Palmieri and his spicy sound to headline Logan Jazz Rendezvous
When the king of Latin jazz piano comes to town, rest assured:
Fiery fingers will fly.
As the crowning event of the second annual Logan Jazz Rendezvous, Eddie Palmiera and his band, La Perfecta II, will fire up the Ellen Eccles Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Palmiera has produced more than 70 albums during his career, one which has seen every president since Dwight Eisenhower.
“Not only is he a fiery and an exciting pianist and his compositions are fabulous,” said Jon Gudmundson, director of jazz studies at Utah State University, “but he always has the greatest players in his bands.”
As a seven-time Grammy Award winner, Palmiera is renowned across the country for his ability to blend his Hispanic heritage with the jazz influences of Thelonius Monk and the classical feeling of Johann Sebastian Bach.
One review in the Los Angeles TImes wrote, “Palmiera looms, in the current landscape of tropical music, as the last of the larger than life giants.”
Palmiera’s latest album, Ritma Cliente, back tracks to his roots, combining salsa with Latin jazz and classical influences.
In addition to his performance on Saturday, Palmiera will also conduct a Free latin jazz clinic at 4:30 p.m. in the Ellen Eccles Theatre as part of the Jazz Rendezvous.
“This is a wonderful opportunity – not only the concert but the free clinic” Gudmundson said. “It’s just as good as it gets.”
Tickets are required for admission.
The weekend festival includes many workshops and events featuring student and faculty jazz ensembles and performances by Jazz Pudding, the Lightwood Duo and Way Way East Bay.
The Lightwood Duo, which plays in venues across the country, though staying predominately in Utah, is made up of guitarist Mike Christiansen and clarinet player, Eric Nelson. Christiansen is the head of the guitar program at USU and author/clinician for Mel Bay Publications.
Nelson is the band director at Spring Creek Middle School.
The events begin at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Bullen Center with Latin dancing lessons by the USU Latin dance club, followed by a dance featuring The Rock Bottom Blues Revue and The Backnumbers. Tickets for the dance are $6 per person or $10 per couple.
Tickets to the one-time performance of Eddie Palmieri Y La Perfecta II cost between $15 and $25 dollars. Students with a student identification card receive a 15 percent discount.
The Cache Valley Center for the Arts (CVCA) is located at 43 S. Main in Logan. For further information or to purchase tickets, call 435-752-0026.
All events, except for Palmiera and the dance, are free to the public.
-mattgo@cc.usu.edu