Latin Music Pioneer Eddie Palmieri Dies At 88

Late Wednesday evening (Aug. 6), it was announced that Latin music pioneer Eddie Palmieri had passed away at his home in Hackensack, New Jersey, after what his youngest daughter Gabriela said was a “prolonged illness.” He was 88 years old. The passing of Palmieri marks the end of a lengthy and remarkable life for the pianist, composer and bandleader whose talent raised the profile of Afro-Caribbean music and led to a storied period in New York City where salsa music dominated, particularly in Spanish Harlem where he was born.

Having gotten into music at an early age with the influence of his older brother, Charlie, Eddie Palmieri would play with various bands before setting out on his own in 1960 to hone his unique sound with his band, La Perfecta. The ensemble would put their stamp on the music scene with the fiery signature jam, “Azúcar.” Palmieri’s music spanned six decades, seeing him win eight Grammy Awards (being the first Latin musician to win a Grammy) and “Azúcar” being added to the National Records Registry in 2009 in addition to being an influence on jazz and Hip-Hop artists and receiving the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award.

Palmieri’s influence on Hip-Hop stems directly from Harlem River Drive, the debut album from the ensemble he and his brother Charlie formed in the early 1970s. The album would become a classic with its fusion of booming funk bass lines, soul trombone and trumpets, and hard-charging Latin rhythms, showing a musical solidarity between Black music and Latin music. Hip-Hop historian Bobbito Garcia has often cited Palmieri as an inspiration, with the two collaborating on his 2013 baskeball documentary Doin’ It in the Park and the 2018 project Rock Rubber 45s, featuring Dres of Black Sheep and Robert Glasper.

Palmieri was also known as someone who wasn’t afraid of fighting for justice, going up against record company executives in the 1960s. Palmieri would become involved with movements dedicated to Puerto Rican statehood and Black liberation, collaborating with the Young Lords Party extensively including doing a tour of prisons in New York State. He also famously took on the Recording Academy for their treatment of Latin artists at the Grammy Awards.

Palmieri is being fondly remembered for his innovation and music with tributes from Questlove of the Roots to DJ Tony Touch. Famed director Spike Lee shared an image of himself and Palmieri in a scene on the set of Lee’s upcoming film, Highest 2 Lowest. The bandleader has two new songs on the film’s soundtrack, “Da Lowdown” and “Puerto Rico.”