Famed Latin jazz musician Eddie Palmieri has passed away at the age of 88 after suffering from “an extended illness.”
The East Harlem-born music legend, who became the first Latino to win a Grammy Award in 1975, died inside his longtime New Jersey home, his daughter, Gabriela, revealed to the New York Times.
He is survived by Gabriela, as well as his three other daughters, Renee, Eydie, and Ileana, as well as a son, Edward, and four grandchildren.
Palmieri was credited with being a pioneer of the Latin jazz scene in New York, earning a total of 10 Grammy Awards during his lifetime, while producing more than 30 albums.
Having been born in Spanish Harlem, Palmieri—the brother of musician Charlie Palmieri—was introduced to music at a young age, when he first started learning piano, before he found a passion for drums after being enlisted to play timbales in his uncle’s orchestra at age 13, according to his website.
“Palmieri’s parents emigrated from Ponce, Puerto Rico to New York City in 1926,” Palmieri’s biography states. “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.”
The musician spent much of his childhood living in the South Bronx, where he was raised by a seamstress mother, Isabel, and an electrician father, Carlos—both of whom placed a heavy emphasis on the importance of music in a child’s development.
Though he routinely described himself as a percussionist, it was piano that led Palmieri to greatness and saw his music career take off.
“Palmieri’s 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 the 1960s, the musician formed his own band, La Perfecta, through which he cultivated a unique sound by replacing trumpets with trombones, a move that “mixed American jazz into Afro-Caribbean rhythms, surprising critics and fans alike.”
His surprising blend of what had previously been seen as very distinctive Black and Latin sounds was a key aspect of his debut album, “Harlem River Drive,” as well as his Grammy Award-winning album, “The Sun of Latin Music.”
Palmieri continued to release music regularly up until his death—and was still delighting audiences with his live performances even in his final years, particularly in and around New York.
The music legend spent the majority of his life in the tri-state area, however he relocated to Puerto Rico for a few years in the 1980s, after traveling there to care for his mother.
During that time he recorded three different albums, each of which won a Grammy; however, he noted in a later interview that he found the process of living and working in Puerto Rico very “difficult.”
“I felt completely oppressed over there,” he once revealed, according to Musician Guide. “I tried to get a helping hand from the orchestras in Puerto Rico, but I just frightened them away…. It was quite difficult. We were hurting for employment…. [The local musicians] wouldn’t allow me in.”
After his return to New York City in the late 1980s, Palmieri’s career continued to go from strength to strength; in addition to his collection of Grammy Awards, the musician was also awarded multiple other accolades, including a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences in 2013.
He was also honored by the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian, which recorded two of his live performances for its archives, according to Palmieri’s website.
However, he faced his fair share of struggles along the way, engaging in battles with high-paid music executives, with the New York Times noting that he once admitted to feeling like he was being “attacked constantly” in the industry.
“You’re getting attacked constantly, one way or the other: fights with the promoters, fighting with the record labels,” he said.
The outlet also noted that Palmieri took a strong stance against the IRS, refusing to pay taxes for several years after becoming enamored with the works of economist Henry George, who believes that income taxes were a form of legal robbery.
Eventually, his rebellion caught up with him. IRS agents began showing up at his concerts and eventually led him away in handcuffs, although he was able to work out a deal with the agency to repay the money he owed.
Despite his more controversial stances, Palmieri remained a legend in the New York music scene up until his death—and was renowned for his deep dedication to the South Bronx and its Latin community.
However, for the last 10 years of his life, the musician had been based just outside the city, in Hackensack, NJ, where he owned a humble four-bedroom dwelling, according to property records.
The property was purchased for $338,000 in 2015, one year after Iraida, his wife of 58 years, passed away.
Located on a quiet cul-de-sac, the property features a sizable backyard, complete with a large deck for entertaining, as well as a sunlit music room.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
