Description
Eddie Palmieri, who sadly passed away in 2025, is considered one of the best pianists and arrangers of salsa and Latin jazz of the last 60 years, his playing skilfully combined the rhythms of his Puerto Rican homeland with the complexity of his jazz influences, such as Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner.
The album 'Sueno', produced by Kip Hanrahan, was originally released in 1989 and is one of Palmieri's more introspective and harmonically rich projects. The album seamlessly blends salsa and Latin jazz with modern jazz elements and features an outstanding line-up of musicians such as David Sanborn, Brian Lynch and Francisco Aguabella. Tracks such as 'Azucar' (a reinterpreted classic) and 'Just a Little Dream' once again showcase Palmieris genius for composition and improvisation. 'Sueno' has been remastered in excellent quality by Intuition Music for the Master Series, highlighting the album's multi-layered arrangements and rhythmic complexity. This reissue honours Palmieri's musical legacy and underscores the timelessness of his sound.
In 1961, Palmieri founded his own band, La Perfecta, which was distinguished by its unconventional line-up of trombones instead of the trumpets commonly used in Latin orchestras at the time. This created an innovative sound that blended American jazz with Afro-Caribbean rhythms and thrilled critics and fans alike. In the 1970s, Palmieri perfected his skills as an arranger and released several impressive recordings that reflect his unorthodox approach to music, such as the 1970 album Harlem Drive. This recording was the first in which he fused a free-form sound that incorporated elements of salsa, funk, soul and jazz. In 1975, Palmieri won the first-ever Grammy for Best Latin American Recording for 'The Sun of Latin Music.' He won a total of ten Grammys. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, recognised Palmieri as an American icon and recorded two of his performances for its archives in 1988.
