Eddie Palmieri Afro-Caribbean All Stars - Europe Tour, Summer 2010

Brian Lynch, Louis Fouché, and Eddie Palmieri

In early June, I received a call from Eddie Palmieri's manager, Eddie Palmieri II, about going on a Europe tour with Eddie's Afro-Caribbean All Stars band. It has been a dream of mine to perform with master pianist Eddie Palmieri (the living legend and one of my musical heroes!), and to see it come true was truly amazing! The tour stops were as follows: Manchester, England; Brighton, England; Bordeaux, France; and Copenhagen, Denmark. And this was my first trip to Europe... ever! 

Needless to say, I was excited and also nervous to be playing with Eddie Palmieri and his all-star band of Brian Lynch on trumpet, José Claussell on timbales, Vicente "Little Johnny" Rivero on congas, and Luques Curtis on bass. Playing with these dudes was absolutely amazing, inspirational, and a life-changing experience. Masterful musicians push your playing to higher heights, and I could feel the growth during every gig. 

Aside from all the great music, these cats were a lot of fun to hang out with. It was great to bond with them, and they treated me like I was family. My experience touring with Eddie Palmieri's band was as fun as it was eye-opening and educational, and it helped to fuel the fire that keeps me propelling me forward in my musical career.

Trumpet master Brian Lynch also blogged about the tour: Click here to read. 

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