Stories To Tell

Flora Purim's second album for producer Orrin Keepnews's Milestone label gets its sole low point out of the way early with the title track, an awkward marriage of singer-songwriter pop and bass-driven Latin funk that sounds like a doomed attempt at a crossover hit. But following that uneasy opening, Stories To Tell rights itself admirably. Less championed than either Purim's Butterfly Dreams or Chick Corea's Return To Forever, which also prominently featured Purim and her percussionist husband Airto Moreira, Stories To Tell is more musically varied than both. The nine concise tracks incorporate fairly traditional bossa nova (including a haunting take on the Antonio Carlos Jobim standard "Insensatez"), Brazilian pop, progressive jazz and rock muscle in varying amounts. The mood ranges from the meditative shimmer of "Search For Peace" to the epic psychedelic freakout "Silver Sword," which features an extended Carlos Santana solo that almost makes up for his later middle-of-the-road sins and some thrilling wordless voice-as-instrument wails from Purim. Other highlights include a joyous run through Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz" and the closing "O Cantador / I Just Want To Be Here," which features a nearly erotic voice and percussion breakdown. Vintage synthesizer fans will thrill to George Duke's old-school ARP runs throughout. Like most of Purim's Milestone albums, Stories To Tell has been reissued repeatedly; the 2010 release by Ace Records' jazz and funk imprint BGP features excellent sound and informative notes.