-St-Germain-Des-Prés

https://www.discogs.com/release/28551352-Various-Jazz-in-Paris-The-100s-Most-Beautiful-Melodies

https://www.discogs.com/release/10285618-Henri-Crolla-Jazz-In-Paris-The-Jazz-Sides

https://www.discogs.com/release/14309621-Various-Jazz-In-Paris-50-Reasons-To-Love-Paris

 

 

[Niko]

one more (this one actually not a bad introduction to the series, except that the prime Django is on other cds...)

https://www.discogs.com/release/5337816-Various-From-Belgium-With-Love

it's not a compilation of tracks, just of five albums from the series that present Belgian leaders...  (and some of the boxes in jazzbo's link actually are compilations of tracks from the series, like the last one, also the third to last)

 

Edited June 8 by Niko

[jazzbo]

Yes, I was looking for that one on discogs but didn't find it easily. . . I like that box.

[Big Beat Steve]

@jazzbo: You forgot the third one of these "Jazz in Paris" 3-CD box sets with their nice and instructive book(let)s: 

https://www.discogs.com/release/6705066-Various-Jazz-In-Paris-Vol-3-Saint-Germain-Des-Prés-19461956

 

Overall that Jazz in Paris series is very nice, and it has served me well in stocking up on French jazz (i.e. jazz by FRENCH leaders) from the 50s (and sometimes 40s and 60s) that would otherwise have been exceedingly hard to come by.
But IMO here and there it has some drawbacks for those who are no total neophytes to French jazz (including jazz recorded in France in general) from the 50s/60s: There are quite a few cases where the records selected for reissue by certain artists are those that have been graced with accessible reissues before. And some really are borderline cases of what you'd consider "jazz" (e.g. one of the Henri Crollas - "Le long des rues" - pity ... bought it because I was very impressed by the three single CDs I had bought before but this one I found really too syrupy-sugary). 

Edited June 8 by Big Beat Steve

[tranemonk]

So I'm trying to grasp my head around what this series is. What is the concept/theme rumming through these? I'm confused. 

[Big Beat Steve]

Jazz recorded in France (mostly 50s, but some earlier and some later ones) by foreign jazzmen visiting France (either with French backing musicians or with their own working or touring groups while on tour in France - studio or live on stage) as well as by French combos, orchestras and solo artists. All of them (well, almost) originally released on French labels, many of them hard to come by elsewhere because hardly ever or not at all reissued before (i.e. NOT originally released on Vogue ) - or pricey as originals (e.g. the two Donald Byrd "Byrd in Paris" LPs on Brunswick, not to mention certain rare French items). 

In short - a useful series for those prepared to look beyond the well-known horizons and usual (artist) suspects and for filling gaps on most collectors' shelves for music hard to find elsewhere.
Though not always ... who needs yet ANOTHER reissue of "Our Man in Paris", objectively speaking, for example?

[Niko]

We had several fine threads about this series over the years, such as this one: 

there's so much great music in here, favorites include the three Lucky Thompson CDs, Barney Wilen (Jazz sur Seine), Bobby Jaspar (Modern jazz au club st.-germain), Sonny Criss, Elek Bacsik (both), Eddie Louis (Bohemia After Dark), Rhoda Scott (both), René Urtréger joue Bud Powell, Art Simmons/Ronnell Bright, Pierre Michelot Round About A Bass, Donald Byrd (both)... but there are other good ones as well, also some with more of a compilation character like Clarinettes a Saint-Germain des Pres and Saxophones a Saint-Germain des Pres ...

[gmonahan]

And some delightfully obscure ones like "Jazz sous l'occupation" "Harlem piano in Montmartre," and the four "Jazz et cinema" discs.

[Big Beat Steve]

18 hours ago, gmonahan said:

And some delightfully obscure ones like "Jazz sous l'occupation" "Harlem piano in Montmartre," and the four "Jazz et cinema" discs.

In this vein, I'd also recommend the "Bebop" V.A. CD (no. 72 in the series).
Though it's not even that all–out beboppish as certain other French 40s bebop compilations (e.g. on Jazz Time or on Pathé). 

[tranemonk]

22 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Jazz recorded in France (mostly 50s, but some earlier and some later ones) by foreign jazzmen visiting France (either with French backing musicians or with their own working or touring groups while on tour in France - studio or live on stage) as well as by French combos, orchestras and solo artists. All of them (well, almost) originally released on French labels, many of them hard to come by elsewhere because hardly ever or not at all reissued before (i.e. NOT originally released on Vogue ) - or pricey as originals (e.g. the two Donald Byrd "Byrd in Paris" LPs on Brunswick, not to mention certain rare French items). 

In short - a useful series for those prepared to look beyond the well-known horizons and usual (artist) suspects and for filling gaps on most collectors' shelves for music hard to find elsewhere.
Though not always ... who needs yet ANOTHER reissue of "Our Man in Paris", objectively speaking, for example?

Thanks... I appreciate the clarity. 

[jazzbo]

On 6/8/2026 at 10:21 AM, Big Beat Steve said:

@jazzbo: You forgot the third one of these "Jazz in Paris" 3-CD box sets with their nice and instructive book(let)s: 

https://www.discogs.com/release/6705066-Various-Jazz-In-Paris-Vol-3-Saint-Germain-Des-Prés-19461956

 

Overall that Jazz in Paris series is very nice, and it has served me well in stocking up on French jazz (i.e. jazz by FRENCH leaders) from the 50s (and sometimes 40s and 60s) that would otherwise have been exceedingly hard to come by.
But IMO here and there it has some drawbacks for those who are no total neophytes to French jazz (including jazz recorded in France in general) from the 50s/60s: There are quite a few cases where the records selected for reissue by certain artists are those that have been graced with accessible reissues before. And some really are borderline cases of what you'd consider "jazz" (e.g. one of the Henri Crollas - "Le long des rues" - pity ... bought it because I was very impressed by the three single CDs I had bought before but this one I found really too syrupy-sugary). 

Yes, I didn't find that one on discogs for some reason, have it on my shelves!

[king ubu]

On 6/8/2026 at 10:14 PM, gmonahan said:

...and the four "Jazz et cinema" discs.

Five actually, but the final one is all Henri Corolla:

https://www.discogs.com/release/6441814-Various-Jazz-Cinéma-Vol-5