Flora Purim is still searching for a universal sound

Plus: Can classical music really be inclusive? Composer Jessie Montgomery thinks so.

View this email online April 30, 2022 by Marissa Lorusso This week, we’re bringing you a career-spanning profile of artist Flora Purim — plus, a long conversation with rising composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery.  Mel Gabardo/Courtesy of the artist This week, we published a profile of the Brazilian musician Flora Purim by my colleague Ann Powers. It’s a wonderful, illuminating, career-spanning read, so I asked Ann to tell me a bit about why it felt so important to tell Purim’s story right now, and about her conversations with the jazz fusion legend. Here’s what she wrote: I’m always interested in the stories buried in the mix of popular music history. When I started researching the jazz fusion movement of the 1970s for a project I’m working on, I quickly realized that this genre’s story was balanced on a binary: white rock-infused music versus black funk-powered grooves. While the biggest jazz fusion bands often clearly tilted one way or another — Weather Report was so rock it was almost prog, while Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters were Sly Stone-inspired funk — often other influences complicated this divide. One major one was Latin music. A whole cohort of musicians from Latinx New York and California, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Brazil infused this supposedly black-and-white mix with rhythms and other sounds of the global diaspora. Exploring these musicians’ stories, I discovered that while some — José Feliciano, Eumir Deodato, Mongo Santamaria — had received their due, one Brazilian musician was often mostly mentioned only as a name in a long list of names, despite being one of the most popular and admired artists on the scene. This was Flora Purim. Plus, Flora was a woman in a dauntingly male-dominated field whose innovations emphasized her versatile, distinctly feminine voice. I decided I would try to interview Flora for my book project. As luck would have it, only days after I’d obtained her email address from a mutual friend, I received an email from her publicist: Flora would soon be releasing a new album, her first solo effort in 15 years. I immediately arranged a Zoom interview with Flora, who spoke to me from her living room in Curitiba, Brazil. Our talk brimmed with wild stories of Flora’s time alongside her husband, the percussionist Airto Moreira, remaking jazz from the 1970s onward; and afterward she answered more of my questions via voice note. Never have I met a more generous legend. I’m happy to see that Flora’s fantastic new album is receiving much media attention — I hope that this round of acclaim will cement her place in jazz history as much more than merely a “girl singer,” but an innovator on par with any of her beloved friends, like Chick Corea and George Duke. Speaking of those friends, one wonderful story I didn’t get to include in my profile of Flora was that of her friendship with Dizzy Gillespie. She toured for three years with the United Nations Orchestra in the 1980s and grew quite close with the jazz legend. Here’s what she told me about that: “I always sat next to him on the airplane,” she told me “And after the shows, I spent nights and nights in his suite, talking about life. I was very curious about Billie Holiday and other people he had worked with. Every night was a lesson — it was like going to class. What a journey! I was so lucky. Most Brazilian singers came in singing bossa nova, lightweight Brazilian pop; none of them took a chance to go against that, because they were afraid. And fear — when you don’t have fear, you don’t have love.” Ann Powers, NPR Music Newsletter continues after sponsor message New Music Miranda Lambert's new record, Palomino, is all about the freedom afforded by the open road. But where so much of country music is still stuck on back roads, writes critic Brittney McKenna, Lambert speeds down the interstate. The singer-songwriter Tomberlin says when she made her sophomore album, i don't know who needs to hear this..., she wanted to create a kind of altar for her feelings. Ahead of the album’s release, she spoke with my colleague Elle Mannion about the importance of community and the relief that comes with not knowing all the answers. Jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler wanted to make all-encompassing, sublime and joyful music — though when he was performing in the 1960s, the world was not ready, writes my colleague Lars Gotrich. But in recordings from his 1970 concerts at Fondation Maeght in France — recently released as a box set and made available digitally this week — you can hear his seemingly disparate sound worlds come together. Featuring With orchestras clamoring for her work, composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery feels a responsibility and opportunity to help reframe classical music and the institutions that present it. Ahead of the world premiere of her Hymn for Everyone at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this week, she had a long conversation with my colleague Tom Huizenga about the canon and where classical music might be heading, as well as the role her own work plays in that journey. Athens, Ga. is often regarded as one of the best college towns in America, but around 30% of residents live below the poverty line. Mariah Parker — aka rapper and activist Linqua Franqa — is looking to bridge that divide. There's something undeniably magnetic about Spanish singer Rosalía, whose music — which combines elements of reggaeton, R&B, trap and traditional flamenco — pulls from every corner of her world. The genre-bending star recently spoke to my colleague Anamaria Sayre about her new album Motomami, expressing sexuality in music and her global approach to pop. This week on Jazz Night in America: Learn how saxophonist, activist, composer, educator and 2022 NEA Jazz Master Donald Harrison has made a career that expertly tangles the boldness of bebop with the roots music of his hometown of New Orleans — plus, hear music from a January 2022 concert. Tiny Desk NPR This week, after a two-year delay, the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop finally opened on Broadway. To celebrate the show’s opening at the Lyceum Theater, the cast got together for a Tiny Desk (home) concert, singing a five-song medley led by the show's writer and composer. Also this week: We shared a (home) concert of gentle music from the bucolic English countryside by Roger Eno, with a special appearance by his two daughters. Plus, we aired the first episode of Tiny Desk Contest Top Shelf, our series where Tiny Desk Contest judges share some of their favorite entries. One More Thing El Último Tour Del … Muerto Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy