Palmas

In the liner notes to Palmas, New York salsa star Eddie Palmieri complains that most Latin-jazz fusions lean too far in one direction or another. Either the jazz horn soloist stands alone like a singer, a mere adjunct to a hot Latin dance band, or else a Latin percussionist is added on like a fifth wheel to a self-contained jazz combo. Palmieri wanted to achieve a more even blend of sounds, and here he has done just that. First, he got rid of the singers and made this an all-instrumental recording, with three jazz horn players seizing the space usually occupied by the vocalist. Second, he hired three American jazzmen--Donald Harrison, Brian Lynch, and Conrad Herwig--who were able to solo on rhythm patterns as well as chord changes. Third, he balanced the horns with four top percussionists--Richie Flores, Anthony Carrillo, Jose Claussell, and Robbie Ameen--who refuse to compromise on the dense, intricate beats of Afro-Cuban traditions. Forming the fulcrum between these two sides is Palmieri himself, who not only wrote and produced the seven tracks but also ties them together with the piano, which, in his hands, is as much a percussion instrument as a melodic one. --Geoffrey Himes