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Eddie Palmieri, the first Latino to win a Grammy Award, died at his home in New Jersey after “an extended illness” following a career which spanned seven decades
Eddie Palmieri – one of the most innovative rumba and Latin jazz artists – has died aged 88.
The musician, a trailblazer in the rumba and Latin jazz genres, enjoyed a illustrious career which spanned 70 years and saw him win eight Grammy Awards. His original, in 1975, was the first time a Latino had ever won a Grammy Award.
Yet, the height of Palmieri’s career came in the 1980s when he was regarded as a global ambassador for Latin Jazz, having toured the world. The albums Palo pa’ rumba (1984) and Solito (1985) won the musician two more Grammy Awards as Palmieri, from New York City, pioneered the genres.
Founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive, the dad continued to make music and entertain into his 80s, and determinedly performed through the coronavirus pandemic via livestreams. However, the star battled an illness in recent years, which got the better of him and he died at home in New Jersey on Wednesday, his daughter Gabriela confirmed.
Fania Records also announced Palmieri’s passing, describing the pianist, composer and bandleader as a music legend. Recalling his early days, the agent said Palmieri learned to play both the piano and the timbale drums in his teens.
The Sun of Latin Music – the 1975 album for which Palmieri won his first Grammy – remains a salsa classic, a collection of soothing numbers with romantic undertones. Despite the gong, Palmieri maintained a humility and wit for which he will be remembered.
In a 2011 interview, when asked if he had anything important left to do, the humble star responded: “Learning to play the piano well. … Being a piano player is one thing. Being a pianist is another.”
Palmieri dabbled in tropical music as a pianist during the 1950s with the Eddie Forrester Orchestra. He later joined Johnny Seguí’s band and Tito Rodríguez’s before forming his own band in 1961, La Perfecta, alongside trombonist Barry Rogers and singer Ismael Quintana.
Eddie’s unconventional approach would surprise critics and fans again 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 jazz.
The album Eddie Palmieri & Friends in Concert, Live at the University of Puerto Rico is still considered by many fans to be a salsa gem. Decades later, the musician remained popular and was praised for the album Masterpiece in 2000, which teamed him with the legendary Tito Puente, who died months later.
Masterpiece, released in 2000, 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 Rico.
Yale University in 2002 awarded Palmieri the Chubb Fellowship Award, an award usually reserved for international heads of state, in recognition of his work in building communities through music. As a musical ambassador, he brought salsa and Latin jazz to places as far afield as North Africa, Australia, Asia and Europe, among others.
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