« Anne Paceo deeply impressed me with her talent, her musicality, and her devotion to her art. Her personal style and unmistakable sound make her a truly unique musician. » — Charlie Haden
A major figure of today’s music scene, a torchbearer of the new crossover jazz movement, France’s most visible drummer, and a composer celebrated for her trance- and spirituality-infused musical vision—Anne Paceo continually reinvents herself and surprises us. Her induction into the Order of the Chevaliers des Arts et des Lettres in 2021, her accolades including 3 French Jazz Awards (Victoires de la Musique), her extensive collaborations, and a rich discography—8 albums and 4 EPs—all testify to her singular artistic path.
Born in Niort on September 17, 1984, Anne spent her childhood’s first years in Daloa, Ivory Coast, where she grew up surrounded by the rhythms of local percussionists rehearsing near her home. She discovered the drums at age ten, and they became her refuge.
In 2005, she became the first female drummer admitted to the jazz class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, studying there until 2009 with teachers such as Dré Pallemaerts and Riccardo Del Fra. She represented the Conservatory at the IAJE in New York and even played alongside the legendary Michel Legrand.
First noticed as a sought-after accompanist, she recorded and performed from the age of twenty with great names in French and international music across genres—jazz, pop, and world music—with artists like Archie Shepp, Rhoda Scott, Christian Olivier (Têtes Raides), Rick Margitza, Marcel Azzola, Henri Texier, Alain Jean-Marie, Leyla McCalla, Philippe Catherine, Sandra Nkaké, Jeanne Added, Melissa Laveaux, China Moses, Christian Escoudé, among others.
She released her first two albums—Triphase (2008) and Empreintes (2010)—on the Laborie label, quickly earning the Django d’Or « New Talent » in 2009 and the Victoire de la Musique “Revelation” in 2011. The trio has since toured worldwide: Chile, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Morocco, Myanmar, Algeria, Taiwan, Cambodia…
With 2012’s Yôkaï, a sonic travelogue in quintet—and fully composed by her—Anne asserted herself as a composer, drawing on animist Japanese mythology. « Yôkaï is one of those radiant, hypnotic, and addictive works that leave you dreamy, with a frozen smile. » — FIP
In 2016, she released Circles, an album marked by an organic, generous style blending jazz, pop, electronics, and world music. The ensemble played over 150 concerts globally, and she won her second Victoire de la Musique as « Artist of the Year. » « With Circles, Anne Paceo invites us on a journey where cosmic rock meets soulful prayer, where cold steel funk leads to strange extraterrestrial drifts… » — Les Inrocks
From 2010 to 2017, Anne frequently worked in Myanmar through the Institut Français, immersing in local traditional music while teaching Western music. Falling in love with Burmese music, she created Fables of Shwedagon, uniting a Burmese orchestra with European improvisers. The premiere took place in Rangoon’s Mingalaba festival in 2016, and the live album was released in 2018. « Rarely have two cultures coexisted so harmoniously; this music is anything but artificial — it perfectly embodies the idea of playing together. » — Jazz Magazine
Her later compositions include Bright Shadows (2019): « An album that is both demanding and accessible. » — Rolling Stone. Again named « Artist of the Year », she became the only musician, woman or man, to receive this honor twice.
In 2020, she released the Samâ EP—mixing live recordings from the Philharmonie de Paris with two studio extensions—and joined the Montreux Jazz Academy as a mentor alongside John McLaughlin and Snarky Puppy.
In 2021, she founded her own label, Jusqu’à la Nuit, releasing Circles Live—her second EP—and became Artist-in-Residence at Scène Nationale Les Gémeaux in Sceaux.
Her track Sunshine from Circles was selected by Kurt Elling for his « Apparition Bridge: Music of Contemporary European Composers » tour, alongside works by Kenny Wheeler, Jan Garbarek, Joe Zawinul, and Michel Legrand.
In 2022, she released her 7th album, S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S, which topped the SNEP charts and stayed in the jazz charts for several weeks. The release party sold out at La Cigale, and the press was unanimous: Libération, Le Monde, and Télérama featured portraits of her. « Anne Paceo has established herself as one of the leading figures of French music. » — Libération
That year, she also composed the original score for Sorcières, a theatrical adaptation of Mona Chollet’s bestseller, staged at the Théâtre de l’Atelier in Paris. She shared the stage with Anna Mouglalis, Clothilde Hesme, Valérie Donzelli, and Jennifer Decker (Comédie-Française).
In 2023, while touring Europe with S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S, she created a ciné-concert for Nanouk l’Esquimau and a drawing-concert titled Sur une île with visual artist Cyril Pedrosa. She also released two EPs: B’sides and S.H.A.M.A.N.E.S Remixes.
In 2024, she was selected as one of 50 residents at the Villa Albertine and traveled to New Orleans to work on voodoo and hoodoo cultures.
That same year, she launched WIZZ, a female-only mentorship project supporting women instrumentalists in career development—from rediscovering musical heritage to practice workshops, masterclasses, and professional networking. The project is supported by Les Gémeaux and Jazz sous les Pommiers.
Her 8th album, Atlantis, will be released on August 29, 2025 via her label Jusqu’à la Nuit.