The Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Saturday, December 4 at Aaron Davis Hall
(New York) – On Saturday, December 4, 2004, the legendary bandleader and pianist Eddie Palmieri returns to Aaron Davis Hall (ADH) for its 25th Anniversary season for a much-anticipated concert with La Perfecta II and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Together they will present a pulsating evening full of progressive poli-rhythms that resonate from the multi-layered musical history of the New York Latino community into the 21st Century.
Spanish Harlem-born, seven-time GRAMMY Award winning Eddie Palmieri is one of the foremost Latin pianists of the last half-century. His ability to fuse the rhythms of his Hispanic heritage with the jazz influences of Thelonius Monk and McCoy Tyner made him an immediate hit when he played New York’s Palladium Ballroom in the ‘50s and ‘60s. He has continued to roll on with stylistic innovations over the years, creating classic Tico albums and later mixing salsa with R&B, pop, rock, Spanish vocals and more jazz improvisation.
Joining Palmieri and La Perfecta II is the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, led by acclaimed pianist and arranger Oscar Hernandez. Through their repertoire, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra celebrates the indelible contributions of New York’s Spanish Harlem, the birthplace for ‘Salsa’ and countless other variants that have merged from Afro-Cuban tradition. This performance will combine the two sounds to create a spin-tingling, heart-racing, foot-stomping, hip-shaking, stand-up performance, which not only recognizes the influences of the past but also the new traditions of today.
Aaron Davis Hall’s long time commitment to Latin and jazz music makes Palmieri’s return fit perfectly into the explosive themes of the 25th Anniversary season, which includes future performances by Abbey Lincoln (3/11/05) and Bill T. Jones (6/16-6/18/05). Palmieri gave a special performance to begin ADH’s summer series in 1999. Other Latino greats who have performed at ADH include Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Frankie Colon, Garciela, and Luis Miranda just to name a few.
Eddie Palmieri with La Perfecta II & The Spanish Harlem Orchestra begins at 7:30pm on Saturday, December 4, 2004 at Aaron Davis Hall. ADH is located at West 135th Street and Convent Avenue on the campus of The City College of New York in Harlem, Manhattan. For tickets and information, please call the ADH hotline at (212) 650-7100 or visit www.aarondavishall.org.
About Aaron Davis Hall
Founded in 1979, on the campus of The City College of New York with the support from philanthropists Leonard and Sophie Davis, Aaron Davis Hall has for 25 years distinguished itself as Harlem’s Center for the Performing Arts, honoring the incredibly rich legacy of this community and nurturing the many voices who continue the tradition of informing the cultural landscape. Twenty-one years ago, the International Series began a pioneering crusade to bring multicultural presentations of professional artists to youth across the city. Today, it remains one of the largest, most diverse weekday performance programs in the city. Fifteen years ago, NewFacesNewVoicesNewVisions led the field to create a network of support for the creation and presentation of artists of color who were pushing the boundaries of artistic and cultural exploration. Still serving as a beacon in the field, the series has been a proving-ground for artists like Carl Hancock Rux, Bill T. Jones, Sekou Sundiata, Ronald K. Brown and many more. Unique programming in Jazz and Latino music genres has garnered consistent critical acclaim. The Harlem Film Festival provides a much-needed forum for the voices and stories often untold through the work of exciting independent filmmakers.
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