Customer Reviews

Stories to Tell

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wish I could give this CD collection TEN stars. "Stories To Tell" is my favorite Flora Purim album, by far. Many claim "Butterfly Dreams" is her best but my favorite is "Stories To Tell". Flora was at the top of her career when this album was made and her work is simply outstanding....OUTSTANDING!! The cast of musicians on this CD will startle you. Absolutely the best Latin jazz musicians in the world played with her. I will leave you guessing as to who they are. (OK, just one hint, Carlos Santana does some of his best work ever on "Silver Sword".)

If you buy just one Flora Purim CD, this MUST be it. I repeat: THIS IS THE BEST FLORA ALBUM EVER MADE (in my humble opinion of course)!!!

Flora Purim's voice is that of the wind, captivating and soothing all at the same time. The song "Mountain Train" reminds me of a beautiful summer day with how Purim works her magic on this song. The entire CD is wonderful to listen to, you definitely will not be disappointed. This is a classic Flora Purim recording. When you want to be in a better mood or even in a sense of paradise listen to this CD. Flora Purim's voice is soothing and calming. This CD has brought back numerous memories from childhood since I have been listening to Purim from childhood. I have grown up listening to "Stories to Tell" and those songs still bring a smile to my face and soul! This is definitely the best of the best of Flora Purim.

I must agree with most reviews, Flora is absolutely transcendent. I would perhaps pick Butterfly Dreams over Stories to tell, just for her version of Dindi. But if you truely want to go to heaven and stay there, I recommend you buy both albums, and play Insensatez & Dindi back to back. This really is as good as it gets

Length:: 0:42 Mins

This is just so good, you have to hear it.

Flora Purim has the voice and the grace of any top latin jazz singer--any singer, period. But Purim always took chances that her equally talented peers did not.

Purim does latin tinged jazz, but this music is rockified: eletric and extremely funky. These grooves are deep, and make a perfect canvas for the persussion and layered keybords that make this album such a rich experience.

But it is not unusual to hear a heavy guitar or acid rock texture in this grindingly supurb latin funk.

Complex, subtle, intricate and elegant, this music also Rocks!

Great album. It doesn't hurt that it has Ron Carter on bass and Airto on drums. Flora will break your heart with "To Say Goodbye." This recording was originally released in 1974 and I have enjoyed it ever since. The arrangements feature a variety of colorful combinations, full of Brazilian percussion, flute arrangements, synthesizer, and a roaring trombone solo for tonal variety. This is group of friends playing together as if they've been with each other for years. Santana takes a blistering guitar solo on "Silver Sword." Plus, the performances are not over-produced. There's a wonderful feeling of spontaneity and in-the-moment playing that gives it a live-performance feel. Recommended.

It's not her very best work (I'd have to give that nod to Open Your Eyes, and her two albums w/ Chick Corea) but it is a very good release indeed. Many fine tunes, with excellent support from top notch fusion/latin musicians. But it's Flora's remarkable and unique singing that makes it great.

This was Flora's second solo album, after "Butterfly Dreams." Where the first album had a more overtly jazz orientation (albeit with mostly electric piano and some funk), "Stories to Tell" shows Flora starting to spread her wings a bit and get away from both traditional jazz and the lighter sound of Return to Forever v.1, of which she was a part. With this album, I hear Flora starting to become more creative and original with the use of her voice, and bolder in her willingness to combine jazz, synthesizers, modern Brazilian pop, and rock/funk guitar into a truly new sound.

The problem is, this album doesn't get all the way there and feels transitional and hesitant to me. Her later albums for Milestone, such as "Open Your Eyes You Can Fly" and "That's What She Said" are truly where she found her place as a unique artist, in my opinion. More traditional jazz listeners would probably prefer "Butterfly Dreams" or Return to Forever's "Light As a Feather".

That said, the album is worth getting for those who've fallen under Flora's musical spell.