The 1970s were banner years for
Airto Moreira -- not only because of his association with
Chick Corea's
Return to Forever and his work on wife
Flora Purim's Milestone dates, but also, because of the generally superb work he did under
Creed Taylor's supervision at CTI from 1972-74. One of the five-star gems that the Brazilian percussionist recorded for CTI was
Fingers, which employs
Purim on percussion and vocals,
David Amaro on guitar,
Hugo Fattoruso on keyboards and harmonica,
Jorge Fattoruso on drums and
Ringo Thielmann on electric bass. Produced by
Taylor and recorded at
Rudy Van Gelder's famous New Jersey studio, this LP demonstrates just how exciting and creative 1970s fusion could be. When
Moreira and his colleagues blend jazz with Brazilian music, rock and funk on such cuts as "Wind Chant," "Tombo in 7/4" and "Romance of Death," the results are consistently enriching.
Fingers is an album to savor.