Sid Gribetz will present some Americans in Paris on "Sunday Profiles” July 12 from 2-7 PM.

There is a long history of American jazz musicians making the scene in Europe, and there are many expatriate stories of note. For Sunday’s program I’ve selected three significant aspects of Americans in Paris to comprise a five hour package for an afternoon of casual listening.

First I will feature Don Byas. Byas was a magnificent tenor saxophonist, fluent in both the swing and bebop idioms, harmonically sophisticated, and possessed of an exquisite tone. He was most prolific from the years 1944-1946 and poised to be a major star, but he moved to France in 1947, where he remained until the mid-1950s, and then lived elsewhere on the continent until his early death in 1972, therefore not achieving greater fame in the US. I will play his many recordings with French musicians which are not as well known but display his awesome talents.

For the second portion I’ll turn my attention to the fall of 1953, when during a lengthy residency in Paris during a European tour, the young turks from the Lionel Hampton orchestra conspired to sneak away and record their own music in numerous sessions for local record companies. Gigi Gryce organized and arranged the productions, which included various small and large ensemble settings. These discs are great examples of the beginning careers of brilliant figures such as Gryce, Clifford Brown, Art Farmer and others.

The final chapter will focus on Lucky Thompson, a sublime genius of the tenor sax and early modern innovator on soprano as well. During extended visits to Paris in 1956 and 1957 he made numerous recordings that were never released in the US until the 21st century but serve as prime examples of his oeuvre. Thompson also moved to Paris full time in 1959, and he lived there into the early 1960s, also producing some fine music in those years.