"Mr. Palmieri...can make a piano roar." —The New York Times
Philadelphia, PA—With an iconic music career that spans over 50 years, nine Grammy® awards and a charismatic stage presence hailed as “larger than life" by The Los Angeles Times, Latin jazz pianist and band leader Eddie Palmieri comes to Philadelphia armed and loaded for a bold one-night-only special presentation and apt closing to the Annenberg Center's 11/12 Latin Roots Series. Long referred to as “The Sun of Latin Music," Palmieri can “splash out thick modern-jazz chords or roll through a steel-fingered salsa" with mesmerizing audacity (The New York Times). The performance will take place in the Zellerbach Theatre on February 4, 2012 at 8 PM. Tickets start at $20. For tickets or for more information, please visit AnnenbergCenter.org or call 215.898.3900. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Annenberg Center Box Office.
Palmieri's discography includes 36 titles that meld jazz, Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms, placing the virtuoso musician among the greats of the genre. His 75th birthday honors a spectacular music career with the signature flair, joy and brilliance audiences have come to love, with the addition of his quintet accompanying in an all-out Latin jazz celebration.
Born in Spanish Harlem in 1936, Palmieri began piano studies at an early age, as did his celebrated older brother, the late salsa legend and pianist, Charlie Palmieri. For Latin New Yorkers of Palmieri's generation, music was a vehicle out of “El Barrio." At age 11, he auditioned at Weil Recital Hall, a venue as far from the Bronx as he could imagine. Possessed by a desire to play the drums, Palmieri joined his uncle's orchestra at age 13, where he played timbales. Says Palmieri, “By 15, it was good-bye timbales and back to the piano until this day. I'm a frustrated percussionist, so I take it out on the piano."
The Heineken Jazz Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico paid tribute to his contributions as a bandleader, bestowing him an honorary doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music. In 2002, Yale University awarded Palmieri the Chubb Fellowship, an award usually reserved for international heads of state but given to him in recognition of his work of building communities through music. That same year he received the National Black Sports and Entertainment Lifetime Achievement Award. Palmieri was also recognized by the London BBC with their 2002 Award for Most Exciting Latin Performance.
Palmieri has one of the most actively touring salsa and Latin jazz orchestras to date; tours of which have taken him to Europe, Asia, Latin America, North Africa and throughout the Caribbean. A true powerhouse of brilliance, known for his astute arranging skills and historic compositions, Palmieri has shown that time is infinite with respect to his repertoire as he continues to thrill audiences with his legendary style.
Palmieri's February 4 performance will feature Brian Lynch, trumpet; Jose Claussell, timbales; Vicente “Little Johnny" Rivero, congas; Luques Curtis, bass; Orlando Vega, bongo and Louis Fouche, alto saxophone.
Philadelphia, PA—With an iconic music career that spans over 50 years, nine Grammy® awards and a charismatic stage presence hailed as “larger than life" by The Los Angeles Times, Latin jazz pianist and band leader Eddie Palmieri comes to Philadelphia armed and loaded for a bold one-night-only special presentation and apt closing to the Annenberg Center's 11/12 Latin Roots Series. Long referred to as “The Sun of Latin Music," Palmieri can “splash out thick modern-jazz chords or roll through a steel-fingered salsa" with mesmerizing audacity (The New York Times). The performance will take place in the Zellerbach Theatre on February 4, 2012 at 8 PM. Tickets start at $20. For tickets or for more information, please visit AnnenbergCenter.org or call 215.898.3900. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Annenberg Center Box Office.
Palmieri's discography includes 36 titles that meld jazz, Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms, placing the virtuoso musician among the greats of the genre. His 75th birthday honors a spectacular music career with the signature flair, joy and brilliance audiences have come to love, with the addition of his quintet accompanying in an all-out Latin jazz celebration.
Born in Spanish Harlem in 1936, Palmieri began piano studies at an early age, as did his celebrated older brother, the late salsa legend and pianist, Charlie Palmieri. For Latin New Yorkers of Palmieri's generation, music was a vehicle out of “El Barrio." At age 11, he auditioned at Weil Recital Hall, a venue as far from the Bronx as he could imagine. Possessed by a desire to play the drums, Palmieri joined his uncle's orchestra at age 13, where he played timbales. Says Palmieri, “By 15, it was good-bye timbales and back to the piano until this day. I'm a frustrated percussionist, so I take it out on the piano."
The Heineken Jazz Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico paid tribute to his contributions as a bandleader, bestowing him an honorary doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music. In 2002, Yale University awarded Palmieri the Chubb Fellowship, an award usually reserved for international heads of state but given to him in recognition of his work of building communities through music. That same year he received the National Black Sports and Entertainment Lifetime Achievement Award. Palmieri was also recognized by the London BBC with their 2002 Award for Most Exciting Latin Performance.
Palmieri has one of the most actively touring salsa and Latin jazz orchestras to date; tours of which have taken him to Europe, Asia, Latin America, North Africa and throughout the Caribbean. A true powerhouse of brilliance, known for his astute arranging skills and historic compositions, Palmieri has shown that time is infinite with respect to his repertoire as he continues to thrill audiences with his legendary style.
Palmieri's February 4 performance will feature Brian Lynch, trumpet; Jose Claussell, timbales; Vicente “Little Johnny" Rivero, congas; Luques Curtis, bass; Orlando Vega, bongo and Louis Fouche, alto saxophone.
