In 1979, jazz was no longer
George Duke's primary focus; his albums were emphasizing soul/funk, and many of the R&B fans who knew him for late '70s hits, like "Dukey Stick," "I Want You for Myself," and "Reach for It," knew little or nothing about his work with
Cannonball Adderley,
Billy Cobham, or
Jean-Luc Ponty. But Duke was still producing some jazz albums here and there, although they weren't necessarily straight ahead. Even though
Flora Purim's
Carry On, which Duke produced, is primarily a Brazilian jazz album, it isn't for jazz purists -- rather,
Purim provides an eclectic blend of jazz, samba, R&B/funk, rock, and pop.
Purim has many inspired moments on this LP and is joined by members of Duke's late '70s band -- bassist
Byron Miller, drummers
Ricky Lawson and
Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, percussionist
Sheila Escovedo (who became Sheila E after joining forces with
Prince in 1984), keyboardist
Bobby Lyle, trumpeter
Jerry Hey, and saxman
Joe Farrell. In addition to excelling on Duke's funky title song,
Gilberto Gil's "Sarara," and
Toninho Horta's "Beijo Partido,"
Purim really lets loose on
Milton Nascimento's "From the Lonely Afternoon." Those who associate "From the Lonely Afternoon" with
Wayne Shorter's superb Native Dancer album will find
Purim's interpretation to be faster and more intense. ~ Alex Henderson