Carlos Lazzari

Carlos Ángel Lazzari (Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 9, 1925 – ibidem, June 7, 2009), also known by his pseudonym Palmer, was a bandoneonist, composer, arranger, and orchestra conductor dedicated to the tango genre. He spent 26 years in the bandoneon section of Juan D’Arienzo’s orchestra. He later joined Francisco Canaro’s orchestra, playing alongside the Uruguayan bandoneonist Minotto Di Cicco, where he learned the bandoneón cadenero technique —those signature flowing skills that helped define the sound of the great orchestras of the time. He then had brief stints with the ensembles of Juan Canaro and Domingo Federico. In 1950, Héctor Varela and Alberto San Miguel, the first and second bandoneonists of Juan D’Arienzo’s orchestra, left the group. Francisco Canaro himself recommended Lazzari—then 25 years old—as a replacement. Lazzari, in turn, recommended Enrique Alessio, who became the first bandoneonist. The bandoneon section was completed by Aldo Junnissi, Felipe Ricciardi, and Eladio Blanco, while Fulvio Salamanca set the rhythm from the piano. When Alessio and Salamanca left the ensemble, the role of cadenero fell to Lazzari, along with that of arranger. The ovations from a