​​Paris has long been considered the center of musical modernism, and jazz has contributed largely to that reputation. Originally considered “foreign,” it was first introduced in France during World War I. This was an era where American jazz groups were touring Europe in the face of global criticism of Black art forms, which were considered as representations of “everything wrong” with the West. The 369th Infantry Regiment, better known as the Harlem Hellfighters, were one such group, led by composer and conductor James Reese Europe through France as a moral boost for both the soldiers and French population at large. After them came Louis Mitchell and his Jazz Kings, Eugene Bullard, singer Ada “Bricktop” Smith, and performer Josephine Baker, all of which were key players in planting foundational seeds for jazz to grow as a genre. 
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The Harlem Hellfighters.

Mitchell's Jazz Kings, Paris, 1919.

Ada "Bricktop" Smith, 1928.

Josephine Baker.

Images via: History.com, LostSongs, Centre Pompidou, Britannica. 

With society eager for a distraction from WWI and its aftermath in the 1920s and early 1930s, jazz quickly became pivotal to the nightlife of Paris as well as French musical composition and styles. Along the way, Black jazz musicians and performers broke down stigmatic barriers, transforming how the French viewed Black culture and allowing for continued dialogue and collaboration between them.  

Noble Sissle, American composer and lyricist, with his orchestra.

Image via: JazzAgeClub.com

Louis Armstrong, American jazz and blues trumpeter.

The King & Carter Jazzing Orchestra, 1921.

Duke Ellington, American jazz pianist and composer, with company.

Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz trumpeter, and Sidney Bechett, American jazz musician and composer, Paris, 1952.

Images via: Weebly.com, InspiredPencil.com, Getty Images.

The Vichy Regime and Nazi occupation of Paris during World War II briefly forced American jazz entertainers back to the states and banned public performances of what they deemed a “degenerate” style of music. As a result, underground clubs sprung up throughout the city. Here, desperate French musicians tried to take their spot in the limelight as they imitated their American counterparts, stylistically shaping French jazz in the process. The exiled jazz artists returned to Paris post-WWII and picked up right where they had left off, continuing to use music as a means of transforming prejudice into appreciation and mentoring the first true generation of French jazz musicians and performers.