{"id":6657,"date":"2015-05-26T15:31:16","date_gmt":"2015-05-26T19:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latinomusiccafe.com\/?p=6657"},"modified":"2022-07-04T22:41:45","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T02:41:45","slug":"cafe-with-eddie-palmieri-on-salsa-latin-jazz-and-new-albums-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinomusiccafe.com\/2015\/05\/26\/cafe-with-eddie-palmieri-on-salsa-latin-jazz-and-new-albums-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Caf\u00e9 with Eddie Palmieri: on Salsa, Latin Jazz, and new albums – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Salsa? Where is Latin Jazz<\/a> headed in the 21st century?\u00a0Creating the greatest album of his career.\u00a0I discussed all these topics through a “virtual coffee” with Latin music maestro Eddie Palmieri<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Palmieri is perhaps the top ambassador of Latin music at the moment. Of Puerto Rican parents, Eddie grew up and worked in New York City during the formational years of the musical styles we call today Salsa and Latin Jazz, and Eddie Palmieri learned them first-hand from the true masters of Latin music.<\/p>\n

His main mentor was his oldest brother Charlie Palmieri, who with his band Charanga La Duboney, was one of the main acts during the 1950’s and early 60’s charanga craze in NYC. His other mentor was Tito Rodriguez, the great singer and bandleader, who passed by the Machito and his Afro-Cubans band, along with Tito Puente. The three of them became known as the “Big 3” of Latin music.<\/p>\n

This is where we pick up our “virtual coffee” conversation\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Eddie<\/a>
Charlie Palmieri was the first big influence in Eddie’s career. Charlie hired a young flutist of name Johnny Pacheco, who would later leave La Doboney to form famed record label Fania Records.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LMC: You learned from some great icons of Latin music, your brother Charlie and the great Tito Rodriguez among them. What things you learned from Charlie and Tito that you pass along to members of your orchestra?<\/p>\n

EP: I learned from them to create your own musical signature! That way you get immediate respect from your peers and the industry. Also, I was told nice guys do not make it which has definitely been true in my musical career which now has been 71 years on the bandstand. At the age of 7 I was singing War Songs and winning competitions with my older brother on piano.<\/p>\n

[Latin Music History note: Eddie went on to form his 1st band, La Perfecta in 1961. The popular Charanga format of the time used a flute and 2 or 3 violins as the core of its sound. Eddie decided to swap the violins for 2 trombones, becoming perhaps the first to employ this format. It immediately became the signature Eddie Palmieri sound.]<\/p>\n

Here’s a tune from Eddie Palmieri’s first album with his Conjunto La Perfecta “Ritmo Caliente” (Hot Sound), showcasing his new sound.<\/p>\n