Eddie Palmieri has a discography that includes 36 titles and has been awarded nine Grammy Awards. The first Grammy Award he received was in 1975 for the recording entitled The Sun of Latin Music, a historic moment, as it was the first time the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) recognized Latin Music. He would win again the following year for Unfinished Masterpiece, Palo Pa e Rumba in 1984, Solito in 1985 and La Verdad in 1987. He received both a Latin Grammy and a traditional Grammy for the 2000 release with Tito Puente entitled Obra Maestra/Masterpiece, Listen Here! would win in 2006 and Simpatico in 2007, a collaborative effort with trumpet master Brian Lynch. That same year, Simpatico was recognized by the Jazz Journalist Association as Best Latin Jazz Album. In 1993, Mr. Palmieri was appointed to the Board of Governors of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and in 1995 he was instrumental in creating the new category for Latin Jazz. His album Palmas was among the nominees in this newly created category, and in 1996 he was nominated once again for his album Arete.
In 1988, the Smithsonian Institute recorded two of Mr. Palmieri’s performances for the catalog of the National Museum of American History in Washington , D.C. , a rare public honor. In 1990, he was invited by Paul Simon to serve as a consultant on his release Rhythm of the Saints. Mr. Palmieri was awarded the Eubie Blake Award by Dr. Billy Taylor in 1991, and is among the very few Latin musicians recognized by both the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico and New York State. The 1998 Heineken Jazz Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico paid tribute to his contributions as a bandleader, bestowing him an honorary doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music. In 2002, Yale University awarded Mr. Palmieri the Chubb Fellowship Award, an award usually reserved for international heads of state, but given to him in recognition of his work in building communities through music. That same year he received the National Black Sports and Entertainment Lifetime Achievement Award. Other inductees were Roberto Clemente, Count Basie, Max Roach, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington. Also in 2002, Eddie was recognized by the London BBC, with the Award for Most Exciting Latin Performance. . Yet another outstanding achievement that year was the debut of Caliente, a radio show hosted by Mr. Palmieri on National Public Radio. The show was a tremendous success being picked up by more than 160 radio stations, nationwide. In 2008, he received the Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. Yet another extraordinary achievement, Mr. Palmieri’s composition Azucar Pa’ Ti was inducted into the 2009 National Recording Registry of the United States Library of Congress as a significant and compelling sound recording of 1965.
