For those who missed it, Birdland, the shrine of bebop, and the Palladium Ballroom, the shrine of Latin jazz, were just a block away from each other.

The original Birdland opened December 15, 1949 at 1678 Broadway just north of West 52nd Street and closed in 1965.

The Palladium Ballroom opened in 1948 on the corner of 53rd Street and Broadway in New York City and closed May 1, 1966.

Musicians and audience members went back and forth between the two nightspots.

Jazzman Slim Gaillard and Tito Puente reminisce about the heyday – and then get down to a jam.

Note: Don’t got looking for either of these places. They’re gone, but here’s what they looked like.

 

The original Birdland

The front door

Ella Fitzgerald in the house

A cool spot

Celebrity hangout

The interior


 

The original Palladium Ballroom

Tito Rodriguez on the bandstand

The Crowd

Tito Puente and Ray Baretto

Dancers


 

Other famous joints

Cotton Club

Five Spot

Savoy Ballroom

The dance floor at the Savoy

– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube

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Things missing from the historical record
Mongo Santamaria

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