Digging Paris: Discovering the Postwar French Jazz Scene

My journey into the French bop records of the early ’50s.

My entry into early 1950s French jazz started with a format. I’d been digging deep into 10-inch records, a format that lived between 1949 and 1955 in the U.S. and naturally tethered me to that time period. I was focusing mostly on American labels. But eventually, just by keeping the format the constant focus and letting go of the geography, something else started coming into focus: Paris. A whole world of postwar sessions recorded on labels like Vogue, Swing, Barclay, and Blue Star.

Top Left: Vogue | Top Right: Barclay | Bottom Left: Swing | Bottom Right: Blue Star

There were sessions featuring American musicians who had traveled to Paris and recorded while in town, like the Arnold Ross Trio’s Piano and Rhythm on Vogue from 1952 (pictured below). That record, with a Pierre Merlin cover and beautifully captured Paris session from April 1, 1952, really jumped out at me. Then there were hybrid lineups, blending American soloists with top-tier European sidemen — think Clifford Brown Paris sessions. But it was the French trio records that were the most thrilling to discover, like the Martial Solal Trio 10-inch LPs (more to come on this later).

Arnold Ross Trio – Piano and Rhythm (Vogue LD 075, 1952).

That said, I knew there was great jazz recorded in Paris. Sam Records has reissued some excellent titles from the mid- to late-1950s, and I’ve got nearly all of them. Records like Afternoon in Paris with John Lewis and Sacha Distel (1957), and the Chet Baker Quartet on Barclay (1956), both beautiful sessions. But they come from a different part of the decade. What I had been chasing was the early 10-inch era, that 1950 to 1955 period.

Sam Records reissues: Chet Baker Quartet (Barclay 84017) and Afternoon in Paris (Versailles MEDX 12005).

Those Sam Records reissues did introduce me to some of the key players though, like Barney Wilen and Bobby Jaspar, and pianists like René Urtreger. But when I started exploring the earlier 10-inch material on my own, the piano trio records grabbed me. Martial Solal was a standout, but also, René Urtreger, Henri Renaud, and Bernard Peiffer also fantastic. They felt locked in with what was happening in the U.S. And a special shoutout to Jutta Hipp, who plays piano in Hans Koller's band and has some cool records on Vogue and Swing (more on this later, too).

The Scene: Paris, 1950–1955

As I started digging into these 10-inch records from France, the bigger picture started to come into view. Postwar Paris had become a hub for jazz, a city where American musicians found both enthusiastic audiences and opportunities to record. Some, like Don Byas and Sidney Bechet, settled there. Others, like Clifford Brown and Miles Davis, passed through and cut iconic sessions along the way.

Behind many of these recordings were a few key labels: Vogue and its sub-label Swing, co-founded by Charles Delaunay and Léon Cabat. Delaunay was a jazz critic, promoter, and co-founder of the Hot Club de France who had worked with Django Reinhardt and helped shape the European jazz scene before and after the war. Delaunay’s role in jazz history is hard to overstate. His label gave modern jazz a home in France, and his recordings captured American and European talent in a way few others were doing.

Léon Cabat, Albert Ferrer, and Charles Delaunay. The leadership behind Disques Vogue, pictured in the early 1950s.

Barclay and Blue Star, on the other hand, were the domain of Eddie Barclay, a pianist-turned-producer who started recording French jazz in the late '40s and later became a pop mogul. His records often had a slicker, more commercial feel, and are some of the best sounding of the era.

Eddie and Nicole Barclay with Charlie Parker in Paris, circa 1950.

It’s also worth noting that during this period, labels like Vogue and Barclay weren’t just documenting local sessions, they also served as European distributors for many American jazz imprints, including Prestige, Debut, Pacific Jazz, Royal Roost, Mercury, Norgran, and Clef. While those records played an important role in shaping jazz in Europe, my efforts here are strictly focused on recording of the players and session in Paris in the early 50’s.

Records to Look Out For

As I kept digging, certain players started to stand out.

Martial Solal (1927 - 2024), born in Algiers and moved to Paris in 1950, and by the mid-’50s he became the house pianist at Club Saint-Germain and quickly built a reputation for his technical control and phrasing.

The record that really opened it up for me was Martial Solal Trio Vol. 2 (Swing M 33.340, 1954).

Martial Solal’s debut Martial Solal Trio (Vogue LD 200, left) and follow-up Vol. 2 (Swing M 33.340, right).

Next is René Urtreger (b. 1934), a Paris-born prodigy, Urtreger had absorbed Bud Powell’s vocabulary as a teenager, and by the early ’50s he was backing visiting Americans, including Chet Baker and Lester Young. He is probably the name here I was most familiar with. Here is one of his 10-inch records to check out:

René Urtreger joue Bud Powell (Barclay 84.003, 1955).

Then we have Henri Renaud (1925–2002). A backbone of the Paris jazz scene. A little older than Solal and Urtreger, Renaud was not only a skilled pianist but also an arranger, connector, and eventually a major behind-the-scenes figure, becoming head of jazz A&R for CBS France in the ’60s.

As a player, Renaud leaned cooler, with a touch of Tristano. Here are some of his 10-inch records to check out:

Henri Renaud: Joue Gigi Gryce (Vogue LD 128, 1953), and All Stars Vol. 1 (Swing M 33.320, 1954).

Sometimes called the “French Art Tatum,” Bernard Peiffer (1922–1976) brought together a combination of firepower and unpredictability, with a bebop engine under the hood.

What sets Peiffer apart is how joyfully disorienting his playing can be. One moment it’s tight bebop, the next it’s Liszt-like runs. Here are some of his to keep an eye out for:

Bernard Peiffer: Piano Jazz (Blue Star 6808, 1953), and St. Germain-des-Prés Orchestra (Blue Star 6842, 1954).

And lastly we have Jutta Hipp (1925–2003). Before her Blue Note records, Hipp was already making waves in Europe. She didn’t record as a leader during this period, but you can hear her on group recordings with Hans Koller.

Check this Vogue record out:

Collector’s Corner: If the idea of chasing down original 10-inch pressings feels daunting, you’re in luck, many have been reissued on the Vogue Original LP Collection series (BMG Japan, 1997-1999).

Four examples from the Vogue Original LP Collection series.

Final Thoughts

The sound of bop moved across the Atlantic and landed on these Paris records in a way that surprised me. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but this music holds up. I picked up the Arnold Ross Trio (Vogue) (pictured earlier), and ordered Martial Solal Trio Vol. 2 (Swing) from a seller in the UK. (Most of these records are still in Europe, so shipping can get pricey.) I’m keeping an eye out for Thelonious Monk Piano Solo on Swing France, and a few others.

I hope you enjoyed exploring this corner of the jazz world as much as I’ve enjoyed diving into it. Until next time.

---

Sources:

• Discogs – Label pages and discographies for Vogue, Swing, Barclay, Blue Star

• JazzDisco.org – Session listings for Clifford Brown, Martial Solal, Henri Renaud

• Fresh Sound Records – Liner notes from Solal, Urtreger, Peiffer reissues

• Jazz in Paris CD series (Universal France) – Reissue notes for 1950s sessions

• Contemporary Records (U.S.) – 10" reissues of French sessions with liner notes

• Jean-Pierre Moussaron, Peiffer, l’homme piano – French bio of Bernard Peiffer

• Francis Paudras, Dance of the Infidels – Powell and Urtreger anecdotes

• Steve Hoffman Forums & Organissimo Jazz Forums – Collector notes and pressing info

• Popsike & Jazzcollector.com – Price history and rarity insight

• Mosaic Records blog – Notes on Clifford Brown and Paris sessions