| Although he refuses to reveal his date of birth,
it has been calculated that the brilliant and versatile reedman Rafael
Palau Jr. (better known as Tata Palau) was born in the late 1920s. He
acknowledged, however, that he is a native of the Havanese neighborhood
of Marianao, which he humorously defines as el pueblo de los guapos, or
the hometown of the brave. He also admits that he is one of eleven
members three generations from the Palau dynasty who demonstrated their
outstanding skills throughout the long history of the family-owned big
band known as Orquesta Hermanos Palau (Palau Brothers Orchestra), with
whom he made his profesional debut at the age of 14. As a matter of fact, Tata points out that his great-grandfather, Felipe Palau Sr., was sent by the Spanish colonial government in the 19th century to the Cuban town of Camagüey as the leader of a marching band, from which he quickly defected upon falling in love with a native camagüeyana, who would give birth in 1866 to Felipe Palau, Jr., subsequently identified as the organist of Havana's Cathedral for forty-three years. (Before proceeding further, LATIN BEAT readers must be advised that there are plenty of musicians named Felipe, Rafael and Luis in the abovementioned clan.) LUIS TAMARGO: Is it true that the Palau big band was derived from e septet called Los Califates? TATA PALAU: That's right. Los Califates were organized in 1928. With the exception of the trumpeter and the banjo player, they were comprised of Palau siblings. When this group was numerically expanded, it became the Palau Brothers Orchestra. LT: When did you initiate your musical training? TP: At the age of six, with my grandfather Rafael Palau, the organist of Havana's cathedral. I didn't want to study at first, but I changed my mind when he offered to pay me one centavo (one Cuban ceno for attending each of his daily solfeggio lessons (LAUGHTER). LT: I assume that the clarinet was your first instrument. TP: Yes. I learned to play clarinet by the age of eight. Six years later, I joined Orquesta Hermanos Palau, playing clarinet and third trumpet. Later on, after the band's tenor player (Miguel Sánchez) had to be replaced due to sudden illness, my father taught me the required sax fingering positions. The rest is history! LT: Didn't the Palau brothers come to Hollywood in the late 1930s? TP: Yes. They traveled to Hollywood in 1938, along with Ernesto Lecuona, to perform in the film titled "El Manicero" (The Peanut Vendor), starring Jimmy Durante. LT: Could you identify your favorite instrument, as well as your primordial formative influence? TP: My favorite instrument is the tenor sax, and my primordial early influence was Gustavo Más. I always asked my father to take me to see Gustavo in action, whenever he played with Orquesta Bellamar, a phenomenal jazz band led by Armando Romeu. All Cuban musicians, regardless of their generation, must take their hats off whenever one mentions Gustavo Más. LT: The expansion of Cuban radio in the 1940s propitiated the growing popularity of Hermanos Palau and other native big bands ... TP: The Cuban radio stations served as rapid channels of publicity for many big bands, charangas, and conjuntos. There is an interesting fact, for example, that most people are not aware of: The radio station C.O.C.O., between 1934 and 1936, transmitted the first live jazz broadcast in Cuba. It featured Félix Guerrero and Luis Escalante, among other musicians whose names I can't remember. That radio station, by the way, was owned by a former mambí (Cuban separatist) known as Captain Casas. LT: Could you identify the first Cuban jazz players that assimilated the bebop influences from the north? TP: Almost all of the Cuban jazz musicians leaned toward the cool jazz style at the beginning of the bebop era, but both El Negro Vivar and a saxophonist nicknamed Perro Chino were able to perfectly assimilate such bebop influences. LT: It has come to my attention that you alternated as tenor soloist, along with Gustavo Más and Pedro Chao, in the 1950s big bands led by Armando Romeu. TP: Yes. We were always good friends, as opposed to musicians from subsequent generations who have been characterized by their troublesome jealousy. LT: You also participated in numerous unofficial Cuban jazz jams of the 1950s. TP: The last jam session that I attended was conducted in the home of drummer Fausto García, but I participated in many other descargas with Leonardo Acosta, El Negro Vivar, Perro Chino, and Papito Hernández, the latter of whom has never been recognized as one of the greatest bassists ever born in Cuba. Never mind that his bass-playing skills were consistently appreciated by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and other North American stars. LT: When did you get to know a child prodigy known as Poquito D'Rivera? TP: When his dad, a good friend of mine named Tito Rivera, brought him to the Tropicana. Paquito was only 10 years old, but he was already full of genius. |
Latin Beat Magazine, May, 2003 by Luis Tamargo