Eddie Palmieri

Arte y poder

This summer, at the height of the outdoor concert season that was very much his spiritual home, we have lost “El Gigante del Piano,” Maestro Eddie Palmieri (1936-2025). His innumerable contributions to salsa, Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban percussion were commended and remembered by his peers in all these areas and more whrre he played.

Moreso, Palmieri’s musical legacy went even deeper with his trademark trombanga sound, the portmanteau word combining “trombone” and charanga combining all the energy of both elements as a full orchestra can.

The fusions have long been core to the music. One piece that shows why is “Vámanos P’al Monte” (more in line with the dialect, “Let’s Go to Da Mountain”), performed here with his older brother and esteemed pianist Charlie Palmieri (1927-1988).

Here is the studio version of the classic

This video captures the power of the song while you watch the Palmieri brothers together doing their thing!

The most maravilloso part of el Maestro pa’mi es: I have had the wonderfully glorious chance to see him live; at least three times, and a fourth time when he gave the blessing to his Salsa Orchestra to perform without him because of illness.

As the season of free outdoor summer (and early fall) concerts comes to a close, I am proud to say that each one was in the perfect carnival atmosphere - outdoors.

I was profoundly pleased to have seen him in person. All by the barrios of New York, one each with his ensembles La Perfecta II (Mott Haven, South Bronx) and Harlem River Drive 45th Anniversary (Marcus Garvey Park, right by East Harlem) and third billed under his name (although they were largely members of his Salsa Orchestra) at East River Park (Loisaida / Lower East Side, Manhattan).

Each was special in its own way. For example, La Perfecta II’s show was in a humble playground surrounded by tall tenements, whose residents were treated to El Gigante’s rhythms reaching skyward.

And this is only one part of the story. Beyond the man’s commitment to music, outpourings of gorgeous memories emphasized how Palmieri practiced the power of arts and activism together.

The commemoration for Harlem River Drive, which was also the name of Palmieri’s ensemble for the self-titled 1971 album, proved to be tremendously worthy tribute to the album.

The crowd filed into a tree-lined amphitheater that is a center stage for the classical music known as jazz, making this a natural spot for Palmieri /HRD’s classic fusion of salsa, jazz, funk, and hardcore politics. Dancing and protest together had one of its finest moments in his album.

The following year, he took the band on the road, specifically, to the Downstate New York prison Sing Sing, which resulted in Palmieri’s Recorded Live at Sing Sing with Harlem River Drive, four years after Johnny Cash’s legendary At Folsom Prison .

In 1977, on October 25, 27 activists occupied the crown of the Statue of Liberty, unfurling the Puerto Rican flag from there. All were arrested and charged for the legendary act of solidarity with freedom for the colonized island. When Palmieri read about their action, he quickly organized a benefit concert to pay for their legal fees.

These were all the art and principle of Eddie Palmieri. Las memorias son preciosas.

Eddie Palmieri, ¡Presente!

Rest in Power!

¡With much love to Brother Charlie Palmieri!

¡Que Viva La Música!

https://www.telesurenglish.net/eddie-palmieri-salsa-legend/

Eduardo “Eddie” Palmieri (15 December 1936 - 6 August 2025)