To fully appreciate an Eddie Palmieri show, it helps to see it twice. First, catch the pianist outdoors at New York’s Lincoln Center and soak in the space and balance between the septet. Later, head downtown to Blue Note and behold the same ensemble—with the horns mere feet from your face. The effect, as Palmieri said during a recent Blue Note set, is of “a herd of elephants, or 99 Mack trucks.”
Why is this music so viscerally overwhelming, capable of pulling your head in seven directions while maintaining precision? It’s simple, Palmieri says during a recent phone call. “After I take a piano solo, I give it to one of the drummers and then we synchronize,” he tells GRAMMY.com. “And when the horns come in, I guarantee you I’m going to put you to dance in your seat!”
Now, music fans of all backgrounds can watch that equation play out before them. If you’re on the East Coast, Palmieri’s current run of shows at the West Village institution are a masterclass in swinging and dancing rhythms.
His next Blue Note gigs are August 2 and 16 and if you can’t make those, there are bound to be more. Because, to hear Palmieri tell it, traveling overseas is an ordeal at 84—and the Blue Note is his temple for now. “We’re very fortunate to perform at the greatest jazz club in the world,” Palmieri says humbly. “But when I’m playing there,” he adds with an audible grin, “It’s the greatest Latin jazz club in the world!”
GRAMMY.com caught up with the seven-time GRAMMY winner and 14-time nominee to discuss his 60-year career, the lessons he learned along the way and why the Blue Note is, in his words, “the greatest jazz room in the world.”