Although the clarinetist/soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet’s first trip to Europe was in 1919, and despite a colorful series of visits to Paris in the 1920s including, but not limited to, an alleged affair with Josephine Baker, a gunfight, incarceration and deportation, his fame stems more from the last decade of his life (1949-59) when Bechet moved permanently to France and became one of our greatest American exports of that time. The adoration and acclaim he received by the French audiences set in motion two things: a revival of world-wide interest in more “traditional” hot jazz (and, with it, a re-discovering of some of its chief practitioners); and a remarkable exodus of American jazz musicians to Europe, setting up shop in countries where they felt more appreciated than in America. We’ll reflect on key moments through Bechet’s career, including his early records backing up blues singers, his fiery meetings with Louis Armstrong, his famous “one-man band” recordings, his special “French” compositions, and a remarkable series of recordings he made with Willie “The Lion” Smith in 1939 of his impressions of Haitian music, predating the world music craze by a good 50 years.