Multi-Grammy winner and Latin Jazz maestro, Eddie Palmieri, and his band will perform one night of magical piano artistry and explosive Salsa on Saturday, March 9 at 8pm at South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center (SMDCAC). Tickets range from $15-$35, and can be purchased online at www.smdcac.org or by calling the Box Office at 786-573-5300. SMDCAC is located at 10950 S.W. 211 Street in Cutler Bay. Free parking is available.
For over 55 years, the Puerto Rican pianist, musician, arranger and bandleader of experimental Salsa, Afro-Caribbean and Latin Jazz orchestras has enjoyed a fruitful musical career. Armed with an infectious smile and signature cigar in hand, Palmieri has forever impacted the Latin music landscape and won nine coveted Grammy Awards along the way. Boasting a discography of 36 titles, Palmieri is a vibrant and explosive musical genius whose repertoire exudes influences of African rhythms, soulful Jazz and R&B elements, and classical compositions.
Considered daring and utterly charismatic by industry peers, Jazz and Latin music lovers alike, Palmieri’s incredible rise-to-the-top story begins during his childhood years in New York City. As a youth, he studied piano and played timbales at the tender age of 13. The multifaceted talent went on to perform Mambo shows in the ‘50s at the famous Palladium Ballroom, and spent time with several notable orchestras before forming his own band, ‘La Perfecta’ in 1961. The group, which recorded five albums, creatively enhanced traditional tropical Charanga music by replacing strings with trombones, thereby revolutionizing the sounds and feel of the colorful rhythms. The Library of Congress would later recognize one their innovative songs, ‘Azúcar Pa’ Ti’, in its national registry of historic recordings.
During what is considered ‘the golden age of Salsa,’ Palmieri broke new ground in 1975 when he received his first Grammy for ‘The Sun of Latin Music.’ This highest honor was the first time Latin music was recognized by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS).
Palmieri would continue to expand his trajectory, record countless albums and share his memorable music during tours in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, North Africa, and the Caribbean. Several of his instrumentally sound hit songs, ‘Muñeca,’ ‘Vamanos Pa’l Monte,’ ‘Puerto Rico’ and ‘No Me Hagas Sufrir,’ have added his sizzling Latin flavor to Hollywood movie soundtracks.
Most recently, Palmieri’s luminous and esteemed career was showcased during his induction as ‘Jazz Master’ by National Endowment for the Arts. With nine Grammy Awards and a history of playing with fellow contemporaries including the legendary Tito Puento and Ray Barretto, this world-class musician’s legacy continues with non-stop performances across the country this year. To learn more about the incomparable Latin Jazz icon Eddie Palmieri, visit EddiePalmierimusic.com.
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