Ed Palermo is not a "business as usual" musician. After all, when most people think of "big bands," they think "Oh No! Not Jazz!!" But go to see Ed Palermo's Big Band, and you might hear Frank Zappa, Todd Rundgren, The Police, Pat Metheny, or one of Ed's own compositions, loaded with lush turns and unexpected twists.
Gil Evans wonderfully articulated Palermo's unusual approach to traditional instrumentation: "I first heard Ed Palermo's music in a small club in the SoHo section of Manhattan. He was using the instrumentation of a traditional big band, yet his arrangements and songs were anything but that. When I thought the music was going in a certain direction, it would suddenly turn a corner. Ed has the ability to keep that important balance between cohesiveness and unpredictability. Ed Palermo's music is alive and represents now."
Before forming his band, Ed toured and recorded with many different artists, including Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Lou Rawls, Melba Moore, Debbie Gibson, The Spinners, and countless others. He has written and arranged for the Tonight Show, Maurice Hines, and Eddy Fischer. He also arranged the music for a James Brown concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
Ed's interpretations of the music of Frank Zappa, Paul Butterfield, Todd Rundgren, The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Procol Harum, Jethro Tull, and others have consistently brought him and his band critical acclaim and rave reviews. The Ed Palermo Big Band's latest CD pays tribute to yet another of his teenage heroes, Texas jazz/blues/rock legend Edgar Winter, who performed on Palermo's first release.
Internationally, the Ed Palermo Big Band returned to Germany in 2019 to headline the 30th Annual Zappanale Festival in Bad Doberan. This was their 4th trip to Europe.
Locally, the band performs monthly shows at The Iridium in NYC and bi-monthly performances at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY.