Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola

There's a hot new club comin' to town. New York City, the Jazz Capital of the World, is about to get even hipper.

Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola is located at Jazz at Lincoln Center's brand new digs. Columbus Circle at Time Warner center is where it all happens. It's located at a focal point of the Big Apple, right where it belongs.

With breath-taking views of the Manhattan skyline, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola promises to bring in top jazz performers. The schedule goes something like this: it's open seven days a week with sets at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, plus a hang set at 11:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday's sets are 7:30 and 9:30 pm. On Monday, there will be two sets featuring student groups from university jazz programs.

Doors open at 6:00 pm for dinner seating, and there will be a late night menu as well. The cover charge is generally $30 for featured performers. So you see, it's competitively priced. We've got 92 table seats and 48 barstools. That breaks down to 140 seats total.

Named after one of the most recognizable figures in jazz, John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, the place will be swingin' like he would've wanted it. The best jazz players, the best food and the best location make this new Manhattan hotspot a must to visit.

Great Performances and Spoonbread Inc. present a menu inspired by the birthplaces of jazz: Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans. It'll be good grub, bub. Trust me. Spoonbread Inc. is New York's largest African-American owned, full-service caterer and will work with Great Performances to create recipes, menu and cocktail selections for Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola , offering down-home cuisine with a New York flair. A sample of the menu includes: rosemary baby lamb chops, Southern Fried Chicken, North Carolina pulled pork, candied yams, black eye pea fritters and cabbage and collard greens.

"Jazz at Lincoln Center is excited to have Spoonbread Inc. as a consultant to Great Performances, the exclusive caterer of the venue. We are confident that this partnership will help provide visitors to Frederick P. Rose Hall with the warm and inviting atmosphere that we plan for Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola ," said Hughlyn F. Fierce, President & CEO of JALC. "We look forward to the innovative and flavorful menu that is sure to be the perfect complement to the great jazz that will be performed nightly at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola."

Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola kicks off with a three-week-long Dizzy Gillespie Festival beginning October 21st, Dizzy's birthday. It's all part of the Grand Opening celebrations for Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, where the club is located. Featured during the Dizzy Fest' is the Bill Charlap Trio with guests Nicholas Payton and Charles McPherson performing standards written or made-famous by Dizzy.

Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola provides space for ensemble performances and education. The club will have a down-home groove to it -where people want to hang out, have a drink, and listen to some swing.

Come one, come all. Don't miss this great event at this great club in this great city. Mark your calendars for October 2004 at Jazz at Lincoln Center. See ya there.

On a sad note: Dizzy's widow, Lorraine, passed away in June. She was 84. Lorraine grew up in New York. She met Dizzy in 1937. They were married three years later. She managed his affairs even after his death in 1993.