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The Palladium Has a Thousand Stories – Part 5

Q & A with Pete and Mike
By Michael Terrace and Peter Settimelli

(For this installment of our EL Palladium series, we present this article in the form of a Question and Answer interview conducted at the home of Michael Terrace at random times between April 26 and July 12, 2009 – P.S.)

Palladium

Tito Puente

By Michael Terrace & Peter Settimelli
From New York City

P.S. – In our past writing ventures, we mainly focused on the mambo as the primary dance at the Palladium. Do you recall any others that were regularly performed?

M.T. – Generally not, although some bands, especially those from the Dominican Republic, were known as merengue bands, so occasionally you heard a merengue.

P.S. – What were some of the earliest bands at the Palladium?

M.T. – Marcelino Guerra and his orchestra and another band called El Boy.

P.S. – And again, did these bands played strictly the mambo?

M.T. – Only the mambo.

P.S. – Did the Palladium book established bands only?

M.T. - No, there were many bands that were just starting out, an `up and coming’ band.

Augie and Margo

P.S. – Can you please name several that who do you think are several that achieved well-known status because of their affiliation with the Palladium?

M.T. – Well, Machito, Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez, the Big Three.

P.S.– Yes, we’ve spoken of them often. Did these guys make records and receive airplay as well?

M.T. - They all made records. Tito Puente’s Ran-Can-Can was a big hit and so was Tanga by Machito.

P.S.– What about TV?

M.T. - In the U.S., on Latin TV networks in New York, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico and in South America.

P.S.– I read of the recent passing of Joe Cuba in February of this year. Did you know him?

M.T. -I knew him very well. In fact, I hired him often for mambo shows.

P.S. – I remember that in 1966 in my high school freshman year he had a very big hit record called Bang Bang. The artist on the label read Joe Cuba Sextet.

M.T. – Yes, it was a very big hit.

Peter Settimelli

Michael Terrace

P.S. – It seemed a little slow in tempo; was it really a mambo?

M.T. – You’ve got to remember, mambo is the dance and music and there are separate rhythms within the mambo; the Cha-Cha, the Watusi, the Pachanga.

P.S. – Which one those rhythms best describes Bang Bang?

M.T. – The Cha-Cha.

P.S.– A moment ago you spoke about booking Joe Cuba for mambo shows. Are you referring to the Palladium or up in the Catskills?

M.T. – Up in the Catskills.

P.S.– Were you living in the Catskills at the time and was this after the Palladium closed?

M.T. – Yes.

P.S. – I supposed you booked other acts as well. For one-night stands or longer?

M.T. – One-night stands only. They were called club dates.

Michael Terrace & wife at present

P.S. – Did you ever book dance teams as well?

M.T. – Yes, I booked many teams through the years at hotels and for dance weekends.

P.S. – Would that include your own dance team, that is Terrace and Elita?

M.T. – Yes, but I used to ask the emcee to introduce us as “Michael Terrace and the Beautiful Elita”.

P.S. – Was a `dance weekend’ a sort of special package, including meals and lodging?

M.T. – Yes food and lodging came with the package. It was a tremendous hit.

P.S. – What was the average price, per couple I assume?

M.T. – The average price was per person, anywhere from two hundred to six hundred dollars and included a Jacuzzi and special privacy.

P.S. – What years are talking about?

M.T. – From about 1959 to 1967.

P.S. In U.S. dollars, wasn’t that considered rather expensive?

M.T. – Well you got three meals a day, swimming pools, golf, free dance lessons, all kind of amenities.

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