606 Reed and Blues

Blues Takes Root in Sénonais

It was in Rosoy, a small village in the Yonne department, that the association 606 Reed and Blues was founded in April 2011, driven by a handful of enthusiasts determined to make blues resonate in the heart of Burgundy. The name pays homage to London's 606 Club, a legendary jazz and blues venue, and to the tradition of harmonicas and slide guitars that forged the soul of this music born in the Mississippi Delta.

The founding objective is simple yet ambitious: to share blues culture throughout the northern Yonne region, create intergenerational artistic moments, and showcase the richness and diversity of a musical genre too often confined to major cities. In its fifteen years of existence, the association has brilliantly achieved this goal, building a dense cultural season that is now the pride of the Sénonais.

La Nuit du Blues: The Flagship Autumn Event

Each autumn — in September or October — the Municipal Theatre of Sens transforms into a blues temple to host La Nuit du Blues, the association's annual reference concert. Two carefully selected groups or artists perform on stage during a three-hour evening, with an intermission and refreshments. The atmosphere is both festive and contemplative, as only the blues can create.

Over the years, La Nuit du Blues has hosted top-tier artists from the French and international blues scene. In 2022 (11th edition), the Emilie Hédou Trio shared the stage with Little Mouse & The Hungry Cats for an evening between Delta and Chicago blues. In 2024, the 13th edition brought together the Two Roots Duo — Sophia Tahi (vocals) and Ronan Le Quintrec (guitar), a journey to African roots and the Delta — and the Fred Chapellier Quintet, fronted by the association's patron, with thirty years of career behind him. In 2025, the 14th edition takes a resolutely feminine turn with a program dubbed Nuit du Blues très féminine (Very Feminine Blues Night), showing that the association knows how to challenge the conventions of a genre long dominated by men.

Workshops, Conferences, and Open Stages

606 Reed and Blues doesn't just live for its concerts; it hosts a rich and varied cultural and educational season throughout the year. Blues guitar and singing workshops, led by experienced musicians like Olivier Mugot, welcome beginners and advanced players year-round at the association's premises. Thematic conferences — on Negro Spirituals, Afro-Caribbean traditions, the history of blues — complete the educational offerings.

Open stages, organized at La Fabrique (MJC of Sens) or La Scène, give a platform to regional amateur bands and musicians playing blues, rock, and contemporary music. In June, a blues talent competition allows young musicians to experience the stage. And in February, the Blues Weekend in Rosoy brings together loyal fans for two days of intimate concerts in the town's festival hall.

Deep Roots in Sénonais

The 606 Reed and Blues association relies on a network of passionate volunteers and strong partnerships with local cultural institutions: the Sens et Sénonais Tourist Office, the Burgundy Regional Tourism Committee, the libraries of Sens, and the local MJCs. This involvement in the local associative fabric ensures an accessible program rooted in the region's reality.

Presided over by Marie-Noëlle Philippot since its inception, the association unites more members and spectators each season, convinced that the blues — music of the soul, of travel, and of resilience — has its rightful place in the Sénonais. Far from the grand Parisian stages, 606 Reed and Blues proves year after year that an associative organization can, with passion and rigor, keep a demanding culture alive in a rural territory.

Why 606?

The number 606 is a direct reference to the 606 Club, the blues and jazz venue in London founded by pianist Steve Rubie in 1976. This transatlantic nod speaks volumes about the association's spirit: an openness to the world, a grounding in the history of African-American music, and a conviction that the blues transcends borders and generations.