DAVID BIANCULLI, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. I'm David Bianculli. Eddie Palmieri, the pianist, band leader and composer whose contributions to Afro Caribbean music shaped the evolving genre for decades, died Wednesday. He was 88 years old. His first album, "La Perfecta," is credited for launching the musical salsa movement when it came out in 1962.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CONMIGO (PACHANGA)")
ISMAEL QUINTANA: (Singing in Spanish).
BIANCULLI: Eddie Palmeri was born in New York City in 1936, the son of Puerto Rican immigrants who found work quickly, his mom as a seamstress and his dad as a radio and TV repairman. When Eddie was 5 years old, his family moved to the South Bronx and opened up an ice cream parlor. Eddie worked behind the counter as a soda jerk and also controlled the jukebox, which was stocked with hits by Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Machito. He began taking piano lessons when he was 8 and led his first band at 14.
In 1961, he borrowed $1,000 to pay for a month's rent on a nightclub in the Bronx, using it as a headquarters to experiment with various musical lineups for music he wanted to record. He settled on what he called at the time his perfect formula, the band he called La Perfecta, consisting of a vocalist, a small rhythm section, trombone, wood flute and Palmieri himself on piano.
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI SONG, "CONMIGO (PACHANGA)")
BIANCULLI: Eddie Palmieri performed and recorded all his life. He won multiple Grammys, including a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was recognized as a jazz master by the National Endowment for the Arts. And there's a treat right around the corner for Eddie Palmieri fans. The new Spike Lee film, "Highest 2 Lowest," starring Denzel Washington, has a spectacular chase scene during a Puerto Rican Day celebration in the South Bronx. It features Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra as the backdrop. In 1994, Eddie Palmieri spoke with Terry Gross.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
TERRY GROSS: Eddie Palmieri, you were born in Spanish Harlem in 1936, and I think you were about 7 when your family moved to the South Bronx. Were the neighborhoods very similar or different?
EDDIE PALMIERI: Oh, well, they were different at that time. The Hispanic movement was certainly into the - el barrio, what they call. And we moved there when we - I was 5 years old. And by 7 years old, I was already being accompanied by my brother playing piano. He was nine years older than me, and my brother passed away in '88, 60 years young. But then when we moved to the Bronx, then my father being a genius as far as being a radio and television repairman, and plumber and everything you could think that had to do with manual labor -he worked very, very hard all his life. And my mother was a seamstress.
My mother arrived in New York in 1925. My father arrived on the next ship a year later, and by 1926, they married, and by '27, my brother was born. I was born in '36. When we arrived in the South Bronx, it was just a beautiful, beautiful neighborhood. And it was wonderful experiences. Don't - no cars at all. We were able to play stickball and not worry about any cars in the street. It was wonderful years that I remember in the South Bronx.
GROSS: What did it mean to you to be Puerto Rican when you were growing up? Were you very proud of being Puerto Rican or just - were you just Puerto Rican and not - didn't think about it very much one way or another?
PALMIERI: No, no - always quite unique being Puerto Rican because of what I saw, the family being so united. When my relatives all came from Puerto Rico, my uncles on - my grandmother, for example, had an open-house policy, you know, which meant that on Saturdays, you would see my grandmother going down to the Safeway, A&P and doing the shopping. And plus, she would stop at the liquor store and bring about, oh, six or eight bottles of different ryes and rums, whatever, merely because my grandfather was also a professional gambler.
So on Saturday night, Friday night, the card games would start. And by midnight on Saturday, there was no liquor stores open, and the only one that had the liquor was grandma. And as she sold you a liquor, she would light up a cigar. And then my grandfather was quite unique in playing, so he would clean up, and they would have a house kitty. And on Saturdays, all my uncles would get together, and then they would take out the guitars, and they would start to sing. By 13, I was already playing drums with my uncle, Chino Gueits (ph) y Su Alma Tropical because I didn't want to play the piano anymore. I want to become my brother's drummer.
GROSS: Now, I know when you were growing up, your mother really wanted you to play piano, but you wanted to play drums.
PALMIERI: Right.
GROSS: Let's start with your mother wanting you to play piano. Why was she so big on that?
