Flora Purim

Collectables repackages Flora Purim's first two albums for Warner Brothers, recorded in 1976 and 1978 respectively. Her debut for the label, Nothing Will Be as It Was...Tomorrow featured a large studio band and was produced by Leon "Ndugu" Chancler. The band includes George Duke (here listed as "Dawili Gonga"), but Patrice Rushen, Hugo Fattoruso, Wagner Tiso, and Larry Nash on keyboards, guitarist Reggie Lucas (after leaving the Miles Davis group) on a number of cuts, bassist Byron Miller, a horn section that includes Fred Jackson, Ernie Watts, George Bohannon, and Oscar Brashear, with Dorothy Ashby on harp, percussionist Airto, a host of backing vocalists, Raul DeSouza on trombone, and a string section. The mood ranges from Purim's trademarked ethereal balladry to her uptown jazz-funk. Three of the album's cuts were written by Milton Nascimento; the glorious album opener "You Love Me Only" was written by Rushen. This is slick but it's not without merit. although the mastering job here is atrocious. The latter set, Everyday Everynight, produced by Airto and Bob Monaco, featured a host of even higher profile session players including Jaco Pastorius, Jon Faddis, Harvey Mason, Sr., Alphonso Johnson, Lee Ritenour, Randy and Michael Brecker, David Sanborn, DeSouza, Duke, and Michel Colombier -- who not only wrote or co-wrote the lion's share of the set, but did the string and horn arrangements. The latter set is a much more celebratory and romantic affair. Purim was attracted by Colombier's Wings album and was introduced by Pastorius. There is a beautiful waltz along the edge of a stiletto between the funky Brazilian pop-jazz approach, , and the elegant Latin funk-lite that was de regeur at the time. The title cut which opens the set, is a perfect indicator, as is "Samba Michel." The slippery smooth "Five-Four" by Colombier with its wordless vocals and fretless basslines is a signature tune for the composer, but so it the following lushly orchestrated, airy, dreamy "Walking Away." Other standouts are the all too brief "Blues Ballad" written by Purim and Colombier, and Pastorius' steamy jazz tune "Las Olas." ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide