Flora Purim (born March 6, 1942) is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in

Return to Forever Return to Forever was an American jazz fusion band that was founded by pianist Chick Corea in 1972. The band has had many members, with the only consistent bandmate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke. Along with Weather Report, The Headhun ...

with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. She has recorded and performed with numerous artists, including

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

, Gil Evans, Opa, Stan Getz,

George Duke George Martin Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as ...

Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...

of the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, ...

, and her husband Airto Moreira. In 2002, Purim was the recipient of one of Brazil's highest awards, the 2002 Ordem do Rio Branco for Lifetime Achievement. She has been called "The Queen of Brazilian Jazz".

Early life

Purim was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil, to Jewish parents who were classical musicians. Her father Naum Purim played violin and her mother Rachel Vaisberg was a pianist. When her father was out of the house, her mother played jazz.Melt2000: Flora Purim (bio)

She would bring home those 78 vinyl RPMs and when my father was at work, she would play them. That was how I got exposed to jazz music... basically listening to Dinah Washington,
Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...
, and
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
. But also a lot of piano players, such as Bill Evans,
Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...
and Erroll Garner, those were my mother's favorites.

Career

Purim began her career in Brazil during the early 1960s. During this period, she made a recording, entitled ''Flora e M.P.M.'', in which she sang bossa nova standards of the day by Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal. Later in the 1960s, Purim was lead singer for the Quarteto Novo, led by Hermeto Pascoal and Airto Moreira. After reaching young adulthood, Purim mixed jazz with radical protest songs to defy the repressive Brazilian government of that time. A 1964 military coup led to censorship of song lyrics, and she later commented on this period of her life as follows: "I wanted to leave Brazil. There's a river there called the San Francisco River. I used to sing to the river, that, as it flowed out to the ocean, it would take me to America." Shortly before leaving Brazil, Purim and Airto Moreira married. Around 1971, their daughter, Diana, was born. In 1998, Diana married Krishna Booker, son of jazz bassist Walter Booker, nephew of saxophonist Wayne Shorter and godson of pianist

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

.LA Music Academy instructors
Diana later described life with her parents as " rowingup on the road traveling the world like a gypsy". Arriving in New York in 1967, Purim and Moreira became immersed in the emerging Electric Jazz. They toured Europe with Stan Getz and Gil Evans. Brazilian musician Moacir Santos taught Purim to read and write music in Los Angeles in the late 1960s. In 1972, alongside Stanley Clarke and Joe Farrell, they were, for the first two albums, members of Chick Corea's fusion band

, which released first a self-titled album, ''

'', in 1972, followed the same year as '' Light as a Feather''; both received glowing reviews. In 1973, Purim released her first solo album in the United States, titled '' Butterfly Dreams''. It was well received, and soon after she was chosen by the '' Down Beat'' reader's poll as one of the top five jazz singers. Purim also worked with Carlos Santana and

at outdoor festivals and on jazz and classical albums through the 1970s. In the early 1970s, Purim was arrested and briefly incarcerated for

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

possession. Throughout the 1970s, Purim released a string of albums for the Milestone label. She and her husband Airto were also involved with the Uruguayan band Opa (which means "hi" in Uruguay). While managed by Martin Pichinson, Purim collaborated in vocals in the band's second album ''Magic Time'', and in return, Opa played in "Corre Niña" on Flora's album ''Nothing Will Be as It Was... Tomorrow'' ( Warner Bros. Records). On the other side of the globe, her biggest solo hit in Asia, particularly in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, is "Angels". In the 1980s Purim toured with

's United Nation Orchestra, culminating with Gillespie's Grammy Award-winning album '' Live at the Royal Festival Hall'' released in 1990, and then in the 1990s sang on the Grammy Award-winning album '' Planet Drum'' by

, the

drummer. Later in the 1990s Purim released her own album and world tour, ''Speed of Light'' starting with a month at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, with a new band with contributions from Billy Cobham, Freddie Ravel,

