May is Latin Jazz month at WNCU

For the first time in Eddie Palmieri’s 50-year history as a musician he hosts four hour-long programs, from May 9 – 12, without news breaks.

The eight-time GRAMMY® award winner hosts Caliente Latin Jazz with Eddie Palmieri and will share with us an insight into the world of jazz and Latin jazz through his music.

Latin jazz lovers new and old will enjoy great musicianship, collaboration and conversation provided with both humor and passion by Eddie and his special guests including Monty Alexander, David Sanchez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Brian Lynch, Joe Locke and Conrad Herwig. The musical selections include many of Palmieri’s original compositions as well as standards like Tin Tin Deo and In Walked Bud!

Pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader Eddie Palmieri, who celebrated his 50th year as a professional musician in 2005, was the recipient of a 2006 Grammy in the Latin Jazz category for his 2005 release “Listen Here!” his eighth Grammy and first recording to include jazz standards.

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 Eddie’s generation, music was a vehicle out of the barrio. Possessed by a desire to play the drums, Palmieri joined his uncle’s orchestra at age 13, where he played the 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.”

Palmieri remains a powerhouse of brilliance and sound that has stirred audiences for over 50 years, captivating and elevating the senses while taking listeners down paths of intensity to a place where there are no musical boundaries.

Schedule

Monday, 5/9, 9pm – “The Melodic Eddie” with David Sanchez
Tuesday, 5/10, 9pm – “The Original Rhythms” with special guests Giovanni Hidalgo and Brian Lynch
Wednesday, 5/11, 9pm – “Caribbean Unity, It’s About the Riddim” with Monty Alexander
Thursday, 5/12, 9pm – “El Sonido Nuevo Revisited” with guests Joe Locke and Conrad Herwig