PALMIERI: Well, because she passed the Depression here, and actually, in 1929, she was here already. She arrived in '25. And a lesson was 25 cents. And the idea was, you know, try to get the 25 cents. With $1.25, they made a whole grocery shopping. It's amazing what happened in the years of the Depression. And because my brother was already playing piano and he's nine years older than me, then my mother certainly insisted on me to play piano, too. And I did. And I couldn't thank her, you know, enough for that.
GROSS: Now, when you were playing in your uncle's band - you were in your early teens - what did you play in the band?
PALMIERI: Oh, I played timbales, and my uncle sang. My other uncle played conga, and we had two guitars, a tres and a second guitar who sang, a trumpet and the bass player, Nicolas (ph). When they wasn't enough money to pay the bass player Nicolas, Nicolas was out.
GROSS: Now, you studied classical music when you were young - right? - on the piano.
PALMIERI: Well, because of Miss Margaret Bonds. She was a classical concert player. And by 11, I gave a recital at Carnegie Hall Recital Hall. But all those years from 11 through 12, I just wanted to play drums. So it hurt me from not really getting into the fundamentals of the instrument as I need to, and I do now.
GROSS: Did you resent having to play classical music?
PALMIERI: No, no. I just didn't want to play the piano at all. I mean, I wanted to play drums. And, you know, you have to be - you have to contemplate, like, what's going through my mind, 'cause I want to play stickball in the street, you know. And the guys are calling me downstairs. Come on, Eddie. Come on, Eddie, you know, and I got to be playing scales, you know, and then trying to, you know, like, cheat on my scales. And my mother had...
GROSS: (Laughter).
PALMIERI: ...An incredible ear. I called them mama ear chops.
GROSS: (Laughter).
PALMIERI: I mean, she could hear. She's, hey, you know, that don't sound right, you know, an extra 15 minutes. Oh, things like that.
GROSS: (Laughter).
PALMIERI: And I was missing the game. And I was the first baseman, and then I had to become the manager because if I wasn't the manager, probably they wouldn't let me play.
GROSS: So when you were playing timbales in your uncle's band, what was the atmosphere like? You were, I don't know, 13 or 14.
PALMIERI: Oh, yeah.
GROSS: And he was playing in dance halls.
PALMIERI: Yeah, dance halls and up in the Villas. The Villas is like the Borscht Circuit, you know, the Catskills here.
GROSS: You were playing in the Borscht Belt when you were 13 or 14?
PALMIERI: No, no, but in the Spanish ones.
GROSS: The Spanish Borscht Belt.
PALMIERI: Yeah. They were owned by Spaniards at that time. That was where - they call them La Villas. And...
GROSS: So this is in the Catskill Mountains of New York, where a lot of summer resorts art.
PALMIERI: This is Plattekill, off Newburgh. Yeah. And I started working up there in 1950, '51. You know, I mean, it's unbelievable.
GROSS: So what was the atmosphere like? What kind of people did you meet?
PALMIERI: Well, I'll give you an idea. When - the first day I got there, I saw - I went to see the pool. They told me they had a pool in this villa, and I went to see the pool. There was a cow drinking and one in the pool.
GROSS: A cow?
PALMIERI: Yeah.
GROSS: I don't know. I didn't know her if name was Elsie at that time, so I didn't do anything (ph) - from Borden's Milk. The main thing is that that was the cows that gave you the milk. For $35, you could stay a week at the Villas room and board, and that fresh milk pitcher was there in the morning. And then my uncles and my grandfather would love to go up there because they would play - excuse me - they could gamble up there. They could play cards all day long, or dominos. And that was their world. And my uncle was booked in - as the music of the Villas and I was part of that. So that was the way we made a living.
GROSS: Did you drink when you were young?
PALMIERI: No, but my uncles certainly did, and I always tried to, like, grab a drink or so, you know. But it was difficult 'cause all my aunts were there, and they were tattletaling (ph) my mother (laughter).
GROSS: Right.
PALMIERI: Heard - that's my mother (laughter).
BIANCULLI: Eddie Palmeri speaking to Terry Gross in 1994. More after a break. This is FRESH AIR.
This is FRESH AIR. Let's get back to Terry's 1994 interview with pianist, band leader and composer Eddie Palmieri, who died on Wednesday at the age of 88.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
GROSS: When you were young, you played with Tito Rodriguez. What did you learn about showmanship and running a band from watching him?