, David Zeiher, Walfredo Reyes Jr., Alphonso Johnson, Changuito, Freddie Santiago, and Giovanni Hidalgo, with important writing and performing contributions from Chill Factor and Purim's daughter Diana. Through the 1990s, Purim worked on a number of broader projects. One such project was a heavy Latin jazz group called "Fourth World", which consisted of her, her husband Airto Moreira, Gary Meek, Gary Brown, José Neto and Jovino Santos-Neto. They released a number of albums and 12" singles: "Fourth World", "Encounters With the Fourth World", "Last Journey" and an album featuring remixes to their songs by several popular electronic DJs from around the world called ''Return Journey''. The band's last album release was in 2000. In 1996, Purim and her husband Airto collaborated with P.M. Dawn on the song "Non-Fiction Burning" for the AIDS-Benefit album '' Red Hot + Rio'' produced by the Red Hot Organization. Flora Purim

The new

millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

saw the release of two recordings: ''Perpetual Emotion'' (2001) and a crossover homage to one of Brazil's great composers, ''Flora sings Milton Nascimento'' (2000). In 2002, during a residency at Ronnie Scott's in London, Purim and her husband Airto, collaborated with British producer Darren Allison and renowned flamenco guitarist Juan Martin on the latter's ''Camino Latino'' album. In 2005, she reunited with her old

bandleader, Chick Corea.Mondomix – Flora Purim, Portrait
As of 2010, Purim is still actively touring. One of her major musical influences is the Brazilian musician Hermeto Pascoal. Purim has said that Pascoal "play d/nowiki> the Hammond B3 organ, flute, saxophone, percussion, and guitar. He is one of the most complete musicians that I ever met". He also helped train her voice. She also owes a great debt to Chick Corea, discovering the fusion jazz style for which she is best known when Corea asked her to add vocals to some recordings of his compositions. Purim has a rare six-octave voice. Her vocal style is influenced by Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, which drifts from lyrics to wordlessness without ever losing touch with the melody and rhythm. She expanded her vocal repertoire during early tours with Gil Evans. While touring the world for three years with Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra in the 1980s, she broadened her repertoire to include traditional mainstream jazz,

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

, and doing numbers in 4/4 time instead of the traditional Brazilian 2/4 beat. Purim has confided that, in recent decades, "There are two albums that are at my bedside. They are '' Miles Ahead'', the first collaboration between

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

and Gil Evans and '' Blow by Blow'', by

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...

. They are with me every night".

Personal life

Imprisonment and FCI Terminal Island concert

Purim was imprisoned at Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in August 1974 for cocaine possession; she was given the inmate number 2775. During her year and a half imprisonment from 1974 to 1976, she organized a concert on March 3, 1976, which brought in some famous musicians from the outside:

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered by the general public for the 1966 soul ...

, Airto Moreira, Miroslav Vitouš, Raul de Souza and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler. Purim usually performed these concerts with little or no rehearsal time, for about an hour. One performance was broadcast on KBCA FM (105.1), an L.A.-based jazz station. Among the tunes they performed were Chick Corea's "Light as a Feather", "500 Miles High", and "Celebration Suite". This was the first time such a co-operation between civilians and inmates had ever taken place.

Faith

Purim's mother, Rachel Vaisberg, is Brazilian-Jewish. Her father, Naum Purim (1912–1992), was a Romanian Jewish immigrant from Moghilău, then part of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(now Ukraine). Her sister Yana Purim (Bernstein) is also a jazz singer. She also adheres to the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

thanks in large part to

. Gillespie's death in 1993 prompted Purim in 2002 to comment on his influence on her – "...I loved him also because he gave me a lot of insight and spirituality, he even gave me his praying book..."

Awards and honors

* 4-time winner '' Down Beat''′s Best Female Jazz Vocalist * 2-time Grammy nominee for Best Female Jazz Performance * Performed on 2 Grammy-winning albums – **

and the United Nation Orchestra – '' Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London (June 10, 1989)'' (1990) ( Best Jazz Album) **

's '' Planet Drum'' (1991) ( Best World Music Album) * In September 2002, Brazil's President Fernando Henrique Cardoso named Purim and Moreira to the " Order of Rio Branco", one of Brazil's highest honors for those who have significantly contributed to the promotion of Brazil's international relations.

