A bite from the apple—New York

Latin Beat Magazine, April, 2003 by Vicki Sola

On January 12, a crowd packed midtown Manhattan's Club Babalú to witness a special showcase featuring The Big Three Palladium Orchestra, an orchestra comprised of alumni from the big bands of the three giants of Latin music: Frank "Machito" Grillo, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodríguez.

When I asked Mario Grillo--son of the legendary Machito and leader of the present day Machito Orchestra--what led to the concept behind the creation of The Big Three Palladium Orchestra, he explained, "It was my idea to create the band, with the go-ahead from [Tito Puente's widow] Margie Puente, Tito Rodríguez, Jr., and Tito Puente, Jr. The idea was to play the music of the three masters in a concert format."

The Club Babalú concert was, as Grillo accurately described it, "one and a half hour's worth of intense music," with the 24-piece orchestra, including five saxophones, four trumpets, three trombones and four rhythm section players, plus three timbaleros and three vocalists belting out the classics of "the three greats," one after another. They performed Machito's Sambia, Mambo Inn, Babarabatiri and Oye La Rumba; Tito Rodríguez's Mama Guela, Chévere and El Mundo de Las Locas, and Tito Puente's Cayuco, Complicación and Oye Como Vá. Grillo cited these numbers as being "examples of the book." He added, "We have, combined, about 2,500 tunes we can play--about 250 albums. So we can play forever, if need be!"

The Big Three Palladium Orchestra's concerts so far include appearances at New York City's Verizon Festival with Abbey Lincoln, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center with Giovanni Hidalgo, New York's Belleayre Festival, the Concord Jazz Festival in California with Eddie Palmieri and Arturo Sandoval, and the Hollywood Bowl with Celia Cruz.

Those experiencing the electrically charged evening conveyed to me that they were thrilled to watch the sons of "the three greats"--Mario Grillo, Tito Rodríguez, Jr., Tito Puente, Jr. and Ronald Puente--onstage performing the original charts. Those present who fell in love with the music during the '50s and '60s, when it swept America, and those who wished they had been born earlier and could have danced at the Palladium Ballroom, can attest mightily to the fact that this music is most definitely alive and well! Additional information about The Big Three Palladium Orchestra is available online at www.bprmusic.com.

DJ Jeff's "Hot Pick of the Month": Sergio Rivera & Grupo Caribe's A Tite Curet

Congratulations to my dear friend and Latin Beat colleague, Max Salazar, on the publishing of his book, "Mambo Kingdom: Latin Music in New York 1926-1990" (Schirmer Trade Books). Salazar devotes chapters to Latin music's development in New York City, the Palladium, the Corso, charanga, the origins of salsa, Conjunto Caney, and to major figures such as Rafael Hernández, Gabriel Oller, Alberto Iznaga, Miguelito Valdés, Alberto Socarrás, Anselmo Sacassas, Marcelino Guerra, Noro Morales, Joe Loco, Federico Pagani, John "Big Daddy" Rodríguez, Tito Puente, Jimmy Frisaura, Frankie Colón, Vicentico Valdés, Vitín Avilés, Gilberto Monroig, Santitos Colón, Tony Molina, Orlando Marín, La Lupe, José Fajardo, Charlie Palmieri, Joe Quijano, Eddy Zervigón, Héctor Rivera, Tony Pabón, Joe Cuba, Willie Torres, Cheo Feliciano, Joe Bataan, Jerry Masucci, Willie Rosario, Héctor Lavoe and Willie Rodríguez.

As Al Angeloro states in the book's foreward, "Max has lived through and chronicled most of the eras that make up the New York Afro-Cuban experience." It's truly wonderful to have access to such a splendid and in-depth body of work, written by a historian and broadcaster who documented so much of the history as it actually occurred, and who knew the key players so well.

Super Bowl Sunday ... Dave Santiago & Latin Affair made football fans forget the game (despite the two TVs) but made dancers remember all of their best moves on the Sunday of the Super Bowl. Pianist/arranger Isidro Infante jumped onstage and jammed, as did trombonist Dave Chamberlain of Direct Latin Influence (DLI). Santiago's son, flutist Dave, Jr., plays with his father on the frontlines of the band, serving up salsa dura. The music made everyone forget about the snow and horrifically cold temperatures that have plagued the U.S. east coast!

The beat goes on ... Buyu's son, famed percussionist José Mangual, Jr. along with Jimmy Sabater and the group Son Boricua, released a third production--Clásicos 60's (Cobo Music). The CD features hits such as Cara de Payaso, Muñeca, At the Party, Cachondeando, En El Barrio, A Las Seis and Mama Guela, arranged by Alfredo Valdés, Jr., J.R. Hiram De Jesús, and Nelson Hernández.

During a recent "Super Sunday" at La Maganette, the group, which includes Mangual, Sabater, J.R. Hiram De Jesús (piano), A.J. Mantas (vibraphone), Walter Reyes (congas), Ray Martínez (bass) and Papo Pepín (percussion), rocked the house with their dynamic, heavy-duty sound. Latin music's "Velvet Fog," Jimmy Sabater, made the crowd go wild, stirring many precious memories, as he sang the number he "owns"--To Be With You.