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Eddie Palmieri
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In the '50s, the Palladium Ballroom at West 53rd Street and Broadway was the mecca of Latin dance music. Home to top musical acts like Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and the Machito Orchestra, legendary dancers with names like Cuban Pete and Killer Joe Piro held sway. The Palladium was the epicenter of the national mambo and cha cha cha craze and it seemed that everyone in the whole country was dancing Latin. The ballroom's proximity to 52nd Street also made it natural that top jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and Cal Tjader would sit in with the bands and pick up on the rhythms. Eddie became a member of the Tito Rodriguez band appearing on the LP Live at the Palladium (United Artists, 1960) and he remembers the diverse crowds and celebrities, "On Wednesdays you had mostly a Jewish crowd in the Palladium and celebrities...Marlon Brando would be there...Kim Novak...to see the Mambo show...Fridays you had the 'fast lane' Hispanics...gamblers, sharp dressers and the great dancers...Saturday was the working class Puerto Rican...they worked from 9 til 5 all week and on Saturdays would pack the Palladium...Sunday was all Black...it was extraordinary that you were playing for all these different crowds."
It was not long however, before Eddie made his own mark. In the early '60s, with his band Conjunto La Perfecta, Eddie Palmieri essentially redefined Latin music. He did so, along with band member and trombonist Barry Rogers, by constructing singular arrangements that creatively used brass voicings and flute to up the ante on the genre's musical proficiency. The resultant sound has come to represent the gold standard of Latin dance music.

Very cognizant of the history of both jazz and Latin, Eddie discussed the genesis of the conjunto band, a line up that resulted in the pianist's augmented role "...a conjunto...didn't have saxophones. So the removal of the saxophone gave that whole pressure to the pianist. Now the pianist had to play all the vamps that the saxophones would play...the chords on top between him and the bassist, so the role of the pianist within a Latin orchestra is vital. The vamps that he must use to accompany the soloing of the percussionist...because you know a solo by a percussionist like Tito Puente could drive a pianist up the wall." With the passing of Tito Puente, the mantle of "Godfather" rests squarely on Eddie's shoulders.

With seven Grammys, over 50 albums and a career that has seen him bring Latin jazz to the far reaches of the world, Eddie commented on the rhythmical reasons for the wide cross cultural appeal of Latin music. "The organism fluctuates between being restful and being restless and when you hear the Latin rhythms being played properly with a great orchestra with good arrangements and a good singer, whether you know the language or not, you can feel the beat...The bassist is playing in unison with the conga player...he is going: 1...2...3...boom boom...oom paka chaka...dun dun, the bassist is playing a tumbao, dee dee yu...bee been...dee dee dee...bee been and they are meeting in a certain time which gives them a synchronization and then the piano vamp and then the bongo and the timbales folding in because between the timbales and the bongo there is a question and answer. They all have specific jobs to do and different patterns to play but they are complementary to the degree that it synchronizes so well that it is a force coming at you that is going to excite you... It just grabs everyone because the rhythm is going to get you. The rhythm is the most exciting rhythmical patterns to me in the world....you can't miss." Mr. Palmieri's appearance at this summer's JVC Jazz Festival is indication that he is clearly right when he adds "You are either going to dance or you are going to be moving in your chair in a concert." From his premiere position in Latin jazz, he thankfully continues to be both "keeper of the flame" and musical innovator.
Recommended Listening:
· Eddie Palmieri - La Perfecta (Allegre-Fania, 1962)
· Eddie Palmieri - Mambo con Conga Is Mozambique (Tico, 1965)
· Eddie Palmieri - Molasses (Tico, 1967)
· Eddie Palmieri - The Sun of Latin Music (with Lalo Rodriguez) (Musical Productions-Charly, 1973)
· Eddie Palmieri - La Perfecta II (Concord Jazz, 2002)
· Eddie Palmieri - Listen Here! (Concord, 2005)
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Eddie Palmieri: Latin Jazz Standard-bearer
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