Flora Purim & Airto memorabilia - DownBeat 1974 Poll

The results of the 39th DownBeat Readers Poll were published in the December 19, 1974, issue.
For the first time ever, a Brazilian couple appeared among the winners.
Airto Moreira (with 1,900 votes) topped the Percussion category that had been created that year, due to his impact on the jazz scene; something that led to a real revolution in the use of percussion instruments in jazz. Dom Um Romão placed second.
Flora Purim (who received 847 votes) won the Female Singer category for the first time, ahead of Ella, Sarah, Carmen and other (much) older divas. After such extraordinary victory in the 1974 Down Beat Readers Poll, Flora would reach the first place once again in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978, thanks to a string of splendid albums on Milestone Records.
Female Singer
847 Flora Purim
518 Ella Fitzgerald
332 Cleo Laine
312 Sarah Vaughan
294 Roberta Flack
176 Dee Dee Bridgewater
175 Aretha Franklin
159 Carmen McRae
144 Joni Mitchell
97 Esther Phillips
76 Esther Satterfield
76 Jean Carn
70 Minnie Riperton
63 Anita O'Day
60 Nancy Wilson
59 Urszula Dudziak
56 Barbra Streisand
56 Maria Muldaur
50 Betty Carter
46 Diana Ross
42 Carole King
Percussion
1900 Airto
378 Dom Um Romao
193 Mtume
158 Jerry Gonzalez
91 Ramon Lopez
78 Billy Cobham
69 Bill Summers
66 Ray Barretto
65 Carl Palmer
64 Ruth Underwood
57 Sue Evans
57 Mongo Santamaria
45 Warren Smith
43 Alphonse Mouzon
43 Ralph MacDonald