Having been performing professionally since his teenage years in the 1950s, Eddie Palmieri strolled onstage waving, seemingly at ease.
He began with a beautiful solo piano jazz piece titled Life, which was dedicated to his late wife. Better known for his manic, percussive style of playing, it was interesting to note the classical influences in the flowing melody of this new song. Through the silence of the concert hall you could hear the 79-year-old’s voice, singing along wordless melodies as he played.
The band then joined him and Palmieri told us that a dancefloor had been especially cleared for this show, so he expected to see people dancing. This was clearly all the encouragement the audience needed; throughout the first song the dancers emerged, and by the second the floor was full of bodies.
Having said in a recent interview with Beat that tonight’s show would concentrate strictly on the trio of Latin jazz albums he released between 1994-96, it was a welcome surprise to find that the set leaned heavily towards the Latin side of that equation.
The lineup consisted of electric upright bass, timbales, congas, bongos, trumpet and saxophone, with Palmieri conducting the action from behind the grand piano.
It was an uptempo set, with the piano and bass forming a steady bed upon which the percussionists danced. Camilo Molina’s timbales and Vincente’s congas delivered complicated rhythmic patterns, leaping and falling with incredible dexterity yet somehow never stepping on one another’s toes.
The band members watched each other closely for cues, and in particular the horn players worked by Palmieri’s signals, exiting the stage when their parts finished, waiting in the wings for hand signals to bring them back on.
The famously animated Palmieri was in exuberant form, his face contorted in pure joy, applauding after a solo as if it were a surprise, even blowing kisses to Molina after a particular impressive solo.
The group shifted gears with a Thelonius Monk-inspired piece from 2013’s Doin’ It In the Park soundtrack. This was another instance of subtler piano playing, freeing Palmieri for a moment from having to hold down the rhythm section.
Despite his six decades of performing, Palmieri and his septet brought an enthusiasm that permeated the entire concert hall. This cannot simply be attributed to the music being energetic; the performers, who joked around and complimented each other throughout the show, were also caught up in the excitement emanating from Eddie Palmieri.
LOVED: The congas.
HATED: Not gaining entrance to the capacity dancefloor.
DRANK: Jazz tears of joy.
WORDS BY ALEX WATTS
PHOTO BY ANNA MADDEN
