Editor’s Note: Norwood News is officially on our annual summer hiatus. However, we are continuing to publish some ad hoc stories online that we couldn’t get to earlier this year. We hope everyone gets some time to enjoy the last few weeks of summer and thanks, as always, for reading. 

Local Puerto Rican Bronxite David Claudio has fond memories of witnessing the musical genius of the late renowned jazz legend Eddie Palmieri up close. As reported, Palmieri died Wednesday, Aug. 6, at the age of 88. An NEA Jazz Master and ten-time Grammy Award winner, Palmieri was a bandleader, arranger and composer of salsa and Latin jazz.

 

“My heart is heavy and broken knowing that I will never again visit my dear friend, maestro Eddie Palmieri, or share the joy of our regular phone conversations,” said Claudio, who told Norwood News he worked as a chauffeur for Palmieri, taking him to and from his shows and working as his on-site security during his performances.

 

“Eddie was a true genius—a master,” he continued. “I often called [him] the ‘Picasso of the piano.’ His brilliance, warmth, and spirit will forever be missed by his family, friends, fans, and by me personally.”

 

Claudio continued, “I had the privilege of working alongside Eddie at many of his performances, and I will never forget watching him interact so graciously with his fans after each show. It was clear how deeply he was loved and admired.”

 

The Bedford Park resident concluded, “Eddie’s accomplishments, his music, and the legacy he leaves behind are timeless. What he gave to the world will live on in the hearts of everyone who cherished him. You will always live in my heart, Eddie. Love you forever.”

As reported, other Bronxites and Bronx-based organizations also recently shared tributes to Palmieri following his death.

 

The Bronx Heritage Center said of the late icon, “We are saddened once again to learn of the loss of the legendary Bronx musician, Eddie Palmieri. He played at the Palladium Ballroom, wrote about “La Libertad Logica” and “Justicia” and told great stories.”

 

For her part, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said, “Rest in God’s Kingdom to a legend, Eddie Palmieri, a Latin artist, composer, pianist, bandleader and musician. Born in East Harlem, he was the founder of the bands, La Perfecta, La Perfecta II and Harlem River Drive.” 

She added, “Eddie redefined Latin jazz and was the first Latino artist to win a Grammy Award. Eddie Palmieri will forever be known as a musical mastermind of the 20th century combining Afro-Caribbean and Latin jazz that ushered in salsa in the City of New York. Eddie was inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame in 2005, where his contributions to Latin culture and music will continue to live on and inspire future generations.” 

 

City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. (C.D. 17), who represents much of the South Bronx, also released a statement, saying in part that Palmieri left behind a lasting legacy on the South Bronx community that will be remembered for generations to come. “When we learned of his passing last night during our summer salsa concert series, Los Hermanos Moreno paid tribute to his legacy by performing his song, “Vamanos pal Monte.” His full statement can be read above and the concert clip can be watched here, courtesy of the councilmember.

 

According to his official biography, Palmieri was known as one of the finest pianists of the past 60 years, and his playing skillfully fused the rhythm of his Puerto Rican heritage with the complexity of his jazz influences: Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, as well as his older brother, Charlie Palmieri.

 

His parents emigrated from Ponce, Puerto Rico to New York City in 1926. Born in Spanish Harlem and raised in The Bronx, Palmieri learned to play the piano at an early age, and at 13, he joined his uncle’s orchestra, playing timbales. His professional career as a pianist took off with various bands in the early 1950s, including Eddie Forrester, Johnny Segui’s, and the popular Tito Rodriguez Orchestra.

In 1975, Palmieri won the first-ever Grammy for Best Latin Recording for The Sun of Latin Music, and his other Grammys include two for his influential recording with Tito Puente, Obra Maestra/Masterpiece. Recognizing Palmieri as an American icon, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, recorded two of his performances for its archives in 1988.

 

In addition to the Grammys, Palmieri has received numerous prestigious honors and awards over the course of his career. With his widely popular eight-and-a-half minute “Azucar Pa’ Ti,” Palmieri changed the format of the recording industry, breaking the three-and-a-half-minute barrier it had imposed on artists.

 

Palmieri was inducted onto the Bronx Walk of Fame in 2005. Watch a short video broadcast by Bronxnet on Palmieri here.