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13h ago

Pioneering Latin Jazz Innovator Eddie Palmieri Dies at 88

The eight-time Grammy winner reshaped Afro-Caribbean music over a seven-decade career

Latin jazz artist Eddie Palmieri attends the 7th annual Latin Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden Nov. 2, 2006, in New York City.
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Latin pianist and jazz pioneer Eddie Palmieri has died at the age of 88 after prolonged illness.
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Overview

  • Palmieri died at his New Jersey home on August 6 following an extended illness, his daughter Gabriela and Fania Records confirmed.
  • Born in Spanish Harlem in 1936, he mastered piano and percussion before forging a style that fused Afro-Caribbean rhythms with American jazz.
  • In 1961, he formed La Perfecta and introduced a trombone-led ensemble that transformed salsa orchestration.
  • He became the first Latino to win a Grammy in 1975 for The Sun of Latin Music and ultimately collected eight awards across nearly 40 albums.
  • A vocal advocate for Latin artists, he helped secure the Grammy’s Best Latin Jazz Album category in 1995 and continued recording and livestreaming into his 80s.