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Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Eddie Palmieri dead: Eight-time Grammy award-winning legend dies
Award-winning keyboardist Eddie Palmieri has died aged 88. His death has been confirmed by his daughter, who revealed he died following an "extended illness". The musician, who was a trailblazer in the rumba and Latin jazz genres, enjoyed a illustrious career which spanned 70 years and saw him win eight Grammy Awards. Eddie died at his home in New Jersey on Wednesday. He became the first Latino to win a Grammy Award in 1975 and went on to have an impressive career. The musician was dubbed the "Madman of Salsa". Eddie saw his career reach new heights 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 Eddie, from New York City, pioneered the genres. Founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive, he continued to make music and entertain into his 80s, and determinedly performed through the coronavirus pandemic via livestreams. 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." Fania Records also confirmed Eddie's death as they described the pianist, composer and bandleader as a music legend. Recalling his early days, the agent said Eddie learned to play both the piano and the timbale drums in his teens.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Latin Music Legend Dead at 88
Latin Music Legend Dead at 88 originally appeared on Parade. Eddie Palmieri, a Latin music mainstay since the 1960s, has died at 88, The New York Times reports. The legendary pianist died in his New Jersey home after "an extended illness," according to his daughter. The New York City native gained fame for fusing Afro-Caribbean rhythms with jazz, funk, and soul to create a new, bold sound that defied genre. His first band, La Perfecta, formed in 1961 and revolutionized Latin music with its use of trombones in place of trumpets. The group performed all around the city, specifically uptown, and went on the pave the way for the salsa music movement. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Palmieri's experimental sound came from combining traditional Cuban band elements with jazz. His 1974 solo album The Sun of Latin Music won him a Grammy, making him the first Latino ever to do so. He won 10 Grammy awards over the course of his life, per the AP. He also formed a fusion band called Harlem River Drive, which blended Black and Latin styles to create an eclectic sound that was equal parts funky, soulful, and jazzy. In addition to his 10 Grammys, Palmieri received numerous accolades over his career. At the Latin Grammys, he earned a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Two of his 1988 concerts were catalogued at Washington's National Museum of American History, and Yale University awarded him the Chubb Fellowship Award in 2002—an award traditionally given to heads of state. Until his death, Palmieri continued performing in New York City jazz clubs like Birdland and Blue Note. As recently as last year, the legendary pianist was even recording new music with his band, as he told The New Yorker. He was also inducted into Jazz at Lincoln Center's Hall of Fame and performed at Sony Hall in Times Square to comemorate what the city's public advocate declared Eddie Palmieri Day. Latin Music Legend Dead at 88 first appeared on Parade on Aug 7, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Eddie Palmieri dead: Legendary rumba and Latin jazz artist passes away at 88
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.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Eddie Palmieri, Latin Music's Dynamic Innovator, Dies at 88
Eddie Palmieri, a pianist, composer and bandleader whose contributions to Afro-Caribbean music helped usher in the golden age of salsa in New York City, and whose far-reaching career established him as one of the great musical masterminds of the 20th century — not to mention one of its fieriest performers — died on Wednesday at his home in Hackensack, N.J. He was 88. His youngest daughter, Gabriela Palmieri, confirmed the death, which she said came after 'an extended illness.' From the moment he founded his first steady band, the eight-piece La Perfecta, in 1961, Mr. Palmieri drove many of the stylistic shifts and creative leaps in Latin music. That group brought new levels of economy and jazz influence to a mambo scene that was just beginning to lose steam after its postwar boom, and it set the standard for what would become known as salsa. From there, he never stopped innovating. In the 1970s, Mr. Palmieri roped salsa into conversation with jazz, rock, funk and even modern classical music on a series of highly regarded albums, including 'Vamonos Pa'l Monte' and 'The Sun of Latin Music,' as well as with the fusion band Harlem River Drive. He also teamed up with thoroughbred jazz musicians — Cal Tjader, Brian Lynch and Donald Harrison among them — making essential contributions to the subgenre of Latin jazz. Mr. Palmieri's fundamental tools, he once said in an interview, were the 'complex African rhythmic patterns that are centuries old' and that lie at the root of Afro-Cuban music. 'The intriguing thing for me is to layer jazz phrasings and harmony on top of those patterns,' he said. Explaining where he got his knack for dense and dissonant harmonies and his gleefully contrarian sense of rhythm, he cited jazz pianists like McCoy Tyner and Thelonious Monk as inspirations. But the art historian and critic Robert Farris Thompson, writing in 1975 about the emergence of salsa, noticed other influences as well. 'He blends avant-garde rock, Debussy, John Cage and Chopin without overwhelming the basic Afro-Cuban flavor,' he wrote of Mr. Palmieri. 'A new world music, it might be said, is being born.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
