Palmieri, Charlie

Palmieri's parents, who lived in the city of Ponce , Puerto Rico , moved to New York in 1926 and settled in the so-called Spanish Harlem , a Latin American ghetto on the island of Manhattan , where Charlie was born a year later.

Charlie's interest in music manifested itself from an early age: he began to learn to play the piano on his own, according to rumors, even before entering elementary school. Charlie's school years began in one of the city's comprehensive schools. However, when the boy was 7 years old, his father enrolled him in the Juilliard School - one of the best world higher educational institutions in the field of music - in the piano class. When Charlie was 14 years old, he, along with his 5-year-old brother Eddie, began to participate in music competitions; together they won many prizes. This happened at the same time when the godfather introduced Charlie to the music performed by Latin American orchestras - an impression that was crucial in choosing Palmeri of his life.

In 1943 , as a 16-year-old high school student, Charlie began his professional career as a pianist in the ensemble Osario Selasie. In 1946, Charlie Palmieri graduated from high school; playing in musical groups becomes his main occupation. The first record with his participation was the song " Se va la rumba " in the ensemble of Rafael Muñiz.

In October 1947, Tito Puente , music director of the ensemble Fernando Alvarez, heard the play of Charlie Palmieri and was so impressed by it that he invited him to play in his orchestra in the club "Copacabana" ( The Copacabana Club ). This collaboration continued until 1953 ; however, throughout the 1950s, Charlie Palmieri continued to perform in this club with other groups. In addition to working in the Tito Puente orchestra, he collaborated with the Pupi Campo ensemble and also participated in the Jack Paar television show on CBS . At the same time, Charlie created a couple of his own groups, with whom he performed in the famous New York dance hall " Palladum " ( Palladum Ballroom ), which won the fame "Temple of Mambo." However, it should be noted that these groups were short-lived, and their emergence was associated with a temporary lack of work in the Puente Orchestra. Palmieri also worked as an accompanist, working with different groups.

Palmieri worked for several years in Chicago , but then returned to New York, where in 1958 ^{[1] he} assembled a new orchestra called “Charanga La Duboney” ( Charanga La Duboney ). Speaking with her charang at the Monte Carlo Ballroom , Palmieri heard the flute of a young musician named Johnny Pacheco , and invited him to join his ensemble. The collaboration between the violin ensemble Charlie Palmieri and flute player Pacheco was so successful that it caused a real boom in the USA of charang orchestras and the music they performed. Record label United Artists Records signed with Charlie Palmieri and released several La Dubonei charanga hits , which became hits . This take-off, however, was soon followed by a return to previous positions: first, Johnny Pacheco left the group, and then the United Artists label terminated the contract with Palmieri, since his success affected the interests of another star of this record company - Tito Rodriguez .

Palmieri switched to Alegre Records , where, among other things, he recorded two songs of his own, which quickly gained wide popularity: Como bailan la pachanga and La pachanga se baila así . Working on the label “Alegre Records”, Charlie Palmieri organized the group “ Alegre All Stars ” - the national team of stars of this label - and became its music director. It was the Palmieri organization of the Alegre All Stars group that stimulated the creation of such teams with the labels Tico Records and Fania Records , the development of competition between them and, ultimately, a new surge of interest in Latin American music in the USA ^[1] .

When the charangian boom began to subside, Charlie Palmieri switched to a new fashionable style - boogaloo . He changed the composition of his orchestra, replacing the violins and flute with three trumpets and two trombones , and also got rid of the word “charanga” in the name of his group, which was simply called “La Dubonei”. In 1965, Charlie Palmieri released a new hit album, Tengo máquina y voy a 60 , and in 1967 , Hay que estar en algo / Either you have it or you don't . In 1968, Palmieri released the Latin bugalu CD via Atlantic Records , which was released not only in the US but also in the UK . In 1969, from the huge amount of work taken over by himself, Charlie Palmieri was close to a nervous breakdown ^[1] and was forced to quit concert activity.

In the 1970s , Charlie went to work for Tito Puente, becoming the music director of his television show, The World of Tito Puente ( El mundo de Tito Puente ). In addition, Palmieri found his second calling as a historian of Latin American music and culture, teaching the basics of Latin American music and giving lectures on Latin American culture in a variety of educational institutions. At the same time, Charlie Palmieri again reorganized his ensemble, replacing the usual piano with an electric organ ; then hits such as “Lola's Daughter” ( La hija de Lola ) and “Neighbor” ( La vecina ) were recorded . In 1971, Charlie often participated in the recordings of his younger brother, Eddie. In addition, he played with artists such as:

• Tito Puente ;
• Celia Cruz ;
• Rafael Cortijo ;
• Herbie Mann ;
• Ismael Rivera ;
• Ismael Quintana ;
• Mongo Santamaria ;
• Ray Barretto et al.

In 1980, Charlie Palmieri moved to Puerto Rico, but was often on business in New York. During one of these trips, he suffered an extensive heart attack and stroke , but soon recovered from his illness and returned to the music world as a member of several music groups at once. In June 1988, he premiered in the UK with Robin "King Salsa" Jones .

Palmieri gave private piano lessons to students at the Schuylerville Music Center in the Bronx ; his shooting in the movie Salsa (1988) dates back to the same time.

On September 12, 1988, Charlie Palmieri suffered a second heart attack. This again happened during his visit to New York, where he, as the music director of the Sextet, Joe Cuba , was preparing for the concert of this ensemble. On the evening of the same day, Charlie Palmieri died in the Jacobi Hospital of the Bronx district.