New York – Nuyorican pianist and composer Eddie Palmieri, a Latin music icon, will celebrate his half-century on stage with two concerts in his hometown this weekend.
“Listen Here! 50 Years of Eddie Palmieri!” will delight fans of both Latin jazz and salsa, with a Friday-night set devoted to the first of those genres, and the next night’s performance featuring the second. Both concerts will take place at Aaron Davis Hall in Harlem.
The performances will give Palmieri the chance to celebrate five decades in the limelight and his 69th birthday while presenting material from his latest CD, “Listen Here!”
The seven-time Grammy winner has assembled a stellar lineup for the shows.
Emceed by Bill Cosby, Friday’s Afro-Caribbean Jazz Night will see Palmieri joined by bassists Christian McBride and John Benitez, saxophonist Donald Harrison, drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, trombonist Conrad Herwig, conga virtuoso Giovanni Hidalgo and trumpeter Brian Lynch.
Saturday brings Salsa Night, when the band will include Hidalgo, Jimmy Bosch on trombone, guitarist Nelson Gonzalez, singer Herman Olivera and percussionist Little Johnny Rivero.
Also taking the stage Saturday night will be Palmieri’s original vocalist, Ismael Quintana, for what will be his first U.S. appearance with Eddie since 2002.
Palmieri told EFE that he invited the colleagues with whom he shared some of the peak experiences of his long career.
“They are moments very important to me, also the international stages in Europe, Japan and Australia, where you encounter Latino families who want to hear their music,” he said.
At the same time, he acknowledged that “it hasn’t been easy” being separated from his own loved ones for long periods because of the demands of touring.
Though he has cut 33 albums and appeared in the world’s most prestigious venues, the “Sun of Latin Music” confided to EFE that one dream remains unfulfilled: recording a disc of solo piano music. He added that he expects to remedy that situation soon.
Palmieri said he’s looking forward to celebrating his half-century mark in the music business by performing again with Quintana.
Quintana was the voice of La Perfecta, Palmieri’s first group, which became wildly popular in New York with a big, powerful sound inspired by that of Cuban charanga bands.
The ensemble released its first album, “Palmieri and his conjunto La Perfecta,” in 1962, following it up with seven more and a string of hits such as “Adoracion,” “Puerto Rico,” “Muñeca,” “Oyelo que te conviene,” “Ajiaco caliente” and “Mi sonsito,” before disbanding in 1968.
“Eddie and I started out together in music, composing together many of the hits we had, like ‘Adoracion,’ ‘Puerto Rico,’ ‘Vamonos pa’l monte’ y ‘Tirandote flores,’ among others,” recalls Quintana, now retired from the business and living in Colorado.
“We were lucky to have success with many of the things we did. Eddie taught me a lot about music, because when I came to La Perfecta, he had had experience with the orchestras of Johnny Segui, Vicentico Valdes and Tito Rodriguez,” the vocalist said.
“He’s a genius of music, a tremendous influence in my career. He taught me, had faith in my at the beginning and gave me the opportunity to achieve what I achieved as a singer,” Quintana said of his friend and mentor.
