Customer Reviews

That's What She Said

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

 

 

This Fusion gem puts one of the most underated vocalist together with a few 70's fusion heavyweights and out comes a very enjoyable recording. George Duke, Alphonso Johnson, Airto and friends put out some of the hippest fusion in the 70' & 80's. Flora uses their musical abilities to the max on "That's What She Said." Using a variety of wordless vocal technics layered over electric keyboards and driving rhythms, these songs capture the fun and freedom that fusion later lost as it grew more commercial. Flora's entire catalog is ripe with music like this. If this grabs your taste-buds, also check out "Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly", "Encounter", and "Stories To Tell." Maybe we will all get luckly and Warner Brothers will release "Nothing Will Be As It Was" and "Everyday, Everynight". Also, Chick Corea's "Return To Forever" and "Light As A Feather" started the whole fusion-Jazz-worldbeat vibe. Enjoy!

I REMEMBER BACK IN THE 70'S THERE ACTUALLY WAS A GENRE OF MUSIC CALLED FUSION, IT WAS MOSTLY A HYBRID BETWEEN JAZZ, FUNK, AND ROCK AND ROLL. BANDS LIKE RETURN TO FOREVER, WEATHER REPORT (WHERE ALPHONSO JOHNSON HUNG HIS HAT BEFORE JACO PASTORIUS), THE ELEVENTH HOUSE, THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION (GEORGE DUKE WAS THE KEYBOARD PLAYER), MILES DAVIS (THE GRAND-DADDY OF THEM ALL, HE "INVENTED" FUSION MUSIC), EVEN JEFF BECK AND MANY, MANY OTHERS GOT INTO THE ACT. FLORA PURIM, A SINGER FROM BRAZIL WHOSE PARENTS WERE RUSSIAN JEWISH EMIGRES TO THE COUNTRY, AND HER HUSBAND, THE GREAT PERCUSSIONIST AIRTO MOREIRA (A FOUNDING MEMBER OF WEATHER REPORT) WERE TWO IF THE MAINSTAYS OF THIS KIND OF MUSIC. BESIDES AIRTO, OTHER LUMINARIES OF THAT KIND OF MUSIC GEORGE DUKE, ALPHONSO JOHNSON, AND OTHERS CONTRIBUTE THEIR ARTISTRY TO THIS ALBUM. FLORA WAS REPUTED TO HAVE A FIVE OCTAVE SINGING RANGE (MUCH LIKE YMA SUMAC), AND SHE SANG A LOT OF "SPACED OUT" MUSIC, WHICH WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM ANYONE ELSE, AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES HER MUSIC GOOD. THE ONLY REASON THIS CD DOES NOT GET FIVE STARS IS BECAUSE TO ME, THIS MUSIC SOUNDS VERY "DATED". A CLASSIC ALBUM IS ONE YOU CAN PUT ON AT ANY TIME AND SAY TO YOURSELF "IF THIS ALBUM CAME OUT TODAY, IT WOULD SELLS MILLIONS". BUT I DON'T THINK THAT IS THE CASE WITH FLORA AND HER MUSIC. BUT AT LEAST YOU CAN SAY AFTER LISTENING TO THIS THAT THE LATE 1970'S MUSIC SCENE WASN'T ALL ABOUT DISCO (WHICH IS EVEN MORE DATED!)!

This George Duke produced gem was part of a defining era for me in the late 70s. One of Flora's best works of the period, that mixes well with George Duke's "Reach For It", "Follow The Rainbow"; Chick Corea's "Friends"; and a host of other funk filled Jazz Fusioneers! This is a great addition to my remastered CD collection of this, "...the best of times" (wink), era of my experience.

Length:: 0:57 Mins

This album is Flora breaking down all the boundaries. The last album she recorded for Milestone Records, it's the most hardcore fusion of all her work. In my opinion, it's the most daring album she's done--she expanded her highly unique vocalese/scat-singing technique to the point where only a couple of tracks have lyrics. The rest feature Flora singing wordless melodies and doing some amazing things with her voice that no one else has done before or since, with nary a hint of traditional "cocktail jazz" singing.

Those folks looking for lighter or more Brazilian-sounding music should probably go for "Butterfly Dreams" or "Stories to Tell" before this album. But for the folks who love more aggressive '70s fusion and funk, this album is as good as it gets. "Open Your Eyes You Can Fly" is probably the most famous of Flora's fusion efforts, and I love that album to death, but "That's What She Said" might actually be the better album overall, since it seems to fully achieve the vision that Flora was aiming for on "Open Your Eyes..." Flora's new way of singing certainly seems more realized on "That's What She Said." It might be, however, that the songs taken individually are not as distinctive as on "Open Your Eyes..."

As on most of Flora's '70s solo work, George Duke has a strong presence as keyboardist and writer. Not surprisingly, most of the tracks have a strong funk element, which is a plus for me and probably a negative for jazz purists (why would they listen to Flora, anyway?). On the other hand, the album still retains a strong fusion underpinning with lots of great, loose playing. That was less evident on the albums she recorded for Warner Bros. after leaving Milestone, which have a more straightahead R&B vibe even while being fairly electic.

To me, all of Flora's albums for Milestone occupy a very unique niche and all are worthwhile. And the last of them is my favorite. Go get it.

Flora had her vocals all OVER George Duke's albums on MPS during
the mid 70's-(Feel,I Love The Blues....etc-none of whitch are
in print as of now.But George Returns the favor here with a series of funkified latin jazz cuts differing little from his own work.The mammoth tital cut,the funky "Look Into Her Eyes"
are highlites but it is the SUPERGROOVALISTIC "Hidden Within"
that sets the standard for the groove matched only by Chaka Khan and a few others.What else is here is excellent but cannot compete with those heavyweights.But thats just because the album
is great and those cuts are TRANSCENDANT!!!!!!George and Florworked miracles on this and 1979's "Carry on" LP!

This George Duke arranged gem was part of a defining era for me in the late 70s. One of Flora's best works of the period, that mixes well with George Duke's "Reach For It", "Follow The Rainbow"; Chick Corea's "Friends"; and a host of other funk filled Jazz Fusioneers! This is a great addition to my remastered CD collection of this, "...the best of times" (wink), era of my experience.