A veteran of the New York Latin music scene and intergenerational Afro-Cuban sound will continue his sixty-year-plus legacy by leading a performance of his Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra.

Raised by his Puerto Rican parents and a musical family in the Bronx, New York-born Palmieri’s career as a pianist in jazz and Latin fusion circles took off when he formed his own band, La Perfecta. The 1960s-era group introduced an unconventional front line of trombones, rather than trumpets popular in many Latin orchestras.

Since the 1970s, Palmieri has released many solo albums that highlight his unique method and freeform approach to music. In 1975, he won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording for The Sun of Latin Music.

In 1988, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History recorded two of Palmieri’s performances for its archives, cementing his place in the history of American jazz.

Penn State jazz ensemble Centre Dimensions will open the concert.