Eddie Palmieri

Any one who has listened to Latin jazz/salsa in the past 60 years and is a Nuyorican or just a United States citizen knows EP. Take a look at his picture and just admit it, EP, is somewhere in your musical collection. When I lived in New Jersey, on the banks of the Hudson River, New York City

shined from across the river. Both sides of the Hudson listened to salsa and jazz. In the 1970's as a kid growing up in a VERY Puerto Rican household, salsa was what we listened to everyday, every weekend, every month, ALL year round. I have 11 uncles who made sure they passed on the family dysfunction as a right of passage and that included salsa, jazz and funk. I don't know if salsa had any competition or just that there was only two genres of music back then. It was the Love Era in American music and Salsa in my town. So, I grew up listening to what I did not know would happen in my future, which is, EP as a salsero, composer, arranger and band leader would become this AMAZING Latin jazz artist as well.

Eddie, was in the thick of things in the 70's when his music was protesting racial inequality for blacks and boricuas. I dunno if that meant ALL Latinos, but sure as hell BORICUAS were in his protests with songs like Vamonos Pal Monte, La Libertad Logica and Muñeca. Palmieri and his band famously broke into Sing Sing Correctional Facility in 1972, performing for inmates and guards and produced two LP's. His commitment to social justice is perhaps most visible in Harlem River Drive, an exuberant, funk-driven slapper of a record that censures the super-rich and demands justice for communities of color in 1970s New York.

I'm just getting warmed up, I was a little tyke and barely understanding the cultural impact EP's music is starting to have on me. I've collected 209 EP tracks and that's still not enough. He is the only musical master I know of, that has bested his own music, TWICE !! An example of that is his campo jam Cafe, first iteration came in 1961, and it smelled, tasted, sounded like coffee from abuelas kitchen. Classic and quite humbling for us boricuas growing up.

My mom used to make me cafe con leche with soda crackers and that was breakfast mijoh's. So I grew up loving me some good coffee and then EP broke my coffee mug in 1998 with Cafe, the second iteration 37 years later. I couldn't believe my ears and I was sure I had heard this song before. However, I was 35 years old now, and into the Latin jazz/salsa thing hardcore. That shit had me stumped for a minute until I went back and there it was, the 1961 version of Cafe.

EP has become and remains my #1, absolute favorite and undisputed MASTER of Latin jazz/salsa for way too many reasons to post. When an artist has 60+ years blowing you away, it stands to figure the positive impact EP has had on me. Bias or not, doesn't matter, just ask any boricua nowadays on Facebook and the overwhelming response is a definitive THUMBS UP!!

I had a difficult task in choosing the initial five tracks I want to share with the Latin jazz community. However, the five tracks I've chosen represent the 60 year range EP has spoiled us with. My goal is to inspire every jazz nerve in your body and get you toe tapping, perhaps even get you emotional about something personal. EP may be the last great Latino musical giant we'll live to see in this generation. EP is 80 years old and like all great giants of our recent 2000 year Latin history, it's just 1 giant per millennium. So get your fill now in this current era, because time waits for no one and it would be a shame to not know EP like a family member. Call him tio or hermano or primo or whatever, EP should be on your top 3, and for me he is the #1 UNDISPUTED Champion.

Here is my 5NINE3 EP Playlist, enjoy and share this with your Latin jazz/salsa community.

1> Gigue (Bach Goes Batá) - Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul - Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer 2> My Spiritual Indian - Taino Indians making it rain 3> Caribbean Wood - Palo Boricua 4> Nica's Dream - Horace Silver original remake a la EP 5> Un Dia Bonito - No such thing as a bad day here