''Justicia'' is the eleventh studio album by American pianist

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. Early life Pal ...

. It was released by Tico Records in 1969. It is Palmieri's most overtly political album, with lyrics dealing with inequality, discrimination and

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

. Described as an "integrated discourse", i.e. a concept album, it combines the popular salsa dura style of the 1970s on side A with a more innovative approach to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

experimentation on side B.

Background and recording

Throughout the 1960s, pianist Eddie Palmieri played an important role in the development of

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

with his ''conjunto'' La Perfecta. La Perfecta was one of the first Latin ensembles to feature multiple trombones, one of salsa's distinctive characteristics. The band's repertoire was inspired by Cuban and Puerto Rican dance-oriented styles such as

guaracha The guaracha () is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word had been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical thea ...

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current c ...

pachanga Pachanga is a genre of music which is described as a mixture of son montuno and merengue and has an accompanying signature style of dance. This type of music has a festive, lively style and is marked by jocular, mischievous lyrics. Pachanga o ...

and bomba. In 1968, Palmieri disbanded La Perfecta in order to seek a more experimental approach incorporating funk and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

elements into his music. Palmieri and his new ensemble (still similar to La Perfecta, with

Barry Rogers Barron W. "Barry" Rogers (May 22, 1935 – April 18, 1991) was an American jazz and salsa trombonist. Career Born in The Bronx, he descended from Polish Jews and was raised in Spanish Harlem. His family (original name: Rogenstein) possessed a ...

being replaced by Lewis Kahn) recorded a series of four albums for Tico that have been said to contain his "best sounding" work. These four albums were ''Champagne'' (1968), ''Justicia'' (1969), ''

Superimposition Superimposition is the placement of one thing over another, typically so that both are still evident. Graphics In graphics, superimposition is the placement of an image or video on top of an already-existing image or video, usually to add to t ...

'' (1970) and ''Vámonos Pa'l Monte'' (1971). The album was recorded at Incredible Sounds studio in New York during the winter season. According to Palmieri, it was so cold he had to wear gloves during the recording sessions.

Lyrics and composition

In ''Justicia'', Palmieri demonstrates the two main traits of his music during the era, namely "a grounding in social issues" at the lyrical level, and "a continuous, insistent experimentation" at the musical level. The social aspect of the album is patent on the title track, which opens the album and has been said to "epitomize the ''salsa'' style". Although uncredited, its lyrics were written by lead singer

Ismael Quintana Ismael Quintana (June 3, 1937 – April 16, 2016) was a Puerto Rican singer and composer of salsa music. Early years Quintana was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His family moved to The Bronx sector of New York when he was only two weeks old; there ...

. Musically, it has been described as "a composition in which the guaracha predominates within a multiform and polyrhythmic salsa", and its lyrics call for justice for "boricuas" (Puerto Ricans) and "niche" (African-Americans). This social theme would be continued in Palmieri's performance at

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

Prison (particularly the recitations), as well as the opener of ''Vámonos pa'l monte'', titled "Revolt / La libertad, lógico". Together with the title track, side A contains the more Latin-based pieces of the album, such as Rafael Hernández's bolero "Amor ciego" and

Ignacio Piñeiro Ignacio Piñeiro Martínez (May 21, 1888 – March 12, 1969) was a Cuban musician, bandleader and composer whose career started in rumba and flowered in the rise of the son. He was one of the most important composers of son music; in total he ...

's son-rumba "Lindo yambú". The folkloric-sounding "My Spiritual Indian" contains a trumpet solo by

Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros (4 April 1928 – 6 January 2016) was a Cuban trumpeter. He played with artists such as Arsenio Rodríguez, Generoso Jiménez, Chico O'Farrill, Orchestra Harlow, Eddie Palmieri, Cachao and Sonora Matancera. Due to ...

.Gerard, Charley (2001). p. 111. Palmieri's experimental approach to Latin jazz is mostly contained on side B of the album. "Everything Is Everything" is based on a standard blues form, with strong North American influences and a rhythm section similar to that of the

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...

groups of the 1960s. "Verdict on Judge Street" is an extended jazz waltz, with long instrumental solos and few Latin elements. Nonetheless, on piano, Palmieri reserved his left hand for ''

guajeo A guajeo (Anglicized pronunciation: ''wa-hey-yo'') is a typical Cuban ostinato melody, most often consisting of arpeggiated chords in syncopated patterns. Some musicians only use the term ''guajeo'' for ostinato patterns played specifically by a ...

s'' (vamping) throughout the track, while his right hand played jazz chords, creating an ambiguous contrast. The practice of including Cuban music on side A and experimental/jazz music on side B would be continued on ''Superimposition''.Gerard, Charley (2001). p. 116.

