In 1961, Palmieri founded the band Conjunto La Perfecta, which featured singer
Ismael Quintana, during the height of popularity of
Pachanga, a variety of
Charanga ensemble music. Charangas typically employed violins and flute; Palmieri replaced the violins with trombones to produce a more forceful sound, which Eddie's brother Charlie dubbed the "trobanga". Personnel included
Barry Rogers on trombone, George Castro on flute,
Manny Oquendo on bongos and timbales, Tommy López on congas, and Dave Pérez on bass. What became known as "the Palmieri sound," which incorporated jazz and a Cuban rhythm called Mozambique, influenced the music of
Willie Colón and other bandleaders. In 1964 or 1965, Rogers introduced Palmieri to the work of
John Coltrane and pianist
McCoy Tyner, who became a mentor and inspiration to Palmieri. In the late 1960s, the singer Bob Bianco introduced Palmieri to the
Schillinger system, which informed his subsequent approach to composition. Palmieri experimented by employing a jazz aesthetic both in live performance and on his recordings based on the Cuban "
descarga" (jam session) concept. He "opened up" the arrangements by featuring his band members as soloists. In addition, he began incorporating a newly developed post Castro revolution Cuban rhythm known as mozambique on his 1966 album "Mambo Con Conga Is Mozambique." Discontent among several members led to them leaving in 1968. Palmieri reformed the band with legendary Cuban trumpeter Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, timbalero Nicky Marrero, conguero Eladio Perez, bongocero Tomas "Choki" Lopez, and bassist Andy Gonzalez. leading to the 1970 now classic album, Superimposition, which features two of his best known instrumental Afro-Cuban/Latin jazz compositions, 17.1 and Helado De Chocloate (Chocolate Ice Cream), In 1971, Palmieri recorded "Vamonos Pa'l Monte" ("Let's go to the Mountain") with his older brother by nine years, Charlie (another piano virtuoso) playing organ and Eddie being the first salsa pianist to record on the Fender Rhodes electric piano. That same year, he also recorded
Eddie Palmieri & Friends in Concert, at the University of Puerto Rico. In 1975, Palmieri won the first Grammy Award given in the newly established category, Best Latin Recording, with
The Sun of Latin Music produced by
Harvey Averne. The album was arranged by René Hernández (long-time pianist with the
Machito Orchestra), and Barry Rogers who provided stellar ideas for the lengthy experimental piece he arranged, "Un Día Bonito," which opened with Palmieri doing an extended avant garde free piano solo. On July 21, 1979, he appeared at the
Amandla Festival along with
Bob Marley,
Dick Gregory and
Patti LaBelle, among others. In 2000, Palmieri announced his retirement from the world of music. However, he recorded
Masterpiece with
Tito Puente and won two Grammys; additionally, he was also named the "Outstanding Producer of the Year" by the National Foundation of Popular Culture. Palmieri has won a total of 9 Grammy Awards during his career, most recently for his 2006 album
Simpático. On November 6, 2004, Palmieri directed a "Big Band Tribute" to his late brother Charlie at
Avery Fisher Hall at the
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In 2022, Palmieri appeared in a feature-length documentary titled
Santos - Skin to Skin. In 2025, Palmieri appeared in the Spike Lee feature-length film
Highest 2 Lowest performing multiple songs with the film alternating between his performance and an extended action sequence. This was his final film appearance before his death. == Death ==