Paddy Sherlock made his way through Ireland’s Royal Music Academy and the Irish Youth Orchestra. He began busking on Grafton Street at the age of 16.

He’s the one who got away — landing on his feet in the nocturnal music world of Paris, trombone in hand and an original song on his lips.

A lifetime of adventure began on the cobbled streets and in the smoky underground clubs of the Latin Quarter.

A member of headline French rock acts such as La Mano Negra, FFF, P18, and The Swinging Lovers, he’s a natural Sinatra (on-speed), a stylish host on stage.

He toured the world, performing on the main stages of some of the greatest festivals, from Glastonbury to the Montreal Jazz Festival — the man has traveled.

Paddy led the Neo-Swing movement in Paris, playing the longest-running regular gig in modern Paris history: 20 years every Sunday at the Coolin in St. Germain. The gig was legendary and only ended because the entire block was sold and the venue closed.

Over the years, Paddy invited countless legends to sit in with him — including David Gilmour, John Lord, Ian Paice, the Woody Allen band, the James Brown band (unfortunately without James…), Martha Reeves, Glen Hansard, Mary Black, and Jack “L” Lukeman.

Both mentor and muse, Paddy fueled the creativity of artists who opened for him (Ellen Birath, Brisa Roché…), sparking lifelong collaborations that pushed him to expand his style and deepen his songwriting, both for his own solo records and as the Anglophone collaborator for others: Yarol, FFF.

Mythic Paddy Sherlock moments stick in the imaginations of those who’ve seen and heard him: the band on stage still beating like a heart, while Paddy leaps to the helm, high above a captivated crowd, lamps swinging back and forth between each wail and jab of horn, feet kicking along a narrow bar as men stare and women swoon, singing along. Improvisation transforms time into a dream of freedom, romance, and possibility.