Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [219]
New Morning is a highly regarded auditorium with excellent acoustics that hosts big-name jazz concerts as well as blues, rock, funk, salsa, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music. Concerts take place three to seven nights a week at 9pm, with the second set ending at about 1am. Tickets can usually be purchased at the door.
SUNSET & SUNSIDE Map
01 40 26 46 60; www.sunset-sunside.com; 60 rue des Lombards, 1er; admission free-€25; 8pm-4am; Châtelet
Two venues in one at this trendy, well-respected club. The Sunset downstairs has electric jazz and fusion concerts beginning at 10pm. It leans towards world music and sometimes runs salsa sessions during the week. The Sunside picks things up upstairs with jazz acoustics and concerts at 9pm.
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WORLD & LATINO
Sono mondiale (world music) is a big deal in Paris, where everything – from Algerian raï and other North African music to Senegalese mbalax and West Indian zouk – goes at clubs. Latino music, especially Cuban salsa, has been overwhelmingly popular over the past decade or so. Many concert and clubbing venues Click here listed have salsa classes; look for dancing along the Seine in summer.
CITÉ DE LA MUSIQUE Map
01 44 84 44 84; www.cite-musique.fr; 221 av Jean Jaurès, 19e; tickets €8-38; box office noon-6pm Tue-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun, to 8pm on day of performance; Porte de Pantin
At the Parc de la Villette, every imaginable type of music and dance, from Western classical to North African and Japanese, is hosted at this venue’s oval-shaped, 1200-seat main auditorium. Concerts are in the little Amphithéâtre du Musée de la Musique. Get tickets from the glassed-in box office opposite the main auditorium and next to the Fontaine aux Lions.
DANCING DE LA COUPOLE Map
01 43 27 56 00; 102 blvd du Montparnasse, 14e; admission €12-16; 9.30pm-3am Thu, 11.30pm-5.30am Fri, 10am-5pm Sat; Vavin
Above the restaurant of the same name, this established club is famed for its salsa nights, which were credited with single-handedly passing Latin fever to most of Paris. Salsa and Latino nights still take place, but the venue also hosts other kinds of music like zouk, reggae, funk and garage.
LA CHAPELLE DES LOMBARDS Map
01 43 57 24 24; 19 rue de Lappe, 11e; admission free-€19; 11pm-6am Tue-Sun; Bastille
This perennially popular Bastille dance club has happening Latino DJs and reggae, funk and Afro jazz concerts – in a word, a bit of everything. Concerts usually take place at 8pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
LA JAVA Map
01 42 02 20 52; www.la-java.fr; 105 rue du Faubourg du Temple, 10e; admission €5-24; 7.30pm-3am Tue-Thu, 11pm-6am Fri & Sat; Goncourt
Built in 1922, this is the dance hall where Édith Piaf got her first break, and it now reverberates to the sound of live salsa and other Latino music. Live concerts of the world music variety usually take place during the week at 8pm or 9pm. Afterwards a festive crowd gets dancing to electro, house, disco and Latino DJs.
L’ATTIRAIL Map
01 42 72 44 42; www.lattirail.com, in French; 9 rue au Maire, 3e; admission free; 10.30am-1.30am Mon-Sat, 3pm-1.30am Sun; Arts et Métiers
There are free concerts of chansons françaises and world music (Hungarian and Balkan Gypsy music, Irish folk, klezmer, southern Italian folk) almost daily at 9.30pm at this cosmopolitan enclave next door to the popular club Tango. Manic but friendly customers crowd the Formica bar, with its cheap pots (460mL bottle) of wine and friendly staff.
SATELLIT CAFÉ Map
01 47 00 48 87; www.satellit-café.com; 44 rue de la Folie Méricourt, 11e; admission €5-10; 8pm-3am Tue-Thu, 10pm-dawn Fri & Sat, 4pm-3am Sun; Oberkampf
A great venue for world music, and not as painfully trendy as some others in Paris. Come here to hear everything from blues and flamenco to reggae and bossa nova. Concerts usually take place at 9pm. Salsa nights with dancing lessons take place every 1st and 3rd Friday at 8.30pm; Sunday is Latino night.
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FRENCH CHANSONS
Think of French music and accordions or chansonniers