Charlie Palmieri
Charlie Palmieri, born Carlos Manuel Palmieri on November 21, 1927, in the South Bronx, New York, was a prominent figure in the Latin jazz scene. His parents immigrated from Ponce, Puerto Rico, and early on, Palmieri showcased his musical talent, beginning piano lessons at the prestigious Juilliard School by age seven. He made his professional debut in 1943 and quickly became a sought-after sideman, collaborating with renowned bandleaders like Tito Puente and Xavier Cugat during the 1940s and 1950s.
In 1960, Palmieri emerged as a bandleader, recording the influential album "Let's Dance the Charanga!" which blended African rhythms with Spanish melodies. His career witnessed fluctuations, particularly during the decline of charanga music in the mid-1960s, but he rebounded by working with Tito Puente and contributing to the rise of salsa in New York during the 1970s. Despite facing significant health challenges, including a heart attack that affected his hands, Palmieri demonstrated remarkable resilience, continuing to perform and innovate within the genre.
Throughout his life, Palmieri served as an ambassador for Latin jazz, intricately weaving Latin elements into jazz traditions and educating aspiring musicians. He left a lasting impact on the music world before passing away on September 12, 1988, at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, where his legacy as a pioneering artist continues to inspire.
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Charlie Palmieri
American musician
- Born: November 21, 1927
- Birthplace: South Bronx, New York
- Died: September 12, 1988
- Place of death: Bronx, New York
Palmieri was an authoritative voice in Latin American piano styles, an accomplished classical player, an outstanding arranger, and an virtuoso soloist. His melodic and harmonic ideas distinguished Palmieri as one of the great creative Latino voices. His technical facility was astounding, and he had an unrivaled command of the entire range of his instrument, with a variety of styles represented, including tango, bolero, cha-cha, and mambo.
Early Life
Charlie Palmieri was born Carlos Manuel Palmieri on November 21, 1927, in the South Bronx section of New York City. Palmieri’s parents had migrated to New York City from Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1926 and settled in the South Bronx. As a child, Palmieri displayed a penchant for playing the piano, and by the age of seven he was enrolled at the Juilliard School. By 1940, he had participated in many local talent contests, at which he had earned multiple prizes with his five-year old brother, Eddie. In 1943, Palmieri made his professional debut as a piano player for the Osario Selasie Band. He graduated from high school in 1946 and immediately went to play for various bands. He made his recording debut with the song “Se Va La Rumba” as a member of the Rafael Muñoz Band. In 1948, Palmieri made several recordings for the Alba label with his first band, Conjunto Pin Pin, featuring Sabú Martinez on congas. During the remainder of the1940’s and 1950’s, Palmieri worked as a sideman, accompanying such bandleaders as Xavier Cugat, Tito Puente, Tito Rodriquez, Vicentico Valdés, and Pete Terrace.
Life’s Work
Palmieri made his debut as a leader in 1960 for the United Artists label. The recording Let’s Dance the Charanga! focused on a Cuban style of music that fused African rhythms with Spanish-tinged melodic lines. Subsequent to the success of the album, he became the music director of a series of groundbreaking studio albums by the Alegre All-Stars.
The public’s interest in the charanga waned by the mid-1960’s and Palmieri’s career suffered. This lull would be temporary because his friend, Latin percussionist Tito Puente, hired Palmieri as the musical conductor for Puente’s television show El Mundo de Tito Puente in the latter part of the decade.
During the 1970’s, the Latin style of the salsa had exploded on the New York scene. Palmieri joined his brother’s band, La Perfecta, and together they initiated a progressive aggregate that would prove to be the harbinger of the New York Latin jazz scene, incorporating daring melodic improvisations and complex musical arrangements. Palmieri played a virtuoso organ solo on the classic Eddie Palmieri tune, “Vamonos pal Monte,” on the Harlem River Drive-Live at Sing Sing, Volume 1 album (1971). Charlie Palmieri played with his brother’s band on the Concert at the University of Puerto Rico (1971) and Live at Sing Sing, Volume 2 (1972) recordings. Palmieri helped to elevate salsa to a new level, bringing in blazing improvisations and daring arrangements of the repertory. This proved to be integral to Palmieri’s career. He consequently was offered to make a trio of albums between 1972 and 1975, and by the end of the decade, for the Alegre label, he had formed a new ensemble, El Combo Gigante, which featured vocalist Jimmy Sabater. However, the 1970’s were not without their tragedies: Palmieri suffered a heart attack, which caused him to lose the use of his hands. He ultimately demonstrated great tenacity and resilience by recovering from his paralysis and returned to performing, although not with the full capacity of his hands, at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall on March 7, 1977.
Following the three Alegre recordings, Palmieri went on to release five more albums as a leader on the Coco, Alegre, and Tropical Budda labels between 1974 and 1984. His most ambitious album was A Giant Step (1984) on Tropical Budda, reviving the piano and rhythm section of bass, timbales, conga, and bongo format. His seemingly voracious appetite and unhealthy lifestyle caused his health to deteriorate, and he suffered another heart attack. He died on September 12, 1988, at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, New York.
Significance
Palmieri served as an ambassador of Latin jazz, propagating the style through his virtuoso facility on his instrument and passion for the music. He helped to fuse Latin elements such as the rhythmic patterns of the mambo, salsa, charanga, and tango with the established jazz canon along with creating an interest in Latin culture. His work was illustrative of the evolutionary process of jazz: he highlighted African and Latin American influences in his arrangements while staying true to the improvisatory nature of the music.
Palmieri’s mission to spread the jubilance of Latin jazz was not relegated to the bandstand-as a true ambassador, he lectured frequently in his later years, taught aspiring musicians at institutions such as Schuylerville Music Center, and traveled the globe to unlikely audiences in cities such as London, England.
Bibliography
Baron, Robert. “Syncretism and Ideology: Latin New York Salsa Musicians.” In Western Folklore 36, no. 3 (July, 1977): 209-225. An examination of how New York salsa musicians create their music, including drawing upon and reworking their tradition while experimenting with the music of several different Latin ethnic groups in the complex, cultural setting of New York City.
Pinckney, Warren. “Puerto Rican Jazz and the Incorporation of Folk Music: An Analysis of New Music Directions.” In Latin American Music Review 10, no. 2 (Autumn/Winter, 1989): 236-266. An in-depth analysis of Latin jazz, beyond its bebop influences, which includes Afro-Caribbean, Latin American, and North American forms and structures, both instrumental and vocal.
Schroeder, Pollyanna. “The Growth of Latin American Pop Music in the United States.” In College Music Symposium 18. No. 2 (Fall, 1978): 124-129. An exquisite article on the rise of Latin culture in the United States, focusing on the indelible mark of Latin musicians throughout the United States.