Perpetual Emotion

Brazilian jazz vocalist Flora Purim first gained critical attention not in her own backyard but in the U.S. when she joined Chick Corea on his Return To Forever project. And while frequently associated with Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova sound, Purim was, in fact, never as involved in that scene the way her contemporary Astrud Gilberto was. Purim certainly has the almost-sub-rosa sensuality of a bossa nova singer, but she's always been more than that. "Perpetual Emotion," her first album for Narada Jazz (and her first U.S. set in 13 years), places her in a straight-up jazz setting. Never sounding better, her voice still has the clarity of a bell, and her wonderfully nuanced phrasing shines. A couple of tracks, like "Saudade," do indeed reference bossa nova, but the only thing truly tropical about most of this material is Purim herself. Highlights include her original "Airto's Jazz Dance," the cool sensibility of "San Francisco River," and her captivating tones on "Escape."