Riobamba by Leonard Bernstein

In 1910, Joseph D. Weil founded the College Camp and Pine Forest Colony, which later became Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. In 1939, shortly before his passing, he transferred ownership of the camp to his only child, Linton Weil. In 1942, Linton left Wingdale for New York City to open a nightclub in midtown called The Riobamba. Linton still owned camp, which Joseph's widow Rose operated in his absence. Linton funded the Riobamba, however, with $45,000 that he made from camp. Inflation adjusted for today, that's nearly three quarters of a million dollars! Its namesake being a city in Ecuador, the Riobamba's decorations had a Latin American theme to them. It was also inspired by a popular club of the time, the Copacabana. For Riobamba's opening night, Weil and his team brought in Jane Froman and the Chandra-Kaly dancers. Froman comissioned a theme song for the club, paying $50 to composer. Who was this composer? A not yet well-known Jew from Massachusetts named Leonard Bernstein! This song uses many different musical motifs as a window into meeting the different peoples and cultures who lived in Riobamba over thousands of years. The club became a huge success on day 1, partly thanks to this song being such an exciting opener. While this song itself is not well known today, Bernstein later used the material in his 1944 ballet Fancy Free. A few weeks after opening, Weil hosted a meeting in the Riobamba with other Broadway producers to plan out President Franklin D. Roosevelt's 61st birthday, happening at the Waldorft-Astoria hotel. The Riobamba also made history a few weeks after that, in March of 1943, when Frank Sinatra made his cabaret debut there. Linton Weil continued running the club for just under a year, until selling out his share in October of 1943. Another person associated with ownership of the club was infamous Kosher mobster Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. He was the head of the Murder Incorporated mafia contract killing organization and recieved the death penalty in 1944, the only American mobster to do so. Unforunately, the Riobamba was shut down by the authorities in December of 1943, a year after it opened, due to failure to pay taxes. Linton Weil went on to sell camp as well in 1945. Later in life, he at points owned the Wingdale Diner, and a Magnesium Quarry in Dover. He also worked as a stockbroker for Bache and Co. until his death in 1971. Thank you to camp's pre-camp historian Max Silverstone for bringing this special tune and uniquely New York information to Radio Kol Ramah!