Release

The album was released by Tico Records in 1969. During the recording sessions, ownership of Tico Records passed from

Morris Levy Morris Levy (born Moishe Levy; August 27, 1927 – May 21, 1990) was an American entrepreneur in the fields of jazz clubs, music publishing, and the independent record industry. Levy was cofounder and owner of Roulette Records, founding partner ...

George Goldner George Goldner (February 9, 1918 – April 15, 1970) was an American record label owner, record producer and promoter who played an important role in establishing the popularity of rock and roll in the 1950s, by recording and promoting many ...

; only the latter was credited as producer.

Fania Records Fania Records is a New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his Brooklyn-born Italian-American ex-New York City Police Officer turned lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964. The label took its nam ...

, which later acquired the Tico Records catalogue, re-issued the album on CD in 2006.

Artwork

The album cover was designed by visual artist Ely Besalel, who had worked on many previous Latin and jazz albums for

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed ...

and Tico Records. The cover displays the album title in a "stark, bold typography" that has been said to represent "a timeless cry for justice". In the top left corner, a small picture of Palmieri sitting on the floor, "thinking, worrying", further reinforces the message of the album. The photograph was taken by Warren Flagler.Kapper, Art; Estivill, Miguel (1969). ''Justicia'' liner notes. New York, NY: Tico. Besalel, who had already worked with Palmieri, would go on to develop a longer lasting relationship with him, working on ''Superimposition'', ''Vámonos pa'l monte'' and ''Unifinished Masterpiece''.

Reception and legacy

On his book ''Latin Jazz'',

John Storm Roberts John Storm Roberts (February 24, 1936 – November 29, 2009) was a British-born, U.S.-based ethnomusicologist, writer and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of Original Music, a mail-order company that distributed world music bo ...

wrote a favourable review of ''Justicia'', calling it "the beginning of a number of extraordinarily important Palmieri releases". Tony Wilds wrote a mixed review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, describing the album as "interesting" but "only average for an Eddie Palmieri record, which is still heads above most, and probably essential listening". After its release, ''Justicia'' has a long-lasting impact on the thriving New York salsa scene, with numerous socially-conscious bands arising shortly after its release. Notable examples include Tony Pabón's La Protesta and

Manny Oquendo Manny Oquendo (January 1, 1931 – March 25, 2009) was an American percussionist of Puerto Rican ancestry. His main instruments were the timbales and the bongos. He was a long-time member of Eddie Palmieri's Conjunto La Perfecta, which he le ...

's Conjunto Libre. Oquendo had been a long-time member of Palmieri's band, playing in most of his albums, including ''Justicia''.

Track listing

Personnel

According to original album sleeve. ;Eddie Palmieri & His Orchestra *

– piano *

– vocals *Arturo Campa – chorus *Justo Betancourt – chorus *Carlos "Caíto" Díaz – chorus *Elliot Romero – chorus *Jimy Sabater – chorus *Lewis Kahn – trombone *José Rodrigues – trombone *

Julian Priester Julian Priester (born June 29, 1935) is an American jazz trombonist and occasional euphoniumist. He is sometimes credited "Julian Priester Pepo Mtoto". He has played with Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. B ...

– trombone (track B3) *Mark Weinstein – trombone (track B3) *

– trumpet *Nicky Marrero – percussion, timbales *Bob Bianco – guitar, vocals (track B4) *David Herscher – bass *Lawrence Evans – bass (track B3) *Robert Thomas – drums (track B3) *

Francisco Aguabella Francisco Aguabella (October 10, 1925 – May 7, 2010) was an Afro-Cuban percussionist whose career spanned folk, jazz, and dance bands. He was a prolific session musician and recorded seven albums as a leader. Biography In Cuba Aguabella wa ...

– congas * Chino Pozo – congas, bongos *Ray Romero – congas, bongos *

– bongos *Roberto Franquiz – claves ;Technical *

– producer *Frank E. Dahm – engineer *Art Kapper – technical consultant

References

{{Authority control 1969 albums Eddie Palmieri albums Tico Records albums Descarga albums