Eddie Palmieri, known as one of the greatest pianists of the last 60 years, is a bandleader, arranger and composer of salsa and Latin jazz.
His playing skillfully fuses the rhythm of his Puerto Rican heritage with the complexity of his jazz influences: Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and his older brother, Charlie Palmieri.Palmieri learned to play the piano at an early age and, at age 13, joined his uncle's orchestra, playing timpani.
Palmieri's professional career as a pianist took off with several bands in the early 1950s, including Eddie Forrester, Johnny Segui's, and the popular Tito Rodríguez Orchestra. In 1961, Palmieri formed his own band, La Perfecta, which featured an unconventional front line of trombones instead of the trumpets common in Latin orchestras. This created an innovative sound that blended American jazz with Afro-Caribbean rhythms, surprising critics and fans alike.
