Charlie Palmieri

The older brother of Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Palmieri was just as gifted a pianist as his sibling, extremely percussive and attentive to rhythm while also flashing florid passages which were clearly the merchandise of the classical education. His piano research started at seven and he went to the Juilliard College of Music, turning pro at 16. He began the group Un Conjunto Pin Pin in 1948, and played in some ensembles — including those of Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, and Pupi Campo — before developing his personal Charanga Duboney group in 1958. As music movie director from the Alegre All Celebrities while documenting for the Alegre label in the 1960s, Palmieri activated competition among Latin brands like Tico and Fania, which created their very own all-star rings in response. Like many Latin jazz performers of that time period, Palmieri flirted with the favorite Latin boogaloo design in the 1960s and produced some information for major brands like RCA Victor and Atlantic. He endured a near mental break down in 1969, but rebounded to operate once again for Puente on his Un Mambo de Tito Puente tv system, and he also discovered a second profession like a historian and instructor of Latin music and background at various NY schools in the 1970s. Palmieri relocated briefly to Puerto Rico from 1980 to 1983, and after struggling a severe coronary attack and heart stroke upon his go back to NY, he retrieved to lead several Latin combos, including Combo Gigante. One of is own last recordings was a galvanizing cameo appearance on Mongo Santamaria’s “Mayeya” in 1987 (today on Mongo’s Afro Blue: The Picante Collection for Concord Picante), and he made an appearance in Britain for the very first time in 1988 quickly before his loss of life. The vast majority of Palmieri’s function is difficult to find through local stations, but Messidor’s A HUGE Step is on CD.