Cachaça was a nightclub located at 403 East 62nd Street in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. The upscale Brazilian-themed night spot opened in March 1977, located above the Hippopotamus disco. Both were owned by businessman Olivier Coquelin, nicknamed "Disco Daddy," who had opened Le Club, the first American discotheque, in 1960, followed by

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in 1966. Promoting its opening, Coquelin said "There hasn't been a club like this one since the Blue Angel, where Streisand got her start." The decor was by architect Lawrence Peabody, who said "I've made Cachaça a simple bronze-mirrored box with lots of comfortable seats, no paintings, photographs or anything- so it can be crowded with colorful people. They're the decoration." Among the guests in its opening weeks were former New York mayor

John Lindsay John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, the mayor of New York City, and a candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regu ...

and his wife Mary, Broadway producer Michael Butler,

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress. In her career spanning over six decades, she has garnered List of awards and nominations received by Vanessa Redgrave, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony A ...

, Rupert Murdock, and

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and

Bianca Jagger Bianca Jagger (born Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías; 2 May 1945)

. Entertainment included live and recorded music, with a 1977 listing in ''New York'' Magazine describing the ambience as "Mirrors, marble-topped tables, potted palms, gray-velvet chesterfield sofas, and Latin music," and announcing "singer Joyce Silveira with dancing to the Helcio Milito nine-piece band, who play popular Brazilian music, every night from 10 to 4 am." Capoeira mestres Jelon Vieira and Loremil Machado performed a stage show weekly for "four or five years." The ballroom dance team of David Van Hamilton and Susan Silva performed regularly for two years. While Olivier Coquelin jokingly denied to Andy Warhol's ''Interview'' Magazine that any "striptease" would be taking place at Cachaça, by early 1980, he had decided to open "Chez Elle at Hippopotamus," featuring male strippers. A notice in '' Back Stage'' directed "attractive male gymnasts, dancers and he-man types" to auditions at Cachaça. An article in ''

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'' emphasized that the show was intended for a female audience, and said that "unaccompanied men will not be admitted until after the last of three shows at 11 pm."

References

External links

1979 television feature showing Jelon Vieira and Loremil Machado performing at Cachaça
{{Upper East Side, state=collapsed Nightclubs in New York City 1977 establishments in New York City Upper East Side