This is the album that launched
Flora Purim's solo career with great promise following her magnificent stint with
Chick Corea's first incarnation of
Return to Forever. Most of the tracks on this album sound like they would have fit very nicely onto one of
RTF's first two LPs, with bandmate
Stanley Clarke not only lending support on electric and acoustic bass, but also contributing original compositions and arrangements to the mix. The rest of the supporting cast is not too shabby either, including sax and flute man
Joe Henderson, keyboard whiz kid
George Duke, guitarist
David Amaro, and
Purim's other half, percussion legend
Airto Moreira.
Clarke's funky "Dr. Jive" and lyrical "Butterfly Dreams" are standout tracks here, as is the upbeat
Egberto Gismonti composition "Moon Dreams."
Duke shows his light Brazilian side on "Love Reborn," featuring
Henderson's tenor sax solo and
Amaro's lovely acoustic guitar.
Purim delivers a gorgeous take on
Jobim's well-known ballad "Dindi," and reshapes the standard "Summer Night" into a wordless vocal in her unmistakable style. The disc closes with a fine reworking of
Clarke's now-classic "Light as a Feather," which strays not too far from the original
RTF version. Neatly capturing
Flora Purim's many vocal strengths,
Butterfly Dreams delivered on the great expectations generated by her work with
Corea and turned out to be a high point in her recording career. ~ Jim Newsom