Harlem River Drive
Harlem River Drive (Theme Song) 1970
“From 125th Street
To a bridge called G.W
Several shades of living
From diamonds to mud
A gateway to the city
Just a few miles away
A expressway to the country
Where we are all out to play
Harlem River Drive, Harlem River Drive, hey!
Harlem River Drive, Harlem River Drive, hey!
We see all kinds of people
Cruising along the drive
From bigwig politicians
To those who have no lives
From garbage and the ghettos
To the doorman in the heights
From super-cool hustlers
To the deaf screams in the night
Harlem River Drive, Harlem River Drive, hey!
Harlem River Drive, Harlem River Drive, hey!
Harlem River Drive, Harlem River Drive, hey!
Harlem River Drive, Harlem River Drive, hey!”
Harlem River Drive from view abovr George Washington Bridge
“Eddie Palmieri's supergroup Harlem River Drive was the first group to really merge Black and Latin styles and musicians, resulting in a free-form brew of salsa, funk, soul, jazz, and fusion. Though it was led by pianist Palmieri, the group also included excellent players from both the Latin community (his brother Charlie, Victor Venegas) and the Black world (Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Ronnie Cuber). Named as an ironic reference to the New York City street which allowed predominantly suburban drivers to bypass East Harlem entirely on their way to lower Manhattan, Harlem River Drive released their groundbreaking debut album in 1970 on Roulette, including Latin and underground club hits like the title track and "Seeds of Life." “
John Bush
“The project sonically unified both black and Spanish Harlem, aligning and empowering two neighboring communities that were suffering similar iniquities. Stylistically, though, it cut a broad swath through Harlem, zigzagging between popular grooves and mashing them together in novel ways – from the guajira funk mix of the title track, to straight ahead soul in “If We Had Peace Today,” to the funk guaracha mix of “Idle Hands,” to a Bitches Brew-inspired free jazz jam in “Broken Home,” and to the funk-mambo mix of “Seeds of Life.” Sonically the project was way ahead of its time, even though it was strongly rooted in the pressing social issues of the day.”
Chris Washburne
-Post by Alan West-
Band leader Eddie Palmieri