An early evening with Eddie Palmieri’s Salsa Orchestra con la Bendición de Eddie Palmieri
(With the blessing of Eddie Palmieri)
On the way to Crotona Park in Boogie Down Bronx last Wednesday, 2 August, I was intending on writing about at least my fourth time seeing maestro of the piano Eddie Palmieri do his thing in concert, again with his Salsa Orchestra.
I arrived the same way many did: in an overcrowded city bus. (Crotona Park takes up four corners of an intersection where south-north and west-east routes meet that span the Bronx and even northern Manhattan.) Others parked cars and motorcycles close enough to the stage on the northeast block of the park, that is, car drivers stayed as long as possible before being told to move as the show was in progress.
I opted for a good seat - a massive black rock across the street that was mostly unoccupied and the mobile stage’s sound system reverberated through the park anyway. This is a common sight in the only borough connected to the continent, as evident in many apartment buildings close to here built on top of these formations that could not be demolished.
To hear the music, we had to contend with other sounds: frequent bus service with whirring diesel engines, occasional revved-up motorcycles, ambulance and fire truck sirens, and, much later, the trademark jingle of a Mister Softee truck.
I arrived late for the opening by DJ JFuse, so I did not yet hear, until a reference was made during the Lulada Band’s set, that the 86-year-old Palmieri was not well enough to do his piano thing that night .
The set by Eddie Palmieri’s Salsa Orchestra began with remarks by his son Edward Palmieri II, who said emphatically that we would hear the Orchestra tonight con la bendición de (with the blessing of) Eddie Palmieri). His moving words set the vibe that would remind the crowd to find joy amid the sadness. The professionalism and the cohesion of the musicians certainly made that possible.
The power of Eddie Palmieri’s Salsa Orchestra is how profoundly the musicians are in sync. Having a sound system that enveloped the area enhanced the presentation. They gave an hour-plus loving tribute to him. Further, on stage were luminaries in their own right, including Nelson Rodríguez (vocals & tres) and Jimmy Bosch (trombone), among other legendary salsa veterans.
Rodríguez is powerful as well as entertaining as a frontman. At no time can anyone miss hearing his masterful strumming to accompany his tenor.
Throughout the set, the Orchestra treated the audience to Palmieri’s genius of salsa informed strongly by Latin jazz. The songs highlighted the fusions that he has built over a seven decade plus career. The entire performance was a symphony for a party in the park. The classic “Pa’ Huele” was a highlight of the evening, concluding with a vibrant “ajá.” That was followed by a tribute song that made shout outs to the Maestro and many other Fania artists.
The evening closed with “Azúcar,” a profound note to end the show. Con la bendición de Palmieri, his spirit and his mentorship were clearly evident for every second of the program. There can be no greater testament to artists who are not physically there yet leave a palpable presence. The hope remains that he will eventually return to the stage and jam again. As it is, the next night’s gig would be another free show at Lincoln Center.
One reason that his musical leadership can be felt deeply that night is that his decades of compositions and top performance as a bandleader are for an experience to not just to have people dancing, but as well to communicate with conscious people at deep levels. This is a fitting legacy for a man who has been at a musical-temporal nexus of artists who serenaded the Earth with mambo, salsa, Latin jazz, and boogaloo (Latin soul), with roots in Cuban son and the latter two weaved with North American blues. Anyone not familiar with Palmieri’s call to justice needs to listen to his magnum opus Harlem River Drive, which merged Latin, Caribbean, soul, free jazz, and funk as a cry against the economic struggles faced by Puerto Ricans in New York City, in other words, words and music rooted in his own people.
His presence through his work and, let it be said, his longtime bandmates, is a reflection of what conscious people who love música of all kinds may wish to consider. This news came the same week that Buffy Sainte-Marie announced her retirement from touring. So if the news can drive us to sadness, then let our consciousness make them heard even more. Like calling the Bronx show of Eddie Palmieri‘s Salsa Orchestra con la bendición de Eddie Palmieri, we must make sure to let these blessings flow of the struggles Palmieri, Sainte-Marie, and many others have documented. ¡La lucha continúa! ¡Bailamos!