By Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone | Eddie Palmieri, the virtuoso keyboardist and visionary bandleader who helped define and then expanded the aesthetic parameters of the salsa genre, has died at the age of 88. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Gabriela Palmieri, who told The New York Times he died following “an extended illness.”
A radical experimentalist who nevertheless remained faithful to the roots of Afro-Caribbean dance formats and their ability to stir both body and soul, Palmieri created what arguably stands as the most monumental discography in tropical music. Starting with his legendary group La Perfecta’s zesty debut in 1962, he explored salsa, Latin jazz, and boogaloo – borrowing liberally from classical music, psychedelia and funk, acid-rock and boricua folk. His 1974 session The Sun of Latin Music was the first album to win a Grammy award in the Best Latin Recording category.
Born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents in 1936, Palmieri was influenced by his older brother Charlie, a pianist and bandleader whom he always referred to as “the true king of the keyboards.” The brothers would develop parallel careers during the Sixties and Seventies. But whereas Charlie favored a more traditional brand of salsa, Eddie showcased his lifelong rebellious tendencies as a teenager. For a while he dropped the piano and became a timbales player, only to return to the keyboards after getting tired of carrying his drums around New York’s tropical club circuit. Before forming his own band, he was also shaped by the flashy sartorial style of Puerto Rican crooner Tito Rodríguez – a major star from the Fifties mambo era – whom he accompanied on the piano.
An impulsive bandleader, Palmieri changed his sound, orchestrating style and session players throughout his career. He was also astute in his ability to turn the practical limitations of the time to his favor. La Perfecta began like a gutsy Afro-Cuban conjunto with four trumpets, until budgetary limitations inspired him to replace trumpets with the double trombone lineup of Barry Rogers and Jose Rodrigues. . . .
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