The Ed Palermo Big Band is a New York City-based ensemble that has been active since the late 70's, playing the compositions and

arrangements In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

of their leader, New Jersey born saxophonist Ed Palermo. The band is best known for Palermo's arrangements of the music of

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

, but they also perform and record compositions by

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davi ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

Blodwyn Pig Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock band, founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams. Career Abrahams left Jethro Tull after their debut album, '' This Was'', was released, due to a falling-out with Tull vocalist Ian A ...

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

, Jethro Tull and many, many other composers from a wide range of genres.

Ed Palermo

Ed Palermo started playing the alto saxophone and the guitar in high school. By that time he knew he wanted to be a musician. Early influences that pushed him in that direction were

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and the

Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band c ...

. Palermo also discovered a love for the music of

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards, guitar, saxophone, and percussion, as well as singing. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group ...

while in high school. This inspired him to emulate musicians such as

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", whi ...

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

, and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

. In college he switched from alto saxophone to tenor saxophone due to influences from

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

, and

David Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a N ...

. After graduating college, Palermo moved to New York in order to become a jazz tenor saxophonist. At this point, an album called "Impact" by Charles Tolliver inspired him to try his hand at arranging. Palermo looked to his friend Dave LaLama, already an arranger, for advice and he began to compose and arrange music. Soon he began playing with

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz c ...

, and during this time, assembled a group which later expanded into the big band bearing his name.

Early years

In 1977, Ed Palermo assembled a nine-piece band to play his own compositions. The small group expanded into a big band and began a three-year residency at a New York club called Seventh Avenue South. During this time the band played primarily compositions by its leader along with his arrangements of other music. After three years, they were replaced by

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role ...

. In 1982, they recorded their first LP and released it as ''Ed Palermo'' under a label called Vile Heifer. Later the LP became known as ''Papier Mache'' after the first song on the album. This LP featured guests such as

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on Nov ...

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 1 ...

, and

. The material on this album was mostly Palermo's original work, except for a few pieces that were co-written. Due to the hassle involved in producing an album under one's own label, the Ed Palermo Big Band did not release another album until a record company showed interest. This happened in 1987. ''Ping Pong'' was released by Pro Jazz Records and featured much different material from the first album. This album featured less complicated music and more swing. From 1987 to 1993 the band alternated performing at the clubs Visiones and the Bitter End.

Recent years

After Frank Zappa's death in 1993, Palermo decided to play a show of all Frank Zappa music. Before the show, Palermo posted a notice on an internet bulletin board. The turnout to the show was the largest that the Ed Palermo Big Band had had to date. "Up until then, my own shows at

The Bitter End The Bitter End is a 230-person capacity nightclub, coffeehouse and folk music venue in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to ''The Ot ...

were drawing next to nobody," said Palermo. "For some reason, the word got out about the Zappa show and the place was swamped. And it was incredibly exciting—people there were Zappa fanatics." The idea was for only one tribute concert. But the band was contacted by Alan Pepper of The Bottom Line which led to a nine-year residency. For these shows they played primarily arrangements (done by Ed himself) of Frank Zappa songs, however, each show was different from the one before. The band often featured special guests at these shows such as Zappa alums Mike Keneally and Ike Willis. They recorded their first Zappa album in 1977, ''The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays the Music of Frank Zappa'', also known as ''Big Band Zappa'', was released on

Astor Place Astor Place is a one-block street in NoHo/ East Village, in the lower part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from Broadway in the west (just below East 8th Street) to Lafayette Street. The street encompasses two plazas at th ...

. After nine years at The Bottom Line (1994–2003) they took a break from regular shows for a period of about a year. After that they began another series of regular shows at the

Iridium Jazz Club The Iridium is a music club located on Broadway in New York City. The club featured weekly performances by Les Paul for nearly fifteen years. History The club opened in January 1994 at its original location, at 63rd Street and Broadway in th ...

in New York City. Since late 2018 the band acquired a monthly residency at Iridium playing a variety of musical genres and composers with a penchant for Frank Zappa. In 2006. they released their second CD, ''Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance'' under the label of

Cuneiform Records Cuneiform Records is a record label in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1984, the label releases an mixture of musical styles, all with a Rock in Opposition aesthetic, including progressive jazz, jazz fusion, the Canterbury scene, and electr ...

. In 2009 the group released their third CD, ''Eddy Loves Frank'', also on Cuneiform. In February 2014, ''OH NO!! NOT JAZZ!!'' was released to rave reviews, including a four-star review in ''DownBeat'' ''Magazine''. In 2015, the band released the album ''One Child Left Behind'', featuring

Napoleon Murphy Brock Napoleon Murphy Brock (born June 7, 1945) is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums '' Apostrophe (')'', ''Roxy & Elsewhere'', ''One Size Fits All'', a ...

and Frank Zappa's sister Candy Zappa. In 2016, the band released the albums ''The Great Un-American Songbook, Volumes 1 & 2'', also featuring Napoleon Murphy Brock, which also received a 4-star review from ''DownBeat Magazine''.. Volume 3 will be released in 2020. ''Eddy Loves Frank'', ''Oh No!! Not Jazz!!'', ''One Child Left Behind'', and ''The Great Un-American Songbook'' were all produced by the band's guitarist & vocalist, Bruce McDaniel. The next album was another well-reviewed release called ''The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren (Cuneiform 2017),'' a reinvention of the music Frank Zappa and Todd Rundgren''. "The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren is big, irresistible fun." - Karl Ackermann,

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

.'' The band's latest is a jazz album titled ''A Lousy Day in Harlem'' (Sky Cat 2019). Palermo returns to his jazz roots with a combination of covers and original compositions. ''"Twenty-first century big-band music doesn’t get more exciting and impressive than this."'' - Jeff Tamarkin,

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

Palermo teaches music at Hoff/Barthelson in Scarsdale, New York. In 2018, Ed's band was "third best band on the rise" in Downbeat Poll's Rising Star category.

