This piano virtuoso drew inspiration from the worlds of Latin jazz and funk while refreshing each category with his own compositions. The bluesy sound of Palmieri's Harlem River Drive band created a cinematic ’70s-era strut on songs like “Idle Hands”, and on “Vámonos Pal Monte”, he brought fusion-jazz organ to the salsa tradition. On his inspired Sabiduría set from 2017, the pianist worked with younger Latin-jazz musicians on blazing uptempo numbers including “Augustine Parish”. No matter the genre, Palmieri's richly percussive style brought life to his arrangements. Palmieri passed away in 2025 at age 88.