Jay Jerome Pretty Cha Cha

Performed by the well-liked Philadelphia-based orchestra of Jay Jerome for his 1958 album "Shall We Dance" (ABC-Paramount ABCS-261), this 'pert' tune, "Pretty Cha-Cha", was composed by the legendary NYC mambo bandleader Pete Terrace.

In addition to another composition by Terrace (also posted on the 'Metro Mambo' Channel, check it out...), the album also contains what appear to be original compositions by Rene Hernandez (long-time pianist/arranger for the Machito Orchestra), and prolific arranger/composer Ray Santos. As posted elsewhere on the 'Metro Mambo' Channel, fellow Philadelphia bandleader Bobby Roberts recorded a number of fine mambos and cha cha chas by trumpeter Harold Wegbriet, long-time trumpeter for the popular NYC mambo bandleader Tito Rodriguez, indicating something of an ongoing 'mambo connection' between major figures on the NYC mambo-scene and Philadelphia during the mid-to-late 1950's.

A popular bandleader in the Philadelphia area since the 1940's, Jay Jerome and his Orchestra were mainstays at major society balls and events at the Warwick Hotel and the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. They regularly performed at other east coast venues, such as the Traymore Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. Starting in 1955, Jerome performed at the annual Miss America Coronation Ball for several consecutive seasons.

Perhaps a more important part of Jay Jerome's legacy is revealed in a1988 Philadelphia Inquirer article:

"In the late 1940s, with competition for weddings and bar mitzvahs growing, bandleader Jay Jerome formed an alliance with the competition, creating Music Associates. From a partnership started in 1948 in the smoky musicians' union hall at 18th and Arch Streets, Music Associates became the nation's first corporate conglomerate of bandleaders.With new partners Bobby Roberts, Jackie Gold, Lou King and Marty Portnoy, the organization reigned over a dynasty that had 20 bands and lasted into the early 1970s."

Check out the other rare posts on the "Metro Mambo Collection" drawn from the 18,000+ record collection of Jim Byers - since 1996, host of "The Latin Flavor Classic Edition", showcasing Palladium-era mambo and Latin-jazz , live-streaming on www.WPFWFM.ORG on Sundays, 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. EST