Club Morocco, Winnipeg 1960s

Opened in 1954, Club Morocco was a legendary supper club in Winnipeg, Canada, with entertainment that featured many jazz performers. It was the creation of Polish immigrant Herschel Schmutkin (1913-1997) who became Harry Smith when Canadian customs officials said his name was too hard to pronounce. An eccentric character, he insisted on a dress code that required men to wear a jacket and tie. Those who turned up under-dressed could rent the required clothing. Club Morocco was certainly a mish-mash of styles because it had an African theme with paintings of warriors with shields, spears and masks on the walls but served Cantonese and Mandarin dishes. The faux décor may have been a clumsy tribute to the legendary El Morocco nightclub in New York city. “It just seemed to have an air of danger about it,’ said music historian John Einarson in his book ‘Heart of Gold: A History of Winnipeg Music.’ ‘You didn't mess around when you went there and you behaved yourself, but it was a great place for Winnipeg musicians to play and a great place to see a lot of jazz performers. ‘It became Winnipeg's top nightspot and the longest-running such jazz club not only in our city, but in Western Canada.’ Among the musicians who performed there were George Reznik, the esteemed Winnipeg jazz pianist who played with Louis Armstrong and Barbra Streisand among others, and the saxophonist and Winnipeg clothing manufacturer Al Sprintz and his band. One of the surviving members of The Ink Spots, the singing quartet who formed in 1934, recorded with Decca Records and whose most famous song was If I Didn’t Care, also played there following the crooners’ break-up in 1954. Another performer was the American actress and singer Nichelle Nichols who later took the role of Lt. Uhura in the Star Trek franchise. The supper club trend began to go out of fashion in the 1960s as liquor license changes allowed hotels to open live music venues and nightclubs of their own. After more than three decades in business, Club Morocco was sold. The landmark building on Portage Avenue that once housed the nightclub was destroyed by fire in 2022. Gallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson Ultrachrome HD archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing. Each order includes a print of the interior menu. All printed in USA.