{"id":6662,"date":"2015-05-27T18:40:29","date_gmt":"2015-05-27T22:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/latinomusiccafe.com\/?p=6662"},"modified":"2022-06-27T12:05:20","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T16:05:20","slug":"cafe-with-eddie-palmieri-on-salsa-latin-jazz-and-new-albums-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinomusiccafe.com\/2015\/05\/27\/cafe-with-eddie-palmieri-on-salsa-latin-jazz-and-new-albums-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Caf\u00e9 with Eddie Palmieri: on Salsa, Latin Jazz, and new albums – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this part of my “virtual coffee” with Latin music maestro Eddie Palmieri<\/a>, he gets into what he defines as Salsa and Latin Jazz, provides his view on pop-Salsa, and talks about the presentations this week at the Jazz Alley<\/a> in Seattle with his Latin Jazz band.<\/p>\n

Let’s get right back into it\u2026<\/p>\n

LMC: \u2026and talking about Salsa, there will be a celebration of the 50 years of the birth of Salsa in your parent’s hometown of Ponce, PR this month. It’s kind of hard to place an exact year for the birth of most music genres, but this places the birth of Salsa in 1965. You formed La Perfecta in 1961.
\nDo you agree the genre of Salsa originated around 1965? Do you think there is an agreed definition for what is Salsa?<\/p>\n

\"Latin<\/a>
Tito Puente’s last recording was a true masterpiece (“Obra Maestra”) with Eddie Palmieri.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

EP: The word “Salsa” is totally a misnomer. All these rhythmical patterns have their own name and identity. For example, Rumba, Guaguanco, Son Montuno etc….. The record company Fania Records headed by Jerry Masucci in the 60’s 70’s for commercialism put the tag “Salsa” . I believe the word “Salsa” originated in the early 70’s.<\/p>\n

[Latin Music History note: many other artists agree with Palmieri on the “misnomer” of the word “Salsa”. Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, and Juan de Marcos, among many, have expressed that the term Salsa is a mix of rhythms, and each has and should be called by their proper name.<\/em><\/p>\n

That said, one of the elements that characterizes Salsa is the mixtures of these rhythms within a song, whereas before, a song would normally (but not necessarily) be of a single rhythm, making it easier to classify. This, along with the jazz brass elements introduced by Machito and Mario Bauza, and the replacement of the older rural theme lyrics with contemporary lyrics reflecting situations of urban life in NYC, were all combined to give this sound the nomer of “Salsa”.<\/em><\/p>\n

Perhaps it was also a way to identify a new modality in Latin music, after the “Mambo”, “Charanga”, “Pachanga”, and “Boogaloo” crazes came and passed.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Ok, that was a rather long note. Back to my “virtual coffee” with Eddie Palmieri\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Latin<\/a>
Eddie Palmieri collaborated with Jazz master Cal Tjader in two full Latin Jazz albums in 1966 & 1967.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LMC: (Puerto Rican Salsa singer) Victor Manuelle commented that there doesn’t need to be just one type of Salsa, but that there is room for traditional\/classic Salsa as well as for the more contemporary pop-Salsa (“Salsa romantica”).
\nWhat’s your take on this?<\/p>\n

EP: Victor Manuelle is entitled to his opinion. He is a very very talented vocalist and he has traveled internationally with his unique sound. However, if I recorded what has been taking place over the last 20 years from the majority of artists I would personally be in the hospital. My sadness and internal suffering would have led me to the emergency ward.<\/p>\n

LMC: \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

[Latin Music note: maestro Palmieri is referring to the blandness of pop-Salsa, which is known to cause acute cases of “boredom-nitis musicalicus” which will land individuals with a creative musical mind straight in the hospital.<\/em>
\n As Oscar Hernandez (Spanish Harlem Orchestra) described it in a previous interview (link HERE<\/a>), pop-Salsa highlights the singer with a plain-vanilla Salsa background that serves as a cookie-cutter formula to plug-and-play a new lyric, song after song, after song. It’s used mostly by younger artists and provided a few of them with great commercial success, but is quite far from the richness with which Salsa music was originally played.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Now moving to the topic of Latin Jazz\u2026<\/p>\n

LMC: On that line, the definition of Latin Jazz seems to also have some ambiguity. Some define it as Jazz with Afro-Cuban percussive elements incorporated in it. Others (by examining some nominations for Latin Jazz awards) will classify Latin Jazz as any Jazz performed by a Latin artist.
\nHow do you define Latin Jazz?<\/p>\n

EP: Latin-Jazz is the fusion of the 21st century. The most complex rhythmical patterns with the great harmonic structures of Jazz. Today there are different variations most artists play Jazz-Latin which is their interpretation. Personally, I stay true to the traditional \/fundamental which I learned prior to the doctrine change in Cuba 1959. Traditional rhythm section bass\/timbales\/congas\/bongo. Instrumental Mambos with extensions.<\/p>\n

I can’t resist to give you a taste of what Mr. Palmieri is talking about . Here’s a YouTube audio of Palmieri’s “Palmas” (1994), a tune that showcases the energy and musicality of the Palmieri signature sound.<\/p>\n