Oh… So many stars!

Latin Beat Magazine, May, 1997 by Louis Laffitte

The concert celebration in honor of the sidemen of the Palladium, organized in recognition of the musicians who played in the bands of Machito, Tito Rodríguez and Tito Puente took place on December 15, 1996, hosted by media personality Felipe Luciano at Aaron Davis Hall in New York.

It was truly an all-star event that captured the nostalgia of the Palladium era, featuring some of the great veteran musicians of yesterday and today.

The first segment focused on the late sonero's conjuntos and orchestras. Timbalero Mike Collazo Sr., a member of the Rodríguez Band for several years, took center stage. Part II which focused on the Tito Rodríguez orchestra, quite naturally featured singer Jimmy Sabater on the classics El Que se fue, Cuando, cuando and Mamaguela.

The Tito Puente segment opened with Babarabatiri, featuring legendary trumpeter Puchi Boulong, and it stirred the crowd. Oye como va and Mambo gozon followed, with John "Dandy" Rodríguez handling the bongos. On the next tune, Mas bajo (composed and arranged by Tito Puente) Big Daddy Bobby Rodríguez sauntered on the stage taking the bass, as the crowd patiently waited, and proceeded to dazzle everyone. It's no wonder he's considered the very best on his instrument. Longtime Puente sax players Bobby Porcelli (highly underrated) and Mario Rivera (an alumnus of all three bands) soloed on the mambo Palladium Days. To end this portion of the show, El Rey Del Timbal, Tito Puente, was brought out to perform Ran Kan Kan to everyone's delight.

After a short intermission, Part III (the Machito segment) began with acknowledgments to some celebrity musicians, most notably José "Pin" Madera, Sr. who was brought on stage, and Leslie Johanikans (Baritone sax for Machito for over 35 years). Vocalist Willie Torres was in attendance as well as Hilda Grillo (Machito's wife). Among the standout selections from the final set was Negro Nañaboro which featured conguero Luis Miranda (with Machito from the late '40s to the late '50s) and trumpet legend Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros. An arrangement by the late René Hernández and transposed by José Madera Jr., the orchestra moved through intricate 3-time tempo changes, a number rarely heard in recent years. Arranger Ray Santos was on hand to direct the orchestra on Ray Bryant's classic Cuban Fantasy (Santo's chart). Percussionist and chief arranger José Madera (timbales) and conguero Julian Labrera were introduced for this tune. Trumpeter Tony Barrero took a fine solo as well.

Towards the end of the evening, percussionist/arranger Frankie Colón was called out. Johnny Pacheco, once a member of Puente's orchestra, joined him on güiro on Mi guajeo, a Miguelito Valdés/Frankie Colón arrangement. One could see that Colón was up for this section and cooked. La guardia con el tolete, a 1965 Machito recording (another Colón arrangement) followed as the audience continued enjoying his Popi Pagani style of timbal playing.

All the performers were then quickly invited on stage for an all-star jam of Machito's Piñeiro tenia razon as the evening finale. Included were flautist Mauricio Smith and mambo dancers Freddy Rios, Mike Rios and Nydia Ocasio. As an added bonus, Tito Puente danced with Nydia Ocasio.

This tribute was long overdue. The significance of Oh!...So Many Stars was that a good many of the elder statesmen are still with us, although a few were missing (such as Graciela, Chico O'Farrill and Tito Rodríguez Jr.). Much credit to the producers. This event was a collective effort between Louis Bauzó, Ramon Rodríguez, Anna Araiz and the Boy's Harbor Conservatory.

Comment from Anna Araiz, producer/promoter and president of Lusana Productions: "This show had one very specific purpose and that was to honor those incredible musicians who made up the music that we love that is now legendary because of the way the Palladium has become historical. Most of them have not received the acclaim that they deserve."

Louis Bauzó, percussionist, teacher and musical director of the Boy's Harbor Conservatory Orchestra. As coordinator of the concert, Louis tells us: "You have to give credit to these people because without them none of the orchestras would have been what they were. Each had a distinct sound which had to do with the leaders. For example, Tito Puente arrangements or the vocals of Machito and Tito Rodríguez. You could not have that Machito sax section if some of them had not been together for over 20 years. They learned to breathe together. That's something that's missing in music today with musicians bouncing from band to band. Musicians stayed longer in certain bands then."