Largo (nightclub)

Coordinates: 34°04′40″N 118°22′35″W / 34.077849°N 118.376319°W / 34.077849; -118.376319
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Largo nightclub exterior (previous location)

Largo, also called Café Largo,[1] Largo, darling!, or Club Largo, is a nightclub and cabaret in Los Angeles, California. Largo is known for its musical and comedy shows and for the Friday night residency of singer-songwriter Jon Brion.[2]

History

Café Largo was founded by Jean-Pierre Boccara, a nightclub entrepreneur, in 1989. Café Largo featured music (including performances by Peter Himmelman, Colin Hay, Victoria Williams, Suzanne Vega, Syd Straw, The Love Jones, Julie Christensen, Hugo Largo, Grant Lee Buffalo, Fiona Apple), cabaret (including performances by Philip Littell, Stephanie Vlahos, Lypsinka, Barry Yourgrau), vaudeville (Les Stevens), comedy (Nora Dunn, Beth Lapides), and spoken word (Tommy Cody, Eve Brandstein, Michael Lally).

The

The Edge, Details, Village View, Vogue, Interview, Playboy, and US Magazine. [5]
In March 1992, Boccara sold the club to Mark Flanagan and his wife Aimee Cain (international model and of Star Search fame). Flanagan shortened the name to Largo, and his name to simply "Flanagan." Fergus O'Flynn and Joanne McKenna, along with Flanagan, were equal shareholders. Boccara went on to open LunaPark on Robertson Blvd. in West Hollywood and operated it from Halloween 1993 to Halloween 2000.

Flanagan began operating Largo in April 1992. (In the 1960s, the Largo, owned by Chuck Landis, was a strip club on Sunset Blvd.)[6] In 1996, Flanagan re-established Largo as an intimate cabaret with live music, mainly in the piano bar tradition. Largo's original location on Fairfax Avenue had 100 seats, with a maximum full capacity of 130, and regularly sold out, with frequent sightings of celebrity musicians and actors in the audience. The club had a strict no talking or cellphone use policy during performances, but allowed audience members to live-blog on their laptops.

Flanagan persuaded

.

Performances

The typical Largo show involves a mix of music and

aesthetic, performers come from many traditions, including country, rock, and cabaret
.

Brad Mehldau released a jazz album produced by Jon Brion entitled Largo. Toad the Wet Sprocket singer/songwriter Glen Phillips performs regularly and has recorded a live album Live at Largo at the club. Andy Prieboy developed his musical White Trash Wins Lotto at the club. The band Tenacious D largely got their start at Largo, which in turn launched the career of actor/comedian Jack Black. Dan Finnerty started The Dan Band at Largo, doing monthly shows there before his stints in Old School and Starsky & Hutch. The band Wild Colonials largely got their start at Largo with a successful Tuesday night residency that lasted nine months during 1992 and 1993. In 1993, at the height of the Los Angeles spoken word scene of that decade, Largo hosted several events featuring L.A. writers Viggo Mortensen, Scott Wannberg, Ellyn Maybe, S.A. Griffin, Tequila Mockingbird, and Linda Ravenswood. A five-track CD of Elliott Smith playing solo at Largo was released in October 2007, accompanying photographer Autumn de Wilde's book, Elliott Smith.

In 2012, comedian Tig Notaro performed a set after just being diagnosed with cancer. She did not intend to release the audio at first, but later, the album Live was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

Sarah Silverman taped her 2013 HBO stand-up special, We Are Miracles at the Largo, before an audience of 39.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown, US comedian Conan O'Brien relocated Conan, his TBS late-night talk show, to the Largo, following several months broadcasting from his home.[7][8][9]

Relocation

On June 2, 2008, Flanagan closed the club and moved to the Coronet Theatre on La Cienega Boulevard, renaming it Largo at the Coronet. Jon Brion continues his monthly residency, performing on Friday, usually near the end of each month. He has also begun to incorporate video samples of musicians into his musical performances.

References

  1. ^ a b Grant-Lee Phillips (January 1, 2003). "Me in a Nutshell". Grantleephillips.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  2. ^
    The Chicago Tribune
    . Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  3. ^ "Guide to Largo at the Coronet". AXS. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  4. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  5. ^ Sadownick, Douglas (1989-12-03). "The Comeback of a Cabaret : The pioneering owners of a defunct performance art Mecca rekindle the flame at Cafe Largo in the Fairfax District". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  6. ^ "Best Sunset Strip legend". Whiskyagogo.com. 1966-11-12. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  7. ^ White, Peter (2020-07-07). "Conan O'Brien Kicks Off Largo Filming, Calls It "Really Special Place" & Urges Support For Theaters". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  8. ^ Porter, Rick (2020-07-02). "Conan O'Brien Taking TBS Show to L.A.'s Largo". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  9. ^ Kiefer, Halle (2020-07-07). "Conan O'Brien Debuts His Quarantine Show From Largo to an Audience of One". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-09-04.

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-03-10/news/mn-2927_1_chuck-landis

External links

34°04′40″N 118°22′35″W / 34.077849°N 118.376319°W / 34.077849; -118.376319