Eddie Palmieri, the pioneering Latin jazz pianist and composer who helped create the foundations of salsa music, died on August 6 at his home in Hackensack, New Jersey. He was 88 years old.
Palmieri’s youngest daughter, Gabriela Palmieri, confirmed that his death followed an extended illness. The NEA Jazz Master and 10-time Grammy Award winner left behind a revolutionary musical legacy that transformed Latin music and influenced generations of musicians worldwide.
Born Eduardo Palmieri in 1936 to Puerto Rican parents in Spanish Harlem, New York, he was raised in the Bronx alongside his older brother Charlie, also a virtuoso keyboardist and bandleader. Palmieri began playing piano at an early age and joined his uncle’s orchestra at 13, initially playing timbales rather than piano.
His professional career took off in the early 1950s with various bands, including Eddie Forrester, Johnny Segui’s, and the popular Tito Rodriguez Orchestra. In 1961, Palmieri founded the groundbreaking band La Perfecta, which eschewed standard front-line trumpets in favor of trombones and flute, creating a heavier, more in-depth sound that became a thunderous characteristic of salsa music.
La Perfecta featured key members including vocalist Ismael Quintana, trombonist Barry Rogers, and flutist George Castro. The band made waves by mixing Afro-Caribbean beats with jazz, employing Palmieri’s “descarga” or jam session concept that offered extensive soloing opportunities within his arrangements. He disbanded La Perfecta in 1968 but reassembled the group in the 2000s.
Palmieri’s musical innovations extended far beyond traditional Latin jazz boundaries. His monumental 1969 album “Justicia” combined elements of funk, soul, and psychedelic rock with Cuban dance rhythms and lyrics rallying against racism and colonialism. He consistently explored new terrain throughout his career, always pushing the boundaries of what Latin music could be.
In 1975, Palmieri made history by becoming the first Latin person to win a Grammy Award, taking the inaugural Best Latin Recording award for “The Sun of Latin Music.” He went on to win nine additional Grammy Awards, including two for his influential 2000 recording with Tito Puente, “Obra Maestra/Masterpiece.”
His widely popular eight-and-a-half-minute track “Azucar Pa’ Ti” changed the format of the recording industry by breaking the three-and-a-half-minute barrier that had been imposed on artists. This innovation demonstrated his willingness to challenge industry conventions in service of his artistic vision.
Palmieri’s discography spanned from his 1962 debut “La Perfecta” to 2018’s “Mi Luz Mayor,” which featured Carlos Santana as a special guest. Over his career, he created 45 albums as a leader, collaborating with some of the finest musicians in jazz, including trumpeters Brian Lynch and Charlie Sepulveda, saxophonists Donald Harrison, David Sánchez, and Ronnie Cuber, trombonist Conrad Herwig, and percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo.
In 2013, the National Endowment for the Arts named Palmieri a Jazz Master, one of the highest honors a jazz musician can receive. The Latin Recording Academy also presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award that same year. He successfully campaigned for the creation of the Best Latin Jazz Album Grammy category in 1995 and fought for its reinstatement after its deletion in 2012.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History recognized Palmieri as an American icon by recording two of his performances for its archives in 1988. He was inducted onto the Bronx Walk of Fame in 2005, cementing his status as a cultural ambassador for Latin music and Puerto Rican heritage.
Palmieri’s influence extended beyond music into film, with his final on-screen appearance in Spike Lee’s latest film “Highest 2 Lowest,” featuring Denzel Washington. The film includes a performance with his band and uses his 1973 track “Puerto Rico” as the backdrop to an epic chase sequence. Actress Rosie Perez, who worked with Palmieri on the film, noted that “that man was hilarious.”
Tributes poured in from across New York City following news of his death. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson praised Palmieri as a musical mastermind who redefined Latin jazz and ushered in salsa in New York City. City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. emphasized that Palmieri left behind a lasting legacy on the South Bronx community that will be remembered for generations.
Despite his numerous accolades, Palmieri remained committed to his working-class roots and was known for his confrontational approach to industry executives. He preferred playing in smaller bands later in his career, favoring a conjunto format that better suited his combustible sensibility while maintaining his status as a regular performer at venues like New York’s legendary Village Gate.