Zoot Fest #4 / The Collective's 10Th Anniversary!

The Zoot Collectif is celebrating its 10th anniversary!

On September 29, 2016, a group of young jazz artists launched the Zoot Collectif in Paris. On the program: original music, an exhibition by students from the Beaux-Arts, and an unlikely venue near Strasbourg–Saint-Denis. An evening that perfectly captured the spirit that would drive the Zoot Collectif for the next ten years.

The recipe? A deep love for jazz, a passion for composition, plenty of ideas, limited financial resources, a desire to bring people together through music, a healthy dose of resourcefulness, high artistic standards, a touch of humor, and a bit of grandiosity. This led to hundreds of concerts and jam sessions, dozens of albums, the show *Pannonica* with Natalie Dessay, a symphony orchestra at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, a big band that performed at the New Morning and the Salle Pleyel, a festival, the “Zoot for Kids” workshops, a record label, a recording studio, and even radio shows discussing music and politics.

Today, the Zoot Collectif is celebrating its 10th anniversary! And to mark the occasion, we’re bringing you a special edition of Zoot Fest: 10 nights, 10 venues, 20 concerts, 80 artists! For ten days, the festival will take over Paris, from the Duc des Lombards to La Petite Halle, from 38Riv to the JASS Club and La Clef cinema. From large ensembles to small bands, jazz of course, but also forays into choro, salsa, and the music of the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Ten days to celebrate the first ten years—and to start imagining the next ten.