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 original Palladium Ballroom

 

Other famous joints

– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube

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