Afro-Cuban jazz legend and Grammy Award-winner Eddie Palmieri will be honored at Harvard University from April 11 to 14 for his long-standing and significant contributions to Latin jazz. Palmieri will participate in a residency, which includes a concert and a public discussion. His longtime collaborator, trumpeter Brian Lynch, will also participate in the residency, which continues Harvard’s yearlong Afro-Cuban music celebration (percussionist Bobby Sanabria participated in December).
On Friday, April 13 at 4 p.m., Jose Masso, host of WBUR’s “Con Salsa” program, will moderate “A Conversation with Eddie Palmieri.” Then on Saturday, April 14 at 8 p.m., Palmieri and Lynch will join the Harvard Jazz Band for “The Afro-Cuban Connection” concert at Sanders Theatre. Highlights of the concert include an unaccompanied piano solo by Palmieri and a recently commissioned arrangement of the composer’s “Elena, Elena” by Sam Burtis. Palmieri will also participate in other aspects of Harvard academia, such as visiting the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and the Department of Music’s Seminar in Ethnomusicology.
Palmieri has released over 30 albums under his own name and appeared on dozens more, collaborating with artists as diverse as Tito Puente, Cal Tjader and crossover act Ozomatli. He even served as Paul Simon’s consultant on the songwriter’s 1990 album Rhythm of the Saints. His most recent recordings, Listen Here! and Simpatico, won Grammies for Best Latin Jazz Album.
Additional information about Palmieri’s residency can be found at www.fas.harvard.edu/~ofa/ or by calling (617) 495-8676.
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