Discography

As leader

* ''Flora E M.P.M.'' (RCA, 1964) * '' Butterfly Dreams'' (Milestone, 1973) * '' 500 Miles High'' (Milestone, 1974) * '' Stories to Tell'' (Milestone, 1974) * '' Open Your Eyes You Can Fly'' (Milestone, 1976) * '' Encounter'' (Milestone, 1977) * ''Nothing Will Be As It Was...Tomorrow'' (Warner Bros., 1977) * ''Everyday, Everynight'' (Warner Bros., 1978) * ''That's What She Said'' (Milestone, 1978) * ''Carry On'' (Warner Bros., 1979) * '' Däfos'' with Mickey Hart, Airto Moreira (Reference, 1983) * ''Humble People'' with Airto Moreira (Concord Jazz, 1985) * ''Three-Way Mirror'' with Airto Moreira (Reference, 1985) * ''The Magicians'' with Airto Moreira (Crossover, 1986) * ''The Colours of Life'' with Airto Moreira (In+Out, 1988) * ''The Midnight Sun'' (Venture, 1988) * ''The Sun Is Out'' with Airto Moreira (Crossover, 1989) * ''Queen of the Night'' (Sound Wave, 1992) * ''The Flight'' (B&W Music, 1994) * ''Speed of Light'' (B&W Music, 1995) * ''Flora Purim Sings Milton Nascimento'' (Narada, 2000) * ''Perpetual Emotion'' (Narada, 2000) * '' Speak No Evil'' (Narada, 2002) * ''Flora's Song'' (Narada, 2005) * ''Nos Dois - Flora Purim Sings Milton Nascimento'' (2006) * ''Live in Berkeley'' with Airto Moreira (Airflow, 2012) * '' If You Will'' (Strut, 2022) With Airto Moreira * ''Natural Feelings'' ( Buddah, 1970) * ''Seeds on the Ground'' (Buddah, 1971) * '' Free'' ( CTI, 1972) * '' Fingers'' (CTI, 1973) * '' Virgin Land'' (Salvation, 1974) * ''Identity'' (Arista, 1975) * ''Promises of the Sun'' (Arista, 1976) * '' I'm Fine, How Are You?'' (Warner Bros., 1977) * ''Touching You...Touching Me'' (Warner Bros., 1979) * ''Wings of Imagination'' (Concord, 2001) With Fourth World * '' Fourth World Recorded live at Ronnie Scott's'' (1992) * '' Fourth World'' (1993) * ''Fourth World ive' (1995) * ''Encounters of the Fourth World'' (1995) * ''Last Journey'' (1999)

As guest

* Duke Pearson, '' How Insensitive'' (1969) * Duke Pearson, '' It Could Only Happen with You'' (1970) * Chick Corea and

, ''

'' (1972) * Chick Corea and Return to Forever, '' Light as a Feather'' (1972) *

, '' Welcome'' (1973) * Santana, '' Borboletta'' (1974) *

, '' Feel'' (1974) * Hermeto Pascoal, '' Slaves Mass'' (1976) * Opa, '' Magic Time'' (1977) * Michael Franks, '' Tiger in the Rain'' (1979) * George Duke, '' A Brazilian Love Affair'' (1980) * Rhythm Devils, '' The Apocalypse Now Sessions'' (1980) * Joe Sample, ''Voices in the Rain'' (1981) * Naoya Matsuoka, Hidefumi Toki, ''Pacific Jam'' (1981) *

, '' Live at the Royal Festival Hall'' (Enja, 1990) *

, '' Planet Drum'' (1991) * P.M. Dawn and Airto, '' Red Hot + Rio'' (1996) * Lawson Rollins, '' Infinita'' (2008) * Lawson Rollins, '' Espirito'' (2010)

Filmography

As a leader

* 2006: ''Airto & Flora Purim: The Latin Jazz All-Stars''

As sidewoman

With

*'' Rhythmstick'' ( CTI, 1990) *'' Live at the Royal Festival Hall'' ( Enja, 1990) With Bobby Hutcherson *''Cool Summer'' (2006)

References

Sources

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purim, Flora 1942 births Living people Brazilian jazz singers Brazilian women jazz singers Return to Forever members Planet Drum members Warner Records artists ECM Records artists Singers from Rio de Janeiro (city) Milestone Records artists Brazilian people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent Brazilian Bahá'ís Converts to the Bahá'í Faith from Judaism 20th-century Bahá'ís 21st-century Bahá'ís 20th-century Brazilian women singers 20th-century Brazilian singers 21st-century Brazilian women singers 21st-century Brazilian singers Women in Latin music Jewish women singers English-language singers from Brazil Brazilian bossa nova singers