If the Caveau de la Huchette belongs to Music History it is also inseparable from the history of Paris itself. Long before 1551, the building bearing the N°5 on rue de la Huchette was the meeting place of both the « Rosicrucians » and the « Templers », and in 1772 was transformed into a secret lodge. One approached it by way of  rue de la Parcheminerie, rue de l’Hotel-Dieu and Petit-pont. This lodge was composent of two basement rooms one on top of the other, which served as meeting  rooms.From that location two secret subterranean passages branched out, one loading to Châtelet, the other under the cloister of Saint-Séverin .
In 1789 and all during the revolutionary period, this building know as « Caveau de la Terreur » housed the « Club des Cordeliers » and « des Montagnards ». In the upper room, transformed into a public-house, one drank, song and orgued about « la liberté ».

The principal members of the « Conventions » could be found there (Danton, Marat, Saint-Just and Robespierre), and numerous trials were conducted on the spot (followed by peremptory executions).You will find there one after another, the court room, the prison, the place of execution.
In the lower room, there stills exists a very deep well, used to remove all evidence of the crimes committed there.

These rooms are unquestionably authentic, historically accurate, and preserved in their original state.

Arms from that epoch still decorate the walls (swords, muskets, etc and jealousy guarded  a chastity belt).

While Paris was celebrating its liberty once again after the war, a new kind of music from over the Atlantic settled in around Saint-Germain des Près : Jazz invaded the cellars and hot spots of Paris.
The GI’s brought in swing and be-bop, and danse exploded on the scene, danse floor acrobatics complementing frenzied rhythms.

Number 5 rue de la Huchette saw the opening of one of these small clubs, soon to become the temple of New-Orleans Jazz and be-bop in Paris. In fact, it was the first club in Paris where jazz was played.

No one at the Caveau de la Huchette will ever forget Sidney Bechet’s colossal jam sessions !

On May 16th birthday : for the occasion Lionel Hampton and his Big Band  gave two unforgettable concerts and Dany Doriz, the owner, played duet with Lionel Hampton over the same vibes.

From those days on, the Caveau de la Huchette has perpetuated the same rich tradition and a jazz band performs every evenings  for the pleasure of jazz lovers. Among them, too, excellent be-bop dancers are stills to be found.

The Caveau de la Huchette has been the set for many a movie, as well. An inspiring spot for film directors, the Caveau de la Huchette has lent its famous ambience to many films : « les Tricheurs »  of Marcel Carné, « Rouge Baiser » of Vera Belmont, « la Première Fois » of Claude Berri…

Whether you are just a jazz-lovers, like to dance your socks off, or are a professional musician, the exceptional atmosphere of the club will remind you of the Cotton Club and the Savoy in their glory days.
So, let yourself go… but be advised this club has a standard to live up to !

As a beacon of personal and artistic freedom, Paris, the "City of Light," lured thousands of American musicians, artists, and writers in the 1920s and 1930s. They crossed the Atlantic, bringing with them a unique facet of the modern age--jazz.

This Smithsonian traveling exhibition tells the amazing tale of this transcontinental cultural exportation and celebration. Organized and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), "The Jazz Age in Paris" premiered at the Smithsonian's Center for African American History and Culture in Washington. The exhibition features images, artifacts, testimonies, audio and video recordings.

In the 1920s, Paris rebounded from World War I with frenetic jubilation and artistic creativity. Contributing to the energy were the Americans, including many African Americans, who either served in the armed forces during the war and declined to return home, or who traveled to Paris to experience its cordial racial and artistic climate. Parisians openly encouraged the unique talents these new residents brought with them--especially their music.

To experience the magic of the era, visitors will enter the exhibition through a replica of an old Montmartre boulevard. Montmartre is the region in Paris where many African Americans lived and worked, famous for its jazz clubs including Le Grand Duc and Bricktop's.

A major portion of the exhibition presents material in the form of large "scrapbook" pages, inspired by the original scrapbooks of comedian Johnny Hudgins, one of the best-known American entertainers in Paris in the 1920s. Photographs, letters, postcards, caricatures, advertisements, music manuscripts, reproduced drawings and paintings are presented, with each section addressing themes of the era, such as Old Montmartre, the Cake Walk and Ragtime music, the Parisian taste for exotic entertainment, the impact of World War I, the expatriate experience, cabaret life and café society, and changing social and artistic developments during the 1930s.

Free-standing kiosks, like those used in Paris to post fliers for concerts and events, present the stories of eight important Jazz Age personalities including James Reese Europe, Ada "Bricktop" Smith, Sidney Bechet, and Josephine Baker. Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, composer Darius Milhaud, and writers Hugues Pannaisié and Charles Delaunay represent the Europeans who influenced and were influenced by the new sounds, ideas, and spirit of the day.

The exhibition closes with a section featuring 12 original art posters created by artists in Paris during the Jazz Age. Works by Jean Cocteau, Paul Colin, Miguel Covarrubias, August Herbin, Charles Gesmar, and Leonetto Cappiello visually re-create the fervor of the time.

"The Jazz Age in Paris, 1914-1940" was been made possible through the generous support of Nissan Motor Corporation, U.S.