Members

Current Additional Musicians/Performers Former Musicians Guests Napoleon Murphy Brock

*Ed Alstrom *

Jimmy Carl Black James Carl Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was a drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention. Background and early career: 1960s–1990s Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was o ...

*Russ Bonagura *Tom Bowes *

* Harvey Brooks *Felix Cabrera *Jim Clouse *

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...

*Nicki Denner *Perry Gardner *Dave Glenn *

Wycliffe Gordon Wycliffe A. Gordon (born May 29, 1967) is an American jazz trombonist, arranger, composer, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate-conservatory level. Gordon also sings and plays didgeridoo, trumpet, soprano trombone, tuba, and piano ...

*Thana Harris *Nina Hennessy *Mike James *

Mike Keneally Michael Joseph Keneally (born December 20, 1961) is an American session guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and composer. Early years and musical influences Keneally started playing music at the age of 7 when he received an electric organ for h ...

*John Korba *Ryan Krewer *Jimmy Leahey *

Will Lee William Lee (born William Lubovsky; August 6, 1908 – December 7, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hooper' ...

Howard Levy Howard Levy (born July 31, 1951) is an American multi-instrumentalist. A keyboardist and virtuoso harmonica player, Levy "has been realistically presented as one of the most important and radical harmonica innovators of the twentieth century. ...

Gary Lucas Gary Lucas (born June 20, 1952) is an American guitarist/songwriter/composer who was a member of Captain Beefheart's band. He formed the band Gods and Monsters in 1989. Lucas has released more than 50 albums to date as a solo artist or band l ...

Deb Lyons Deb Lyons is an American singer-songwriter from New York City. She is most associated with her work on Broadway, and is well-recognized for her multiple performances in clubs such as The Bitter End and The Bottom Line. Lyons has recorded with ...

* Mats & Morgan *Jenna McSwain *

Mark Naftalin Mark Naftalin (born August 2, 1944) is an American blues keyboardist, recording artist, composer, and record producer. He appears on the first five albums by Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s as a band member, and as such was inducted ...

*George Naha *Gary Oleyar * Rob Paparozzi * Lloyd "Mr. Personality" Price *

Elliott Randall Elliott Randall (born June 15, 1947) is an American guitarist best known for being a session musician with popular artists. Randall played the well-known guitar solos from Steely Dan's song "Reelin' in the Years" and Irene Cara's song " Fame". The ...

Carl Restivo Carl Restivo is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and audio engineer. He has toured with Rihanna, Tom Morello's Freedom Fighter Orchestra supporting The Nightwatchman, Perry Farrell's Satellite Party, and Street S ...

* Catherine Russell *

*Rick Savage *

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, re ...

Kasim Sulton Kasim Sulton (born December 8, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. Best known for his work with Utopia, Sulton sang lead on 1980's "Set Me Free," Utopia's only top 40 hit in the United States. As a solo artist, Sulton ...

*John Tabacco *

Vaneese Thomas Vaneese Yseult Thomas (born August 24, 1952) is an American R&B, jazz and soul blues singer, best known for her 1987 US ''Billboard'' R&B chart hit single, "Let's Talk It Over". In addition, in more recent times, she has supplied backing vocal ...

Jimmy Vivino Jimmy Vivino (born January 10, 1955) is an American guitarist, keyboard player, singer, producer, and music director. He is best known as having been the leader of Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, the house band for the TBS late night ...

Denny Walley Denny Walley is an American guitarist who was born in Pennsylvania 4 February 1943. He is known for working with Frank Zappa in the 1970s and '80s. Career Denny Walley spent much of his childhood in New York City before his family moved to La ...

Ray White Ray White (full name Ray Shirley White Sr) is an American soul vocalist and rock and blues guitarist, best known as a member of Frank Zappa's touring ensembles. He was drafted into Zappa's band in late 1976, being featured on rhythm guit ...

Ike Willis Isaac Willis (born November 12, 1955) is an American vocalist and guitarist who was a regular member of Frank Zappa's studio and touring bands from 1978 until the last tour in 1988. He did not tour with Zappa in 1981 and 1982 because he wanted ...

*Candy Zappa

Discography

Papier Mache (Released as "Ed Palermo") 1982 Vile Heifer Ping Pong 1987 Pro Jazz Records The Ed Palermo Big Band Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (aka Big Band Zappa) 1997 Astor Place Records Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance 2006 Cuneiform Records Eddy Loves Frank 2009 Cuneiform Records ELECTRIC BUTTER - ROB PAPAROZZI and THE ED PALERMO BIG BAND "A Musical Tribute to Paul Butterfield and Michael Bloomfield" 2014 Jankland Recording OH NO!! NOT JAZZ!! 2014 Cuneiform Records DISC 1 ZAPPA DISC 2 PALERMO One Child Left Behind 2016 Cuneiform Records The Great Un-American Songbook Volumes I & II 2017 Cuneiform Records Disc 1 - Vol. I Disc 2 - Vol. II The Adventures of Zodd Zundgren 2018 Cuneiform Records A Lousy Day in Harlem 2019 Sky Cat Records

References

External links

Ed Palermo Big Band's official websiteEPBB on ALLMUSICwww.united-mutations.comEPBB
on NPR {{DEFAULTSORT:Palermo, Ed 1977 establishments in New York City American blues musical groups American swing musical groups American jazz ensembles from New York City Big bands Musical groups established in 1977 Swing revival ensembles