Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald are synonymous with the golden era of jazz and blues in the United States; symbolic not only of a musical high point, but also of a point in time where racial segregation forced artists to seek more welcoming fanbases. For many black American artists, France was an easy pick; its love affair with jazz and black artists at large arguably beginning following the first world war… and it stood the test of time… that love is enduring today.
