Nestled on the corner of 121st street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard sits Paris Blues, a bar and live jazz performance club that encompasses a bit of the south, as well as what people refer to as “Old Harlem.”
The wood paneled walls are decorated with posters of old time black singers and performers such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, as well as iconic jazz bands from the 20’s. The other walls are lined with framed posters of the bar owner and newspaper articles that have been written about the iconic landmark – that is Paris Blues.
The dim lighting and small stage creates a cozy and welcoming atmosphere for all visitors. This small hole in the wall is surely something to celebrate, being that it has been serving patrons for over 40 years.
Despite being rooted in the history of the neighborhood, Paris Blues has welcomed the gentrification of Harlem that has transformed the neighborhood in recent years with expensive condos and the openings of slick new bars and restaurants.
With a thick Alabama accent, brown three piece suit and a godfather hat with a feather on the side, Paris Blues owner, Samuel Hargress admits that his love of Paris and blues music influenced his naming choice. “Everyone can identify with jazz, most of the people that come here are looking to hear jazz music and I’m happy to have that for them.” 
Tourists travel from all over the world and find themselves at Paris Blues in search of the “old Harlem”, which has become such a rarity in recent years. What sets Paris Blues apart from other neighboring bars is its effortless ability to detach itself from the changing surroundings. There is nothing new about Paris Blues, and this is the feature that makes it so special. The jazz music and performances here nightly are impeccable, the majority of performers have no record deals but have a passion for jazz music and you can feel that passion through their performances.
On a Thursday night you will find the bar filled with patrons who have come to hear the sounds of a live jazz band. The crowd is composed of a few foreigners and people from the surrounding neighborhood. Most of the patrons are new to the neighborhood and have come with the changes brought by gentrification. “I’m from Russia and I love jazz music, I always come here when I can because I like the music so much”, states Katina, a Russian woman I met at Paris Blues. The crowd encompasses all ages, ranging from 21- year- olds to those who are greying, they have all come because of their passion for good jazz music.
I had the privilege of listening to THE HARLEM JAZZ MACHINE perform and shared a few words with the bands pianist, Alex Marcelo. “I’ve been playing the piano for almost 30 years; I learned to play right here in Harlem, at the Harlem School of the Arts. I really like playing at Paris Blues, it’s one of the last few original Harlem jazz clubs left and it has a lot of uniqueness.”
Samuel Hargress takes pride in the new crowd of visitors the gentrification of Harlem is bringing because it offers diversity to his bar, something that was not present years ago. He marvels at the new group of “educated young people”, who have recently moved to the neighborhood. Paris Blues first opened its doors in 1969 and is renowned for being one of the very few bars in Harlem that is still open, despite the gentrification occurring around it. According to Samuel, “gentrification isn’t good or bad, it just happens and you cannot stop it.”
Similar to the beliefs of other “Harlemites”, Samuel Hargress welcomes the change gentrification brings. When Paris Blues first opened its doors, the drug epidemic was at its peak and crime slithered through the Harlem streets more than ever. “Even with the crime going on, they never bothered me- they would say ‘Hey, that’s Sam’s place’ and leave me alone.” Samuel often commends the efforts of former New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, in reducing the amount of crime in Harlem, which has positively affected Paris Blues.
A small shack-like 3-story building surrounded by million dollar glass walled condos and overpriced restaurants, Paris Blues sticks out like a sore thumb. Its appearance however, is part of its charm. The ability to offer visitors the opportunity to travel back in time to what was present throughout Harlem in the late 60’s and experience some of the old time feel and culture of Harlem makes visiting Paris Blues a truly rewarding experience.