[Dixielandjazz] New York's Copacabana

[Robert Ringwald]

I hope the new club will give some musicians some work.  

--Bob Ringwald


Copa Comeback
by Brian Niemietz
New York Post, July 12, 2011
Nightclubs come and nightclubs go. It's the nature of the biz. But rarely does a
hot spot come back in such grand fashion as the legendary Copacabana, which moves
into its new $4 million four-story, digs tonight at 268 W. 47th St. "We're looking
to turn back the clock," says owner John Juliano, of the club's modern-retro style.
He insists men in suits will go straight to the front of the line. "It's a return
to elegance."
In its heyday, the Copa, as it was known to patrons such as Frank Sinatra and Jackie
Gleason, wasn't just any nightclub. The 900-person-capacity venue was a launch pad
to stardom for performers including Sid Caesar, Danny Thomas, Harry Belafonte, Dean
Martin -- and salsa great Willie Colon, who will be performing this evening at an
opening bash.
Juliano is hoping to draw a new generation to the club, now in its fourth incarnation.
(See below.)
The main floor of the new club is outfitted in art deco style with a cozy lounge
area that leads to a 110-person restaurant adorned by the same 70-year-old, artificial
white palm trees that bedecked the original Copacabana when it opened in 1941. That's
where the eight-piece Copacabana All-Stars will play jazz and samba. Up another flight
of stairs is a massive dance floor, where partygoers who pay a $20 cover charge can
sway to the 15-piece Copacabana Orchestra.
The dinner menu includes $12 mojitos and entrees like the $28 moqueca -- a traditional
Brazilian plate of black cod and jumbo shrimp.
Author Kristin Baggelaar, who literally wrote the book on the Copa with her 2006
illustrated novel "Copacabana," says that while the club can never be what it once
was culturally, she is curious to see the new space. "A lot of these stars that had
their careers launched at the Copa got their own television programs," says Baggelaar,
citing the beginning of television as the end of the Copa as America knew it.
"With the feminist movement, the Copa Girls were looked down on," says Baggelaar
of the club's signature dancers.
Not so anymore -- the Copa Girls are back -- and they've got some Copa Boys with
them.
According to Copa dance captain Melanie Torres, the new co-ed team consists of 25
professionals. "For opening night," she says, "we had [clothes] designed to bring
back the mambo era of the '40s and '50s."
Count 82-year-old Terri Stevens as one New York area resident thrilled to see the
Copa turn back time. In 1948, an 18-year-old Stevens left her parents' Connecticut
home for New York City. Soon she was a production singer at the Copa, where she shared
a stage with stars such as Tony Bennett and Vic Damone.
"I was a singer, and there were eight Copa Girls," she recalls.
"That was the heyday, back when New York was really something else."
________________________________
The Copacabana: A Timeline
1941: At the start of the new year, the Copacabana opens for business at 10 E. 60th
St. Later that year, America goes to war.
1947: Groucho Marx and Carmen Miranda star in the film "Copacabana."
1949: Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin start performing at the club, part of a large group
of A-list performers who would frequent the Copa in the coming decades.
1957: Shortly after the club's dining room is integrated, Yankees Mickey Mantle,
Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra are involved in an infamous tussle with alleged loudmouths
who were heckling headliner Sammy Davis Jr. As usual, the Yankees recorded several
hits.
1965: The Supremes make their debut at the Copa.
1969: The famous Copa Girl dance team is disbanded.
1973: Original owner Monte Proser dies, and the club sits empty for nearly three
years.
1976: John Juliano takes over the Copacabana and operates it like the discotheques
that were popular at the time.
1978: Barry Manilow's "Copacabana" crashes the Billboard charts with the tale of
a one-time showgirl working in a disco. Juliano gets the idea to revisit the Copa's
roots and host a Latin theme night. It's a hit.
1992: The Copa moves to 617 W. 57th St., where it operates until 2002.
2003: The Copa takes over a cavernous space at 560 W. 34th St. as a nightclub and
special events venue.
2007: Construction on the rapidly developing West Side causes the Copa to close once
again halfway through the year.
Tonight: The Copacabana reopens in Times Square with a live performance by salsa
legend Willie Colon.


--Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
530/ 642-9551 Office
916/ 806-9551 Cell
Amateur (Ham) Radio K6YBV

The red cross knocked at my door asking if I could help towards the floods in Pakistan.
I said I would love to, but my hose only reaches the bottom of the driveway.