PALMIERI: Oh, he was the one. He was the dandy. He was the dandy because no one dressed like him.
GROSS: How did he dress?
PALMIERI: Oh, immaculately, man. You know, so hip. And he was so sharp. The orchestra all uniform because he was the best singer that we had here, as far as a rumbero singer, of an orchestra leader. And he had the preparations to do it. And he just kept improving constantly because of his competitive edge, you know, that he always had with Mr. Tito Puente. If Tito Puente played vibes, Tito Rodriguez went to learn how to play vibes, you know?
GROSS: (Laughter).
PALMIERI: It was one of those things that there was something that just irked him, you know? But when I was working with him from the year '58 to '60, I certainly learned a tremendous amount from Mr. Tito Rodriguez. And may he rest in peace. But he knows that he's in my heart.
GROSS: What did you wear in the band?
PALMIERI: Oh, all different kinds of uniforms. Sometimes we looked like waiters, you know?
GROSS: (Laughter).
PALMIERI: And they would ask us for a drink and that, you know? You know, and I would give them my drink and, you know, take the tip or something like that. The main thing is, all tuxedos. But we worked because with Tito, at that time, he went to Vegas and we did Vegas. And he had a show. His wife was Japanese, and she sang. And he had a Cuban dancer, Martha. He was after that Desi Arnaz-Lucille Ball movement since he knew Desi and he knew Lucille Ball because his wife also came from one of those show cabarets. But he was so sharp, you know? And he could dance. And the thing was he could sing.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CUANDO, CUANDO")
TITO RODRIGUEZ: (Singing in Spanish).
GROSS: When did you feel ready to form your own band?
PALMIERI: 1960 after I left Tito Rodriguez. It took about a year, and then by 1961, I started different forms of orchestra. But La Perfecta I started in late '61, which was the orchestra then that stood together for seven, eight years. And we had two trombones, flute, wooden flute, timbales, conga, bass, singer and I. It was a total of eight.
GROSS: Were trombones unusual for a Latin band?
PALMIERI: At that time, yes. They called us, like, the sound of the roaring elephants.
GROSS: So when people compared your sound to elephants, was that in praise?
PALMIERI: Oh, well, in praise and in annoyance. You know, it was a combination of both because we were playing up in the Catskills for three summers with that orchestra. And that's a really commercial setting. And the orchestra certainly didn't belong there, but we needed to be there because that was the way we would be able to maintain our status in the city by being away for the summer. Like, Machito would go to the Concord and Tito Puente would go to the President Hotel in Swan Lake or whatever. And we landed up in Kutsher's Country Club, and then I landed up in Brown's, and then I landed up eventually in '65 in the Raleigh Hotel, and that's where they called us the roaring elephants.
GROSS: Now, a lot of the hotels that you mentioned had primarily Jewish clientele vacationing there.
PALMIERI: Right. That's why I told you before, sometimes, at most it was quite annoying.
GROSS: So were you used to seeing people who weren't Latin doing the cha-cha, the mambo and everything? I wonder what you thought of their dancing.
PALMIERI: Oh, no, of course because in the '50s, remember that the Jewish clientele was the clientele in the Palladium on Wednesdays.
GROSS: Oh.
PALMIERI: And what we saw was not only the Jewish clientele dancing to the most incredible dances that you can find, but you saw Marlon Brando there. You saw him playing bongos with Tito Puente.
GROSS: (Laughter).
PALMIERI: I mean, you saw things in the '50s you wouldn't believe.
GROSS: (Laughter).
PALMIERI: And then the mambo with Tito Puente, again, and Tito Rodriguez and Machito, these were great orchestras that the Jewish clientele followed. On Friday, then Saturday, the Palladium was more Hispanic, and on Sunday, it was definitely Black. We had four different days there that we had four different unique ethnic groups coming to dance. And they all danced superbly.
GROSS: I want to play one of your classic recordings. I want to play "Puerto Rico."
PALMIERI: Oh, I love it. We just did that in Puerto Rico just now.
GROSS: Did you?
PALMIERI: Yes.
GROSS: Well, let me play an early recording of it. And this is my guest, Eddie Palmieri, his band. He's featured, of course, on piano.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PUERTO RICO")
PALMIERI: (Singing in Spanish).
