Visiting Artists in Jazz, Spring, 2007
Afro-Cuban maestro participates in artist residency April 11-14 with trumpeter Brian Lynch; concert a sell-out at Sanders Theatre
Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer and bandleader Eddie Palmieri, dubbed the “Sun of Latin Jazz,” was honored by Harvard University April 11-14, 2007. Presented by the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) and the Harvard Jazz Bands, Palmieri’s residency continued the OFA’s year-long Afro-Cuban music celebration; Latin percussionist Bobby Sanabria was in residence last December.
Palmieri’s collaborator, trumpeter Brian Lynch, also participated, following on a December appearance at Harvard with Sanabria. Events were supported in part by the Richard J. Scheuer, Jr. Fund and the Office of the President and were documented for the Office for the Arts Recording Archive.
Residency highlights included:
-- An official welcome to Harvard by University Marshal JACKIE O'NEILL at historic Wadsworth House, April 11.
-- A lunch seminar with Professor INGRID MONSON, chair of Harvard's Department of Music, and graduate students in ethnomusicology, April 11.
-- Radio Interviews with ROBIN YOUNG of WBUR-FM's "Here and Now" and CHRISTOPHER LYDON of WGBH-FM's "Open Source," April 11.
-- A CAMBRIDGE RINDGE & LATIN SCHOOL assembly with over 150 high-school students attending, April 12.
-- A lunch seminar with fellows of Harvard's NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM, April 12.
-- A LUNCH IN MR. PALMIERI’S HONOR attended by Harvard and Greater Boston educators, journalists, musicians, arts managers and students at the Harvard Faculty Club, April 13.
-- A CONVERSATION WITH EDDIE PALMIERI moderated by José Massó, host of WBUR-FM’s “¡Con Salsa!” (a bilingual music program on Boston-based National Public Radio affiliate WBUR 90.9 FM) on April 13. Presented by Learning From Performers (OFA) at Cabot House. This public event focused on Palmieri’s career and creative process.
-- “THE AFRO-CUBAN CONNECTION,”
a concert on Saturday, April 14 featuring Eddie Palmieri and Brian Lynch with the Harvard Jazz Bands (Tom Everett, Director). The Harvard Alumni Jazz Band also appeared. Hailed by the Harvard Crimson as "[sending] the crowd into paroxysms of delight....an evening of beautiful jazz," the program included an unaccompanied Palmieri piano solo, a newly commissioned arrangement of Palmieri’s “Elena, Elena” by Sam Burtis, Palmieri's "Definitely In" and "Waltz for my Grandchildren," and "Jazz Impromptu" by Brian Lynch.
Eddie Palmieri’s recent recording “Simpático (the Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project)” won a Grammy Award, Palmieri's eighth, for the Best Latin Jazz Album in 2007. “Lynch and Palmieri are arguably each the most important Latin jazz voices of their respective generations, thanks in no small part to their writing and arranging abilities,” notes Evan C. Gutierrez in All Music Guide.
“Eddie Palmieri has expanded the traditional Cuban piano vocabulary to include elements of modal jazz, as influenced by McCoy Tyner,” explains Tom Everett, Director of Harvard Bands. “Throughout his career, Eddie’s innovative ensembles have been known for featuring modern jazz trumpet, trombone, and flute soloists. He performed at Harvard in several settings reflecting this evolution.”
Eddie Palmieri’s discography includes more than 32 titles. His 2006 release “Listen Here!” won the Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album, the eighth of his 50-year-long career as a bandleader of Salsa and Latin-jazz orchestras. His other Grammys include the Best Latin Album category for “The Sun of Latin Music” (1975), “Unfinished Masterpiece” (1976), “Palo Pa’ Rumba” (1984), “Solito” (1985) and “La Verdad” (1987). He received two Grammys for his 2000 release with Tito Puente, “Obra Maestra/Masterpiece,” including one from the Latin Grammys.
Palmieri’s accomplishments have taken him through Europe, Japan and Latin America, showcasing his seasoned musicians and kaleidoscopic musical styles. He served as a consultant to Paul Simon on his 1990 release “Rhythm of the Saints,” and in 1993 was appointed to the board of governors of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science. In recent years, Palmieri’s band members have included Brian Lynch, saxophonists Donald Harrison and David Sanchez, and trombonist Conrad Herwig.
BRIAN LYNCH has played with Eddie Palmieri for nearly 20 years. His trumpet style “owes a lot to the rhythmic flash and harmonic jolts of bebop language—a stylish, cerebral thing,” writes Ben Ratliff in the New York Times, “and he likes improvising that way within Cuban clave rhythm.” Lynch performed with Horace Silver (1982-85) and the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra (1982-1988). In 1988 he joined what turned out to be the final edition of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He began his association with Phil Woods in 1992, and also worked frequently with Benny Golson. In recent years he has worked with Buena Vista Social Club alumnus Barbarito Torres, dance re-mixer Joe Clausell, and the members of the influential Latin alternative group Yerba Buena. He arranges for Japanese pop star Mika Nakashima and producer Shinichi Osawa, and has written string charts for Phil Woods and played with such pop luminaries as Maxwell, Prince, and Sheila E. A native of Milwaukee, Lynch lives in New York City.
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Jazz Programs at Harvard University were initiated in 1971 by Director of Bands Tom Everett and have developed with the Office for the Arts at Harvard since 1976. Artists such as Benny Carter, Illinois Jacquet, John Lewis, Max Roach, J.J. Johnson, Gerry Mulligan, Bill Evans, Randy Weston, Lester Bowie, Andrew Hill, Carla Bley, and Steve Lacy have participated. The purpose is to honor artists who have made a significant contribution to jazz and encourage their creativity in a new environment, share their mastery with students, and bring their music to the public.
The Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA), established in 1973, supports student engagement in the arts and serves the University in its commitment to the arts. Through its programs and services, the OFA fosters student art making, connects students to accomplished artists, integrates the arts into university life, and partners with local, national and international constituencies. For more information, call
