Eddie Palmieri, the late Latin jazz and salsa pioneer, makes a joyous posthumous appearance in Highest 2 Lowest, Spike Lee’s newest joint with Denzel Washington.
A reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, which was adapted from the Evan Hunter novel King’s Ransom, Highest 2 Lowest stars Washington as David King, a legendary music mogul fighting to keep his record company alive amid a ransom plot involving his son. Music is essential to the thriller, so it’s only fitting that Lee would tap Palmieri, who died Aug. 6 at 88 following an extended illness, for his final onscreen appearance.
Palmieri cameos alongside his salsa orchestra — plus Rosie Perez and Anthony Ramos, who take the stage to introduce the legend — during the film’s Puerto Rican Day Parade sequence in the Bronx. The Puerto Rican maestro leads a lively performance that harmoniously backdrops a carefully planned ransom drop, with the action weaving in and out of the parade.
“I would not say that’s a cameo, that’s a starring role,” Lee tells Entertainment Weekly of casting Palmieri. “It was a joyous day.”
Let it be known that Palmieri and his orchestra did not use playback of pre-recorded songs for the scene. “It was filmed live,” Lee says. “We did five or six takes. We had to get different angles.” He remembers of Palmieri, “He was in his 80s, but he had more energy than me that day. The crowd loved him. It was a blessing.”
Of Palmieri’s passing, Lee adds, “I’m still in shock.”
Courtesy of A24
Eddie Palmieri’s orchestra in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’
The late pianist, composer, and bandleader is known for pioneering the golden age of salsa in New York City, and, like Lee, injected political consciousness into his work. He made history as the first Latino to win a Grammy in 1975 before securing seven more golden gramophones throughout his storied career. In 2013, Palmieri was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts and awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys.
Highest 2 Lowest isn’t the first time Lee has linked up with the musician. Palmieri soundtracked a 2019 episode of She’s Gotta Have It, Lee’s Netflix series based on his 1986 feature film debut of the same name.
Highest 2 Lowest hits select theaters Aug. 15 and premieres Sept. 5 on Apple TV+.
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