By Steve Gorman
(Reuters) -Eddie Palmieri, a Grammy-celebrated pianist, composer and bandleader widely recognized as a leading figure in the Latin jazz and salsa music scene, died on Wednesday at his home in New Jersey, according to his Facebook page. He was 88.
No cause of death was given.
Born in the Spanish Harlem section of Upper Manhattan to Puerto Rican parents, Palmieri began studying piano as a youngster and made his musical debut performing at Carnegie Hall at age 11.
Two years later, he grew fascinated with percussion and joined his uncle’s Latin jazz orchestra on timbales at age 13, but soon switched again to piano and never looked back, according to a biography posted on AllMusic.com.
Still, his early infatuation with percussion went on to inform his dazzling, thunderous piano style, and compositions that transcended the boundaries of Afro-Caribbean music, jazz, funk and soul.
As described by AllMusic, his technique as a pianist incorporated bits and pieces from contemporaries ranging from McCoy Tyner to Herbie Hancock and recycled them through a dynamic, Latin groove.
“His approach can be compared to Thelonious Monk’s for its unorthodox patterns, odd rhythms, sometimes disjointed phrases and percussive effects played in a manner that is always successfully resolved,” AllMusic wrote.
In 1961, Palmieri founded the ensemble La Perfecta, redefining salsa by introducing trombones in place of trumpets for a deeper, heavier brass sound that became his signature. The band’s self-titled debut album is universally regarded as a Latin music classic.
His 1965 album “Azucar Pa’ Ti” (“Sugar for You”) became a dance-floor favorite and Palmieri’s most successful release. It was added to the U.S. National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in recognition of its cultural significance.
Palmieri’s 1971 album “Harlem River Drive”, also the name of his second band, showcased a genre-crossing, politically charged collection of songs blending Latin jazz, funk and soul that is still considered a hallmark of musical activism.
That same year, he also recorded the album “Vamanos Pa’l Monte” (“Let’s Go to the Mountain”), featuring his older brother, Charlie Palmieri, playing organ. His elder sibling, known as the “Giant of the Keyboards,” died in 1988.
Other groundbreaking releases from among a body of work spanning seven decades include the albums “Justicia Sun of Latin Music” (1974) and “The Truth: La Verdad” (1987).
Palmieri is the recipient of 10 Grammy Awards, the National Endowment of the Arts’ Jazz Master Award and a lifetime achievement award from the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, among other accolades.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
