World-Class Trumpeter, Composer, Bandleader, Educator, and Latin Grammy Winner, Charlie Sepulveda stands as one of the few remaining pivotal figures in Latin Jazz music today.
A graduate of New York City College, where he studied with such masters as William Fielder and Ron Carter, Charlie came up in the fertile artistic New York City music scene of the 1970’s and 1980’s, when Afro Caribbean, Avant-Garde, Jazz and Latin American musicians were influencing and becoming a part of each other’s music.
This environment enabled him to tour and record with an array of great artists including Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente and the Golden Latin Jazz All Stars, Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Hilton Ruiz, Steve Turre, Dave Valentin, Danilo Pérez, Jon Secada, and Paul Simon among others. He is the musical director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Rockefeller Foundation in Puerto Rico, and a professor of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. With 12 recordings as a band leader, a Latin Grammy for his Big Band recording with Jon Secada, “To Benny With Love” (BMG, 2017), two Grammy nominations and a Billboard Award, Charlie Sepulveda is recognized as one of the premiere artists in Latin Jazz.
His latest recording, "Mr. Ep, A tribute to Eddie Palmieri” (High Note, 2017), is a virtuosic exercise in Latin Jazz, percolating, swinging, ensemble playing, and soloing at its very best.
A new recording by Charlie Sepulveda & the Turnaround will be released on High Note Records in the coming year. Charlie Sepulveda is available for both concerts and clinics. The Critics Speak: “Charlie Sepulveda then stepped out front to bring things to a climactic close with a searing upper register excursion.” – Downbeat Magazine. “…recognizing an influence, creating something new based upon that influence, and then connecting it back to the influence in an authentic way. That’s a tall order for any artist, that requires artistic maturity, deep reflection and rich experience…Charlie Sepulveda brings all those elements to his music."- Latin Jazz Corner “The veteran trumpeter demonstrates that the time away from the city has in no way diminished his abilities as a powerful player and gifted composer.” --New York City Jazz Record