Misplaced Pages

La Conga (nightclub)

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Nightclub in New York City
La Conga
Address57 W. 57th Street
209 W. 51st Street at Broadway
LocationManhattan, New York
OwnerJack Harris
TypeNightclub
Genre(s)Rumba
Conga
Opened1937

La Conga, also known as La Conga nightclub or La Conga club, was a Cuban nightclub located in midtown Manhattan in New York City.

Early history

In September 1937, the La Conga Club was established in New York at 57 W. 57th Street. It was operated by Cubans Bobby Martyn, Miguel Roldan and Oscar Roche.

The club's diners and dancers enjoyed Rumba bands and Cuban music. Each night included a nightly Conga line, popularized by Cuban conga player Desi Arnaz in Miami and New York.

At the end of 1937, band leader George Olsen, began a two-month engagement. In February 1938, Enric Madriguera returned to La Conga with his orchestra.

The name La Conga was purchased for $50 in 1938 by Arthur Ganger, who frequently purchased nightclub names from the courts when they failed. Ganger was sued by the original tenants after selling the name to new owners for $50. The club was re-established by Jack Harris. With the new proprietors, the cabaret was located in the New York theatre district on 51st Street and Broadway. It was near the famed Birdland jazz club.

By 1939, the venue played a significant role in the early rise of Latin performers such as Desi Arnaz and Diosa Costello, who featured as headlining acts. In 1940, Machito and his Afro-Cubans Band debuted at La Conga.

References

  1. Calta, L. & The New York Times. (1943). NIGHT CLUB NEWS. In nytimes.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024, from https://www.nytimes.com/1943/11/14/archives/night-club-news.html?smid=url-share
  2. Mambo Kingdon: Latin Music in New York. (2010). (n.p.): Schirmer Trade Books.
  3. "Broadway: Incidental Intelligence About the Dance | By Danton Walker - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  4. "Man About Manhattan | By George Tucker - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  5. Turback, M. (2018). What a Swell Party It Was! Rediscovering Food & Drink from the Golden Age of the American Nightclub. United States: Skyhorse Publishing.
  6. ABREU, CHRISTINA D. Rhythms of Race: Cuban Musicians and the Making of Latino New York City and Miami, 1940-1960. University of North Carolina Press, 2015. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469620855_abreu. Accessed 23 May 2024.
  7. "Madriguera Music at La Conga on Friday - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  8. "Mainly About Manhattan | Daily News, New York, New York, Sept 17 1939, Page 303 - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  9. "Jack Harris' La Conga | Daily News, New York, New York, Oct 17 1942, Page 241 - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  10. Oja, C. J. (2014). Bernstein Meets Broadway: Collaborative Art in a Time of War. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
  11. Waxer, L. (1994). Of Mambo Kings and Songs of Love: Dance Music in Havana and New York from the 1930s to the 1950s. Latin American Music Review / Revista de Música Latinoamericana, 15(2), 139–176. https://doi.org/10.2307/780230
  12. "Walter Winchell Says | Daily News, New York, New York, Oct 25 1939, Page 496 - Newspapers.com™". newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  13. Blocker Bowers, D. (2013, June 21). Remembering Diosa Costello, “the Latin bombshell.” National Museum of American History. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/remembering-diosa-costello-latin-bombshell
  14. Conzo, J. (2010, December 17). Machito: Father of Afro-Cuban jazz. Record. https://www.recordonline.com/story/news/2004/11/20/machito-father-afro-cuban-jazz/51133823007/
Categories: