Eddie Palmieri Wows Yoshi’s Crowd

The iconic Maestro Eddie Palmieri played 2 nights at Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland. Palmieri (pictured left with Luis Medina-Photo by Luis Medina) blew the crowd away on opening night with his masterful playing and brilliant performances from his powerhouse Latin Jazz sextet. Eddie was in a great mood throughly enjoying playing on stage with his awesome band and connecting with the enthusiastic Yoshi’s audience. He shared stories about his brother, the legendary pianist Charlie Palmieri, trombonists Barry Rogers and Jose Rodrigues, the talented saxophonist Ronny Cuber who recently passed and recalling the Palladium days in between incredible renditions of some of his classic songs.

His sextet which included the fiery one-two punch of trumpeter Jonathan Powell and alto saxophonist Louis Fouche (from Stephen Corbert’s late night CBS TV program). This top-notch sextet included bassist Alan Ayala (who was very impressive and displayed a deft touch on the bow), conguero “Pequeño Johnny” Rivero and drummer/timbalero Camilo Molina. This all star ensemble contributed explosive, impassioned solos.

This was a special weekend of Palmieri mania since there are rumors that Eddie will be retiring from live performances. Palmieri will turn 86 years young in December. What a welcome blast to see El Maestro Eddie Palmieri after a four year absence due to a worldwide complication called COVID. What a blessing!

There is a new recording by younger bandmates and mentees of Eddie Palmieri’s called Sonido Solar whose members include brothers, pianist Zaccai and bassist Loques Curtis (Eddie’s regular bass player), trumpeter Jonathan Powell and saxophonist Louis Fouche. The recording is entitled Eddie Palmieri Presents Sonido Solar on Truth Revolution Records which features Eddie on two tracks “Picadillo” and “Suite 176” which showcases Eddie and Zaccai on the piano trading solos! Fellow members of various Palmieri-led groups join these four co-leaders, including tenor saxophonist Jeremy Powell, trombonist Joe Fiedler, drummer/timbalero Camilo Molina, conguero Reinaldo De Jesus and bongocero Marcos Lopez. This recording is a must have for those who want to check out the future leaders in Latin Jazz!