JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Latin music lost one of its guiding lights yesterday. Eddie Palmieri died at age 88. He was a respected musician who was considered one of the architects of Afro-Caribbean dance music or salsa. NPR Music's Felix Contreras has been a fan since the 1970s, and he's here in studio to give us a deeper appreciation of Eddie Palmieri's contributions to music. Hi.
FELIX CONTRERAS, BYLINE: Hey, Juana.
SUMMERS: So Felix, I mean, we're talking about a massive career that spans more than 60 years, includes almost 40 albums, appearances around the globe. I mean, how can one even sum that up?
CONTRERAS: We're going to sum it up in one song, OK? - 'cause I think it illustrates his genius as a composer, arranger, pianist, bandleader and cultural icon. It's the track "Puerto Rico" from the 1973 album "Sentido."
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI SONG, "PUERTO RICO")
SUMMERS: All right, this is beautiful. I have not heard this song before. Tell us about it.
CONTRERAS: So it starts with an acoustic guitar. It's actually a Cuban tres, which is approximating the Puerto Rican cuatro. It's a very, very folk instrument. And it sets the stage for a deep cultural homage to the island.
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI SONG, "PUERTO RICO")
CONTRERAS: Then the horns come in, and here we have to talk about the role of arrangers in music and how Eddie Palmieri challenged the status quo even at that molecular level of the music. He put out his first album in 1962, and the popular Latin dance music back then featured flutes and violins. Eddie formed a very typical small band but used trumpets and trombones. And here, those horns state the melodic theme of the music. And his musical vision lies in how he harmonizes those horns, how the notes stack up on each other, owing more to progressive jazz big bands than 1960s Latin dance music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PUERTO RICO")
ISMAEL QUINTANA: (Singing in Spanish).
SUMMERS: These lyrics jump right into singing praise to Puerto Rico. Quote, "beautiful and pretty Island with your blessed waters, I sing to the island of my enchantment." Wow, how beautiful. But Felix, tell us why are these lyrics more than just a melodic postcard?
CONTRERAS: Because by this point, 1973, self-awareness and pride in Puerto Rican culture was booming. And it's the aftereffects of the Civil Rights Movement for African Americans earlier, the Chicano Movement in the Southwest. And given the complicated and very strained and negative relationship between the U.S. government and the inhabitants of the island, bold statements of pride were very, very popular back then.
SUMMERS: But if I remember correctly, he wasn't born on the island, right?
CONTRERAS: He was not. He was born in New York - Spanish Harlem. He's part of the diaspora. And Puerto Ricans born in New York City considered themselves Nuyoricans. And the island was always a symbol of pride and identity.
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI SONG, "PUERTO RICO")
SUMMERS: Felix, this part of the music, it feels different. What's going on here?
CONTRERAS: OK, the chorus, or the coro, continues singing this praise. Then there's an example of Eddie Palmieri's skill as a bandleader by picking musicians who shared his vision of stretching and expanding the boundaries of Latin music. And in this section, there are trombone soloists. In other parts of the song, there are trumpets, even a baritone sax - which is another Eddie Palmieri signature move - with killer, killer jazz chops.
SUMMERS: So far, you've given us this incredible peek behind the curtain of how musicians and really hardcore Latin music fans listen to and experience this music. But Eddie Palmieri was pretty much known more widely for his piano playing, is that right?
CONTRERAS: Cue the piano solo.
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI SONG, "PUERTO RICO")
CONTRERAS: This solo is a great example of the influence of jazz, mainstream and even avant-garde piano because the left hand is pounding out those rhythms, and his right hand is often a deep universe of exploration.
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI SONG, "PUERTO RICO")
SUMMERS: Felix Contreras is cohost of the Alt.Latino podcast from NPR Music. He books bands for our Tiny Desk series. And he's also a percussionist who taught himself how to play listening to Eddie Palmieri records. Felix, thank you.
CONTRERAS: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF EDDIE PALMIERI SONG, "PUERTO RICO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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