80???
— On a personal note, together with her husband Airto Moreira, Flora Purim introduced me to Brazilian music. That makes them both kind of special to me. In Chick Corea’s band, the first version of Return to Forever, they added some sounds of Brazil that caught my attention. The start of my love affair with Brazilian Music!
The musical career of Flora Purim (Rio de Janeiro, 1942) is amazing. It started in Rio in the 1960s. The singer could be heard performing the early Bossa Nova repertoire in local clubs. The dictatorial regime in Brazil inspired Flora to do a few protest songs. Until she had enough of it. In 1967 she moved to New York, together with her husband Airto Moreira. There she worked with Chick Corea (as mentioned above) and also with icons like Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, George Duke, and Gil Evans. She studied music reading and composition in Los Angeles with Moacir Santos. In 1973 her first album in the US came out: Butterfly Dreams. The first in a successful discography that is immersed in jazz fusion and Brazilian-inspired music. In the new millennium, Flora started to slow down a bit, vocal-wise. She recorded her, in my opinion, most beautiful albums. In 2001 she released both Flora Sings Milton Nascimento and Perpetual Emotion. Followed by, in 2003, Speak no Evil and in 2015 Flora’s Songs. And now, 17 years later, there is If You Will.
In 2022 Flora Purim celebrated her 80th birthday, and she did it with a new album. So, it’s no surprise that the repertoire of If You Will gives an overview of her long and successful career!
The album opens with its title track, “If You Will,” written by George Duke with Flora on his mind. She did the backing vocals in that original recording of George Duke (from the album No Rhyme, No Reason, 1992). On this 2022 version, Flora decided to go for the backing vocals again, leaving the lead to daughter Diana (1971). It’s funny how Diana sounds like her mother. She’s also featured as a composer of quite some songs, some co-written with her husband Krishna Booker (son of jazz bassist Walter Booker). The song ends with a message from George Duke to Flora:
“You will find good love, real joy
So much peace of mind, if you will”
George Duke (1946 – 2013) is one of the two musicians this album is dedicated to. Chick Corea (1941 – 2021) is the other one. Chick is honored by a rendition of his “500 Miles High,” originally recorded on the Return to Forever album “Light As a Feather” (1973).
Flora’s voice is a miracle on its own. This album could have been recorded 40 years ago. Her voice didn’t lose anything of its power and strength. The repertoire on this CD also could be from that time. Her trademark wordless vocals and vocal rhythms are still there. It all shows how great a singer Flora Purim always has been.
Flora is accompanied by a whole list of musicians, including friends and family. Of course, husband Airto is on drums and percussion. The wonderful Cláudia Villela (vocals on her own samba “Zahuroo”), guitarist José Neto, Filó Machado (acoustic guitar), Café (percussion), Gary Brown (bass), Celso Alberti (drums, percussion), and many others. Unfortunately, I miss Flora’s sister Yana Purim on this album… An album that’s highly recommended for nostalgic and musical reasons. A gem!
ALBUM INFORMATION
Flora Purim
If You Will
Strut K7 Music GMBH (2022)
Time: 43’53”
Tracks:
- If You Will (George Duke)
- This Is Me (Diana Purim – Krishna Booker)
- 500 Miles High (Chick Corea – Neville Potter)
- A Flor de Vida (Mario Moya – Diana Purim)
- Newspaper Girl (José Neto)
- Dandara (Felipe Machado – Judith de Souza)
- Zahuroo (Cláudia Villela – José Neto – Celso Alberti)
- Lucidez (Diana Purim – Krishna Booker – Fábio Nascimento)
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