Biography
Harlem River Drive, the supergroup formed by pianist Eddie Palmieri, became the first ensemble to fuse Black and Latin musicians with their respective idioms, producing an unstructured blend of salsa, funk, soul, jazz, and fusion. Palmieri guided the unit, whose ranks featured accomplished Latin-scene contributors such as his brother Charlie and Victor Venegas together with Bernard "Pretty" Purdie and Ronnie Cuber from the Black music community. The name itself offered an ironic nod to the New York City artery that let mostly suburban drivers avoid East Harlem on routes to lower Manhattan. On Roulette the collective delivered its pioneering debut album in 1970, spotlighting the title track and "Seeds of Life" as Latin and underground-club favorites. Although that record proved to be Harlem River Drive’s sole release, the group later shared billing on Eddie Palmieri’s 1972 two-volume set Live at Sing Sing, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2.
Albums