Le Duc des Lombards

Le Duc des Lombards has anchored rue des Lombards since 1984 — the small club between Châtelet and the Pompidou that turned its block into Paris's most concentrated jazz street. More than three hundred concerts a year on a small stage at 19:30 and 22:00 Monday through Saturday; free jam sessions every Friday and Saturday from midnight. The room reads contemporary rather than smoke-and-velvet: light wood pedestal tables, careful lighting, video projections behind the stage. Ahmad Jamal, David Sanborn, Diane Schuur, Melody Gardot, Jamie Cullum, Erik Truffaz and Richard Galliano have all played the room. Listed by Visit Paris Region, Paris Je t'aime and Paris Jazz Club.