Eddie Palmieri

 

Eddie Palmieri and his Latin Jazz Band at the South Beach Jazz Festival

Eddie Palmieri Biography:

Eddie Palmieri, one of the finest pianists of the past 60 years, is a renowned bandleader, arranger, and composer of salsa and Latin jazz. His unique style masterfully blends the rhythms of his Puerto Rican heritage with the complexity of jazz influences such as Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and his older brother, Charlie Palmieri.

Born in Spanish Harlem and raised in the Bronx, Palmieri’s musical journey began early. At 13, he joined his uncle’s orchestra, playing timbales. His career as a pianist flourished in the 1950s with bands like Eddie Forrester’s and Tito Rodriguez’s Orchestra. In 1961, Palmieri formed La Perfecta, a groundbreaking band featuring trombones instead of the traditional trumpets in Latin music, creating an innovative sound that fused jazz with Afro-Caribbean rhythms. Though he disbanded La Perfecta in 1968, Palmieri revisited its music in the 2000s.

The 1970s marked Palmieri’s rise as a trailblazing arranger. His 1970 album “Harlem River Drive” was the first to merge Black and Latin music, combining elements of salsa, funk, soul, and jazz. In 1975, he won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording with The Sun of Latin Music, a career milestone among his ten Grammy wins, including two for his collaboration with Tito Puente on Obra Maestra/Masterpiece.

Palmieri’s contributions have been widely recognized. In 1988, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History archived his performances. His music, often fusing Latin and funk, inspired collaborations such as the 1997 Nuyorican Soul album, which became popular in house and underground music scenes.

Throughout his career, Palmieri has received numerous accolades, including the Eubie Blake Award (1991), the Yale University Chubb Fellowship (2002), and the Harlem Renaissance Award (2005). In 2009, his iconic composition “Azucar Pa’ Ti” was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for its groundbreaking impact on the recording industry.
In 2012, Palmieri composed music for the documentary Doin’ it in the Park, exploring the cultural influence of playground basketball. The soundtrack, released in 2013, marked his first new music in nearly a decade, followed by the release of Sabiduria (2017), a fusion of jazz, funk, Latin, and Afro-world rhythms.

Palmieri was awarded the prestigious NEA Jazz Master Award in 2013, the highest honor for American jazz artists. That same year, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.

In recent years, Palmieri has continued to innovate, releasing new versions of his classic compositions and working on projects such as the Big Band album Mi Luz Mayor (2015/2016), featuring Carlos Santana and Gilberto Santa Rosa. In 2017, Palmieri celebrated his 81st birthday after completing a year-long tour titled EP @ 80.