GROSS: What stage were you at when you recorded that?
PALMIERI: Oh, I was in quite an incredible stage, always with the economical pressures around you. But I found myself in Puerto Rico walking on the beach and looking at that beautiful ocean. And that's what the lyrics say - (speaking Spanish) - you know, beautiful island, with your blessed water surrounding you. So that's a special album and a special year you play from.
GROSS: In Latin music, there's a lot of repetition that the piano plays. Is that called montuno?
PALMIERI: That's exactly right. It's a montuno part, but it's called a guajira. You'll hear like, (vocalizing). That would be the guajira that I'm using there. And I'll use that, the guajiras behind the percussionist because the least amount of harmonic changes in Latin is where we get the highest degree of synchronization, which is what you're after. We simplify the chord changes. And there we get what we call masacote, which is the synchronization of the rhythm section and the piano and bass so that we're featuring that soloist that is showcasing himself or that I'm showcasing on the record, or in live, you know, live presentations to the public.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PUERTO RICO")
PALMIERI: (Singing in Spanish).
GROSS: I want to play something from your new album, "Palmas." And you have a piece on here called "Bolero Dos."
PALMIERI: Right.
GROSS: And it opens with an extended piano solo. There's no rhythm behind you in this piano solo.
PALMIERI: Right.
GROSS: Which is very unusual in Latin music. I mean, the rhythm never stops in Latin music.
PALMIERI: Well, I've always done that since "The Sun Of Latin Music" that won the first Grammy, just piano alone.
GROSS: Now, why do you go for that?
PALMIERI: Oh, I mentioned that before is I love variations of a theme. And I know exactly what's going to come behind me. But it's such a beautiful melody that why not play with the, you know, piano first? And there's never been a piano opening or intro that has annoyed or not brought in an audience. So when you're in an audience that your rhythm can be complicated, it's wonderful to hear a piano first. And we just, you know, like, I'll just slip it in, you know, like, by playing piano. And then all of a sudden, then I'll go into my orchestra. And it's been very, very well-accepted. And I love to do it. And it's more pianistic, so it helps me in my direction of getting to know my instrument better and better.
GROSS: Well, let's hear the beginning of "Bolero Dos." This is Eddie Palmieri on piano.
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI'S "BOLERO DOS")
GROSS: We could hear you growl on that song (laughter).
PALMIERI: I told you, I warned you (laughter).
GROSS: How did you start growling like that?
PALMIERI: Well, let me tell you what happened. My first recording, you know, we started to record years ago. First recording, Alegre. And all of a sudden, I see the owner walking with the engineer. And he walks in and I say, what's up? He goes, what is that? You know, and what is what, you know? And we start looking for something that nobody can - you know, what is what? And we start looking. And sure enough, we go back to recording and he comes back and, what is that, you know? And finally, he found out it was me. So then they didn't know what to do with me, either gag me or put some kind of a...
GROSS: (Laughter).
PALMIERI: Yeah, they wanted to gag me, either that or put, you know, like, cover the piano. And they did everything with the piano until later on in the other recordings, different, you know, he said let it be. That's the way he sounds. And, you know, that's him. Let it go, let it go. What are you going to do? You know, don't gag him. You'd probably choke him (laughter).
GROSS: Were you aware of the fact that you growled before the engineer mentioned it?
PALMIERI: Not like that. You know, really your proof is when you hear it back and say, what is that, you know (laughter)? But it's just, you know, it's that inner, you know, that spirit inside. And it gives me, like, some kind of an ambience for myself when I play, and it helps. And I just can't help it. It's just me.
GROSS: Eddie Palmieri, a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you so much.
PALMIERI: Thank you, my dear Terry. And I want to wish you the best in the city of brotherly love, and now after talking to you, it's sisterly love.
BIANCULLI: Eddie Palmieri speaking to Terry Gross in 1994. The influential pianist, band leader and composer died Wednesday at the age of 88. After a break, we revisit George Clinton on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his classic "Mothership Connection" album. And I'll review the return of "The Addams Family" TV spinoff "Wednesday." I'm David Bianculli, and this is FRESH AIR.
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI'S "BOLERO DOS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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