Queens College Music Library Online Exhibits
Queens Music History Exhibit
Eddie Palmieri
Photo Credit: Joris Machielse CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Eddie Palmieri (December 15, 1936 – August 6, 2025) was a legendary American pianist, bandleader, and composer of Puerto Rican descent who was renowned for revolutionizing salsa and Latin jazz. A longtime resident of Forest Hills, Queens, Palmieri remained deeply rooted in New York City’s music scene throughout his life.
Palmieri began his career in the 1950s, performing with bands led by Eddie Forrester, Johnny Segui, and Tito Rodriguez. He was known for fusing Afro-Caribbean rhythms with the complexity of jazz, drawing inspiration from Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and his brother, Charlie Palmieri. In 1961, Palmieri formed the band La Perfecta, breaking tradition by employing a trombone-heavy sound that redefined Latin music. He won 10 Grammy Awards, including the first ever for Best Latin Recording in 1975 for The Sun of Latin Music, and two in 2000 for Obra Maestra/Masterpiece, his collaboration with Tito Puente.
Honored as a cultural icon, Palmieri was recorded by the Smithsonian in 1988 and named an NEA Jazz Master in 2013—the highest award in American jazz. His legacy endures through the innovative sounds he brought to generations of listeners. In November 2021, the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College welcomed Palmieri to the Colden Auditorium for its first major concert after the pandemic shutdown.
ITEMS ON DISPLAY IN THE MUSIC LIBRARY:
Americanos : Latino life in the United States : a musical celebration = La vida de los Latinos en Estados Unidos : una celebración musical.
Olmos, Edward James.; DeBro, Steve, producer.
℗1999
Schwarz CD 2481
Caliente = Hot: Puerto Rican and Cuban musical expression in New York.
Pleneros de la 110th Street (Musical group), performer.; Sexteto Criollo Puertorriqueño, performer.; Son de la Loma (Musical group), performer.; Recorded Anthology of American Music, Inc.; Rockefeller Foundation, sponsoring body.; Singer, Roberta L., 1941- writer of supplementary textual content.; Friedman, Robert A., 1951- writer of supplementary textual content.; Montañez, Victor, performer.; Collazo, Julito, performer.; Rivera, Hector, performer.; Sánchez, Armando, 1920-1997, performer.
1977
LP 6562
Caribbean currents: Caribbean music from rumba to reggae
Manuel, Peter, 1952-; Bilby, Kenneth M., 1953-; Largey, Michael D., 1959-1995
ML3565 .M36 1995
From Afro-Cuban rhythms to Latin jazz
Fernandez, Raul A., 1945-
©2006
ML3565 .F47 2006
Listening to salsa: gender, Latin popular music, and Puerto Rican cultures
Aparicio, Frances R., author.
1998
ML3535.5 .A63 1998
Palmas
Palmieri, Eddie, performer, composer, producer. ; Lynch, Brian, performer.; Torres, Johnny, performer.; Harrison, Donald, 1960- performer.; Herwig, Conrad, performer.; Flores, Richie, performer.; Carrillo, Anthony, performer.; Claussel, Jose, performer.; Ameen, Robby, 1960- performer.; Benitez, John, performer.
1994
Schwarz CD 2479
Salsa guidebook : for piano and ensemble
Mauleón, Rebeca.
1993
MT170 .M38 1993
Salsa rising : New York Latin music of the sixties generation
Flores, Juan, 1943-2014.
2016
ML3535.5 .F66 2016
Salsiology : Afro-Cuban music and the evolution of salsa in New York City
Boggs, Vernon.
1992
Eddie Palmieri poster courtesy of Kupferberg Center of the Arts
ADDITIONAL LIBRARY RESOURCES:
All American music: composition in the late twentieth century
Rockwell, John, 1940-1997
ML200.5 .R6 1997
From tejano to tango: Latin American popular music
Clark, Walter Aaron.
2002
ML3475 .F76 2002
NON-LIBRARY RESOURCES:
- https://palmierimusic.com/
- https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2025/08/celebrating-the-life-and-legacy-of-eddie-palmieri-the-sun-of-latin-music/
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/eddie-palmieri-latin-jazz-legend-dies-at-88
- https://www.npr.org/2025/08/08/nx-s1-5495576/remembering-pianist-and-jazz-master-eddie-palmieri