Flora Purim (born March 6, 1942) is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily… Read Full Bio ↴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 with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke. She has recorded and performed with numerous critically acclaimed artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans, Opa, Stan Getz, Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Santana, Jaco Pastorius, 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".
Purim was born in Rio de Janeiro to parents who were both classical musicians: her Romanian-born father played violin and her Brazilian mother was a pianist. Flora discovered American jazz, when her mother played it while her husband was out of the house. 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, and Frank Sinatra. But also a lot of piano players, such as Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner, those were my mother's favorites.
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 in Brazil 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 Booker 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. Diana later described life with her parents as "[growing] up 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. In 1972, alongside Stanley Clarke and Joe Farrell, they were, for the first two albums, members of Chick Corea's fusion band Return to Forever, which released first a self-titled album, Return to Forever, 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 Mickey Hart at outdoor festivals and on jazz and classical albums through the 1970s. In the early 1970s, Purim was arrested and briefly incarcerated for cocaine 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), 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, is "Angels".
In the 1980s Purim toured with Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra, culminating with Gillespie's Grammy Award-winning album Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Orchestra – Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London (10 June 1989) released in 1990, and then in the 1990s sang on Grammy Award-winning album for Mickey Hart, the former Grateful Dead 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, with a new band with contributions from Billy Cobham, Freddie Ravel, George Duke, 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, Jose 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.
The new millennium 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 2005, she reunited with her old Return to Forever bandleader, Chick Corea. 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[ed] 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, 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 and Gil Evans and Blow by Blow, by Jeff Beck. They are with me every night."
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".
Purim was born in Rio de Janeiro to parents who were both classical musicians: her Romanian-born father played violin and her Brazilian mother was a pianist. Flora discovered American jazz, when her mother played it while her husband was out of the house. 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, and Frank Sinatra. But also a lot of piano players, such as Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner, those were my mother's favorites.
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 in Brazil 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 Booker 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. Diana later described life with her parents as "[growing] up 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. In 1972, alongside Stanley Clarke and Joe Farrell, they were, for the first two albums, members of Chick Corea's fusion band Return to Forever, which released first a self-titled album, Return to Forever, 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 Mickey Hart at outdoor festivals and on jazz and classical albums through the 1970s. In the early 1970s, Purim was arrested and briefly incarcerated for cocaine 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), 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, is "Angels".
In the 1980s Purim toured with Dizzy Gillespie's United Nation Orchestra, culminating with Gillespie's Grammy Award-winning album Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Orchestra – Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London (10 June 1989) released in 1990, and then in the 1990s sang on Grammy Award-winning album for Mickey Hart, the former Grateful Dead 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, with a new band with contributions from Billy Cobham, Freddie Ravel, George Duke, 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, Jose 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.
The new millennium 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 2005, she reunited with her old Return to Forever bandleader, Chick Corea. 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[ed] 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, 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 and Gil Evans and Blow by Blow, by Jeff Beck. They are with me every night."
Casa Forte
Flora Purim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Quisiera amarte
No tener miedo
A perderte
Que tu cuerpo
Con el mío digan
Todo frente a frente
Poder cuidarte
Y que escuches
Mis suspiros
Que sientas los latidos
De pasión
De este corazón
Que lucha por tu amor
Un corazón valiente
Que no teme a lo que siente
Y que está dispuesto
Amarte a darte todo
A darlo siempre
Un corazón valiente
Que se muere de pasión
Porque este amor prohibido
Vive aquí en mi corazón
Un corazón valiente
Que no teme a lo que siente
Y que está dispuesto
Amarte a darte todo
A darlo siempre
Porque esto es lo que
Siento, lo que tengo, lo que soy
Un corazón valiente
Un corazón valiente
No tener miedo
A perderte
Que tu cuerpo
Con el mío digan
Todo frente a frente
Y que escuches
Mis suspiros
Que sientas los latidos
De pasión
De este corazón
Que lucha por tu amor
Un corazón valiente
Que no teme a lo que siente
Y que está dispuesto
Amarte a darte todo
A darlo siempre
Un corazón valiente
Que se muere de pasión
Porque este amor prohibido
Vive aquí en mi corazón
Un corazón valiente
Que no teme a lo que siente
Y que está dispuesto
Amarte a darte todo
A darlo siempre
Porque esto es lo que
Siento, lo que tengo, lo que soy
Un corazón valiente
Un corazón valiente
The lyrics to Flora Purim's song Casa Forte express the desire to love someone without fear of losing them. The singer wants to be able to express their love and passion freely and openly, without holding back. The lyrics also convey a sense of bravery and determination to fight for this love, even if it is forbidden or difficult. The singer speaks of a heart that is willing to give everything and anything for this love, and is not afraid to feel deeply and honestly.
The song's title, Casa Forte, refers to a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, known for its strong sense of community and lively music scene. The song is often categorized as Bossa Nova or Brazilian Jazz, and features a fusion of Brazilian rhythms and jazz elements. The composition was created by Brazilian composer Edu Lobo and written by Brazilian lyricist Tito Madi. The song has been covered by many different artists, including Sergio Mendes, Gabor Szabo, and Earl Klugh.
Line by Line Meaning
Quisiera amarte
I wish to love you deeply and entirely
No tener miedo
To not be afraid of losing you
A perderte
As I wish to hold onto you always
Que tu cuerpo
Your body beside mine
Con el mío digan
Together they speak of our love
Todo frente a frente
In complete honesty and openness
Poder cuidarte
To protect you with all my heart
Y que escuches
And to always listen to your needs and desires
Mis suspiros
As I express my love and longing through each breath
Que sientas los latidos
So that you may feel the beats
De pasión
Of this fiery passion
De este corazón
Of my fearless heart
Que lucha por tu amor
Which fights for your love
Un corazón valiente
A brave heart
Que no teme a lo que siente
That is not afraid of its own feelings
Y que está dispuesto
And is willing
Amarte a darte todo
To love you and give you everything
A darlo siempre
To always give it
Porque esto es lo que
Because this is what
Siento, lo que tengo, lo que soy
I feel, I possess, I am
Un corazón valiente
A brave heart
Un corazón valiente
A brave heart
Writer(s): Edu Lobo
Contributed by Tristan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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@ecapessoa8191
Flora é uma Flor e Joia da Música Popular Brasileira! Aplausos do Brasil!
@paulosabaarbache2552
Maravilhosa, como sempre...
@Asly65
Santana’s Lp Album Borboletta ( 1974 ) brought me here. She was listed in the choral.
@tresojos
after so many years, still one of my favorite songs ever made, pure magic
@michaelroberts
My gosh Flora 🥰
@gingerberglund1777
Love this! No one does anything like Flora and Airto...wild and unfettered...and beautiful. Raul too!
@mrhuxter
I played this LP to death back in the 70's .I can still remember when I was given it by a record shop owner for my 25th birthday !!
@JustforFun-ki6fk
Wow Flora and her voice the very best !
@tomdcheek
Raul De Souza on trombone. Great album. I bought this when in came out and wore it out.
@deeliciousplum
This is a song that presses one to listen to it, at the very least, 3 to 4 times. More and more colour and beauty comes pouring out after each and every listen. I love when Flora is playing along with the horn at about 1:38 Thank you for sharing this one.