Harlem River Drive is a jazz, funk, soul and salsa fusion band co-led by Puerto Rican pianist Eddie Palmieri and his brother Charlie Palmieri (organ). Formed in 1971, the project, completed by Ronnie Cuber (saxophone), Andy Gonzalez (bass), Bernard Purdie (drums) and singer Jimmy Norman, aimed to unite the African-American and Latin communities of New York's Harlem district around socially committed themes. The group's only self-titled studio album, Harlem River Drive (1971), released on Roulette Records, is renowned for its innovative fusion of genres, its strong political message and its iconic tracks "Idle Hands" and "Seeds of Life". Eddie Palmieri reunited the band for a tour marked by a concert in Sing Sing prison, reflected on the album Recorded Live at Sing Sing (1972). A final single credited to Harlem River Drive, "Need to You", was released in 1975.
