Eddie Palmieri

Palmieri Brings Latin Jazz to World
By Matt Bricker
Thursday, February 22, 2007

Austin American Statesman

"Eddie Palmieri is one of the most prolific and popular Latin
musicians of the past half century. An enigmatic performer, virtuoso
pianist and imaginative composer, his discography includes more than
30 titles. He has been awarded nine Grammy's, including the first
presentation in the Best Latin Album category for his 1974 release
"The Sun of Latin Music," as well as Best Latin Jazz Album just last
week for "Simpatico," a cooperative project shared with trumpeter
Brian Lynch. In 1988, the Smithsonian Institution recorded two of
Palmieri's performances for its catalog of the National Museum of
American History.

His accomplishments have taken Palmieri, born in 1936 in New York's
Spanish Harlem, through more than 45 countries, showcasing his
assemblage of seasoned musicians and a kaleidoscope of musical styles.
More information about him is available at his Web site,
eddiepalmierimusic.com.

American-Statesman: You are referred to so often as the Sun of Latin
Music, one might consider it synonymous to your actual name. Who
originally came up with it?

Palmieri: Well, it came from the record label. It was when I was
working with Coco Records; they gave me a list of names to choose from
that would become the title of the record.

What other names were on that list?

Oh . . . Rocketman — like Elton John! (He laughs.)

Something I love about your music is the stylistic diversity
throughout the many records of your career. What might we expect to
hear in Austin (on Sunday at One World Theatre)?

Well, the band will be a variation of an Afro-Caribbean septet with
Brian Lynch on trumpet, Yosvany Terry on alto saxophone, Jose
Claussell on timbales, Vicente "Little Johnny" Rivero on congas,
Luques Curtis on bass and Orlando Vego on bongo. We'll basically be
playing a medley of all of my Latin records.

I normally wouldn't expect to hear Phil Woods on a Latin jazz record,
so even before listening to "Simpatico," I was very excited about his
guest appearance. How did he become involved?

Brian (Lynch) and Phil are friends and have traveled and performed
together for many years, so Brian brought him in as a guest artist.
Actually, the record was originally intended to be just Brian's, and
he had invited me to be a guest artist. What happened was Brian came
over to the house to collaborate and things became quite interesting,
so much that we decided to make it the Eddie Palmieri/Brian Lynch
Project. Then the next thing we knew, it was nominated for a Grammy,
and then Brian won his first Grammy, and I my ninth.

Nine Grammys is quite remarkable and, of course, well-deserved. Now
that you've won so many, do they still carry as much weight for you,
compared with the first wins?

Oh, yeah. The honor is actually when you're voted by your peers. For
me, it's the highest token of appreciation when it comes from the
musicians themselves.

Can you tell me about the record you recorded with Tito Puente? The
timing of it was, well, spooky considering the turn of events and his
passing after the record's release.

Yeah, it was. That one we had talked about for a long time, and
eventually it came to pass. We were in Puerto Rico, me and my wife,
and I ran into him and said, "Hey, we're going to record, right?" And
he said, "Yeah, Eddie." At that point, you know, he wasn't reading or
writing much, so I put it together — the music and the recording. The
sadness I still feel is that we didn't get the chance to travel and
perform together. After the CD was released, he died (May 2000).

Is there anything about working with him on the record that is
particularly memorable for you?

Well on those sessions, he definitely rose to the occasion. He was
ill, you know, getting shortness of breath, but it made no difference
in the way he played. He was just tremendous on the recording. On the
vibes, the timbale, especially the ballad medley, just tremendous.

Where would you like to see Latin jazz go in the future?

In my opinion, it can't go any further than it has gone already. It's
reached all the corners of the Earth, from Japan to Russia — and I've
been to both. In St. Petersburg, they love it. In Japan, they sing in
Spanish. All over my travels, I always see a set of congas and
timbales to be played. It's really intriguing how the rhythms have
influenced music everywhere. You've already seen its acceptance. A lot
of musicians and their instruments are being endorsed and are selling
like hotcakes — Giovanni Hidalgo, Richie Florence.

I've always been intrigued by the similarities between West African
(Ghanaian in my experience) and Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Well, the percussion scale is certainly the most intriguing. As a
matter of fact, Giovanni Hidalgo told me about the most incredible
drummers he had seen playing in Ghana. Certainly rhythms were born in
Cuba when the captives were brought in. Once they were developed and
crystallized, they brought the world to dance. They're the most
exciting rhythms in the world — the hard patterns underneath.
Everywhere I go it's what I'm hearing. Germany, Japan, you name it,
they're playing the drums. They loved it in Finland, where I saw the
greatest dances I've seen in a long time. It's because of the Cuban
orchestras and their tremendous influence. All these young musicians
are bringing their folklore into Cuban orchestras, creating hybrid
forms of Latin jazz and dubbing it from their homeland. The 21st
century is the century of Latin jazz.