Eddie Palmieri, pioneering Latin jazz musician and Grammy winner, passes away at 88

Eddie Palmieri the avantgarde musician who was one of the most innovative artists of rumba and Latin jazz has died He was 88Fania Records announced Palmieris death Wednesday evening Palmieris daughter Gabriela told The New York Times that her father died earlier that day at his home in New Jersey after iquestan extended illnessiquestThe pianist composer and bandleader was the first Latino to win a Grammy Award and would win seven more over a career that spanned nearly 40 albumsPalmieri was born in New Yorks Spanish Harlem on December 15 1936 at a time when music was seen as a way out of the ghetto He began studying the piano at an early age like his famous brother Charlie Palmieri but at age 13 he began playing timbales in his uncles orchestra overcome with a desire for the drumsHe eventually abandoned the instrument and went back to the playing piano Im a frustrated percussionist so I take it out on the piano the musician once said in his website biographyHis first Grammy win came in 1975 for the album The Sun of Latin Music and he kept releasing music into his 80s performing through the coronavirus pandemic via livestreamsIn a 2011 interview with The Associated Press when asked if he had anything important left to do he responded with his usual humility and good humour Learning to play the piano well Being a piano player is one thing Being a pianist is anotherPalmieri dabbled in tropical music as a pianist during the 1950s with the Eddie Forrester Orchestra He later joined Johnny Seguiacutes band and Tito Rodriacuteguezs before forming his own band in 1961 La Perfecta alongside trombonist Barry Rogers and singer Ismael QuintanaLa Perfecta was the first to feature a trombone section instead of trumpets something rarely seen in Latin music With its unique sound the band quickly joined the ranks of Machito Tito Rodriacuteguez and other Latin orchestras of the timePalmieri produced several albums on the Alegre and Tico Records labels including the 1971 classic Vaacutemonos pal monte with his brother Charlie as guest organist Charlie Palmieri died in 1988Eddies unconventional approach would surprise critics and fans again that year with the release of Harlem River Drive in which he fused Black and Latin styles to produce a sound that encompassed elements of salsa funk soul and jazzLater in 1974 he recorded The Sun of Latin Music with a young Lalo Rodriacuteguez The album became the first Latin production to win a GrammyThe following year he recorded the album Eddie Palmieri amp Friends in Concert Live at the University of Puerto Rico considered by many fans to be a salsa gemIn the 1980s he won two more Grammy Awards for the albums Palo pa rumba 1984 and Solito 1985 A few years later he introduced the vocalist La India to the salsa world with the production Llegoacute La India viacutea Eddie PalmieriPalmieri released the album Masterpiece in 2000 which teamed him with the legendary Tito Puente who died that year It was a hit with critics and won two Grammy Awards The album was also chosen as the most outstanding production of the year by the National Foundation for Popular Culture of Puerto RicoDuring his long career he participated in concerts and recordings with the Fania AllStars and Tico AllStars standing out as a composer arranger producer and orchestra directorIn 1988 the Smithsonian Institute recorded two of Palmieris concerts for the catalog of the National Museum of American History in WashingtonYale University in 2002 awarded him the Chubb Fellowship Award an award usually reserved for international heads of state in recognition of his work in building communities through musicIn 2005 he made his debut on National Public Radio as the host of the program Caliente which was carried by more than 160 radio stations nationwideThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever