Eddie Palmieri - Live at Sing Sing Volume 2

For all mankind, there should be never no walls, never no fears, only one thing in life: liberty in the coming years.  Paquito Navarro

Set two of a remarkable live album featuring Palmieri and Harlem River Drive.  Recorded live in 1971 at Ossining...up the river.....Sing Sing.  Volume 1 is the more readily availible release (the cover is white).  Both sets show a fearless bandleader and the perfect storm of sound, audience, and content.  This is salsa with swagger.  Just a massive sound. 

Personnel: Eddie Palmieri - Leader, Piano, Charlie Palmieri - Organ, Ronnie Cuber - Saxophone, Cornell Dupree - Guitar, Joe Gaines - M.C., Andy Gonzalez - Bass, Ismael Quintana - Vocals, Choir, Chorus, Raymond Maldonado - Trumpet, Nicky Marrero - Bongos, Charlie Santiago - Timbales, Ray Romero - Conga, Felipe Luciano - Talking, Jimmy Norman - Vocals, Harlem River Drive Singers with Lorene Hanchard - Vocals, Alvin Taylor - Vocals, Izzy Sanabria - Design, Harry Viggiano - Guitar, Jerry González - Percussion, Hank Anderson - Guitar (Bass), José Papo Rodríguez - Trombone, Arturo Campa - Vocals & Chorus, Arturo Franquiz - Vocals & Chorus

Tracklist

Introduction/Vamonos Pal Monte/Calle de la Vera Cruz/Mi Mujer
Introduction/Somebody's Sons/Un Rifle Oracion/Diecisiete Punto Uno
Mi Mujer Espiritual
Somebody's Sons
Un Rifle Oracion
Diecisiete Punto Uno

This is some heavy, heavy, heavy salsa/fusion/soul. Jimmy Norman's voice cuts deep.  Piercing song.  The sound of the Barrio transported to Sing Sing.  With this music, there is hope.  "Just hold on.  One day it will be alright.....everyone got to realize that you are still a man."

Somebody's Sons, Un Rifle Oracion, Diecisiete Punto Uno

 
 

La Clave - La Clave

The Clave is the rhythmic pattern that forms the basis of Latin music....it is considered the key...the identity...... the root..... the "soul" of the music. It is also the name of the instrument used to create that rhythmic sound and is comprised of two sticks that are struck together to get a cracking sound.

La Clave was a '70s Latin funk ensemble, based in San Francisco, CA, led by percussionist Benny Velarde.   The band released only one album on Verve in 1973 and reissued by Dusty Groove - it is a monster.  Incredibly tight with Latin funk versions of Donny Hathaway's “The Ghetto”, Lonnie Smith's “Move Your Hand”, and Cal Tjader's “Soul Sauce”. The album remains shrouded in mystery...this was not Verve's "sweet spot".  It should have been lost but now it's legacy is of a record with a host of funky latin touches and credits that are part of oral history. 

Personnel

Al Zulaica - Piano, Benny Velarde - Leader, Timbales, Gabriel Rondon - Guitar, Jerry Gilmor - Sax (Baritone), Joe Ellin - Trumpet, Johnny Nelson - Vocals, Lalo Schifrin - Keyboards, Luiz Miranda - Conga, Martin Fierro - Sax (Tenor), Pat O'Hara - Trombone, Tito Garcia - Vocals, Willie Colón - Bass, Willie Colón - Guitar

Tracklist

Sally Go Round The Roses

Angels Of Mercy
Move Your Hand
Latin Slide
Who You Fooling
The Ghetto
Road Runner
Soul Sauce
Baila Mi Guaguancò
Cocoa Leaf

Move Your Hand...This is just some slowed down, slinky, shit. The instrumentation is similar to the original (instruments are virtually the same) but this just seems to simmer.  It's a great take on a hell of song.

Move Your Hand

Amnesty - Free Your Mind

In 1973, if George Clinton lived in Indianapolis......Funkadelic might have sounded like this.  The music is recorded between September 1973 and November 1973.  Previously unreleased.  The Funkadelic influence is here...but so is Earth, Wind, and Fire, Chicago (CTA version) - there is a prog rock feel to this - suprising political edge as well.  These brothers eyes were open and their music reflected this.

The music follows the Funkadelic formula....spot on soul voices, gospel call and response, and harmony matched with rock guitars and brass. 
Personnel: James "Red" Massie - bass; Kirk Alexander  - drums; James "Gino" Johnson - saxophone; Herman Walker - trumpet, vocals; Calvin Williams - guitar, vocals; Raphael Barnes - percussion; Jospeh Trotter - vocals, keyboards, and percussion; Damon Malone - lead vocals and percussion.

Tracklist
Can I Help You?
Love Fades
Mister President
Free Your Mind
We Have Love
Lord Help Me
Three Cheers For My Baby
Trouble Will Remain
We've Come a Long Way
Liberty

Can I Help You? is the lead track on the release.  It captures the sound perfectly of the group...the influences just come out.  Wah Wah, horns, heavy bass, gospel vocals and harmonies. 

Can I Help You?

Harlem River Drive - Harlem River Drive

THE HARLEM RIVER DRIVE USED TO BE A HIGHWAY; CONCRETE SOLID, UNCHANGING. ITS FUNCTION WAS TO SKIRT HARLEM, AN AREA NO ONE WANTED TO REALLY SEE FOR VERY LONG. MOVE FAST ENOUGH AND YOU COULDN'T HEAR THE HUNGRY BABY CRYING. DRIVE FAST ENOUGH AND YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO SEE THE JUNKIES' PAINFUL FACES. THAT . . . WAS THE FIRST HARLEM RIVER DRIVE.

Fact check - This is not your Bobbi Humphrey's Harlem River Drive.  This was a super group (released in 1970 on Roulette) - latin and black cats who created a nasty combination of salsa, funk, soul, jazz, and fusion - Iverson style crossover.. When you mix styles, you create art. This album in many ways opened the possibilities of the music "merge"...see War or see any of the fusion groups that mixed styles successfully.  It started here. 

Eddie Palmieri is lead and producer.  Continuing the direction he'd started 1969, he put together a band of Latin, black and white musicians to synthesize salsa, rock and R&B. The players include Charlie Palmieri on organ, Andy Gonzalez on bass, Jimmy Norman on vocals, Cornell Dupree and Bernard Purdie on guitar and drums, and Felipe Luciano on poetry.

Tracklist
Harlem River Drive (Theme Song)
If (We Had Peace Today)
Idle Hands
Broken Home
Seeds of Life

Idle Hands moves me.  "Do you have the will?  Do you have the guts, now - to see a dream fulfilled?"  That's a Langston Hughes moment.  Eddie Palmieri and the sounds of the Barrio. Still resonates today.

Idle Hands