BBE celebrates 60 years of music from Brazilian legends Airto Moreira and Flora Purim with 5LP Box Set
For over six decades, there has arguably not been a more pioneering duo that has brought together the sounds of Brazilian jazz, fusion, and samba more so than Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Through their own collaborations and individual works, the legendary musical tag-team and longtime life partners have over time gained a vast global fan base that includes everything from UK’s jazz-funk and jazz dance scenes, to experimental jazz and Brazilian-rooted music fans. This month, the London-based label BBE is releasing the highly anticipated 5LP Box Set, titled A Celebration: 60 Years – Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories, highlighting some of their most notable tracks.
The duo met and came together musically in Sambalanço and the Sambrasa Trio. The mixture of Airto’s rural Brazilian background and percussion talents and Flora’s classical training and involvement in the underground Bossa Nova movement, created a unique blend of sounds that resonates across generations. They have not only collaborated with music legends like Miles Davis and Chick Corea but have also produced ground-breaking music alongside the likes of Hermeto Pascoal. In addition, they have performed alongside Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, George Duke and recorded with producers such as Orin Keepnews and Creed Taylor.
This brilliant release, which features 37 landmark tracks, was compiled by Straight No Chaser editor/publisher Paul Bradshaw and Totally Wired Radio presenter Roberta Cutolo. From classic cuts like “Xibaba (she-Ba-Ba)”, “Open Your Eyes You Can Fly”, “Samba De Flora”, “Toque de Cuíca”, and “Celebration Suite”, to lesser known gems like “Jeito Bom de Sofrer”, “Jump”, “Back Streets Of Havana”, and “Hungry on Arrival” from the 2005 Outernational Meltdown sessions, these selections truly show the massive depth, uniqueness, and expansive natural of the duo’s groundbreaking music.
This must-own box set, which also includes an in-depth 20-page booklet, is an impressive musical documentation celebrating two of the most innovative artists of our time.
Airto Moreira & Flora Purim’s ‘A Celebration: 60 Years – Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories’ will be released via BBE on November 17, 2023.
Airto Moreira & Flora Purim – ‘A Celebration: 60 Years – Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories’
(BBE)
A1. Jeito Bom de Sofrer
A2. Papo Furado (Jive Talking)
A3. Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba) Airto
A4. Andei
A5. Back Streets Of Havana
B1. Flora’s Song
B2. San Francisco River
B3. Vera Cruz
C1. Celebration Suite
C2. Casa Forte
C3. From The Lonely Afternoon
C4. Black Narcissus
D1. When Angels Cry
D2. O Sonho (Moon Dreams)
D3. Summer Night
E1. A Secret from the Sea
E2. O Cantador / I Just Want To Be Here
E3. Light As A Feather
E4. O Canto da Sereia
F1. Open Your Eyes You Can Fly
F2. Hot Sand
F3. Parana
F4. Jump
G1. Fingers (El Rada)
G2. Toque de Cuica
G3. Romance of Death
G4. Peasant Dance
H1. Samba De Flora
H2. Amajour
H3. The Road is Hard (But We’re Going To Make It)
I1. Above The Rainbow
