Eddie Palmieri to Celebrate 75th Birthday at Blue Note, 3/13-18

Nine-time Grammy Award-winning pianist Eddie Palmieri returns to the Blue Note from March 13 – 18 to celebrate his 75th birthday. Joining Palmieri will be trumpeter Brian Lynch, saxophonist Donald Harrison, trombonist Conrad Herwig, bassist Luques Curtis, drummer Jose Claussell and percussionists Vincente "Little Johnny" Rivero and Orlando Vega. Palmieri, who will play in Australia for a few days before heading back to New York for the Blue Note run, has been touring for over 50 years, starting with his first gig in Eddie Forrester's Orchestra.

The event, which costs $45 at tables and $30 for seats at the bar, is with Eddie Palmieri, piano; Brian Lynch, trumpet; Donald Harrison, saxophone; Conrad Herwig, trombone; Jose Claussell, drums; Vicente "Little Johnny" Rivero, percussion; Luques Curtis, bass; Orlando Vega, percussion

Eddie Palmieri has a musical career that spans over 50 years as a bandleader of both salsa and Latin jazz orchestras. The purveyor of a unique and rhythmically aggressive piano style, he has been awarded nine Grammy Awards and boasts a discography that includes over 36 titles.

Palmieri began his professional career as a pianist in the early '50s with Eddie Forrester's Orchestra. In 1955 he joined Johnny Segui's band. He also spent a year with the Tito Rodriguez Orchestra before forming his own band, La Perfecta, in 1961. La Perfecta featured a trombone section in place of trumpets, demonstrating the Early Stages of Palmieri's unorthodox means of orchestration. With its one-of-a-kind sound, La Perfecta soon joined the ranks of Machito, Tito Rodriguez, and other major Latin orchestras of the day.

Palmieri's unconventional style would once again surprise critics and fans with the 1970 release Harlem River Drive. This recording was the first to merge Black and Latin styles, resulting in a free-form sound that encompassed elements of salsa, funk, soul, and jazz. This new fusion moved effortlessly through moods, grooves, and textures with its multi-dimensional guitar, funky piano riffs, notable brass, and unforgettable rhythm section. Palmieri's pioneering work with this group later inspired Little Louie Vega to invite Palmieri to record on Nuyorican Soul in 1997, a release which became a huge hit with dancers and DJs in the house and underground music scenes.

Since the late '80s, Palmieri has been collecting an array of awards and honors. In 1988, the Smithsonian Institute recorded two of his performances for the catalog of the National Museum of American History in Washington , D.C. He was awarded the Eubie Blake Award by Dr. Billy Taylor in 1991 and is among the very few Latin musicians recognized by both the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico and New York state. In 2002, he received the National Black Sports and Entertainment Lifetime Achievement Awards.

In 2005, Palmieri received another series of prestigious honors: the Alice Tully African Heritage Award from City College and the Harlem Renaissance Award. That same year, his radio show Caliente premiered on National Public Radio, earning a wide listenership. In 2008, he received the Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Of course, he has also won nine Grammy Awards (and was in fact instrumental in creating the Latin Jazz award category), stretching from his first in 1975 for The Sun of Latin Music (1975) all the way through his 2007 win for Simpatico (2006) with trumpet master Brian Lynch.

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