Nguyên Lê
Purple - Celebrating Jimi Hendrix

"I like to say, usually, that music has chosen me and I didn't choose music."

A few years ago, I had the good fortune of attending a concert by Paolo Fresu, a jazz trumpeter of indisputable value and class. One of the many I've seen, but on that occasion, he was accompanied by a guitarist I had never heard of before: Nguyên Lê. Virtuoso, very expressive, excellent, in short, a real discovery.
Having grown a passion, I later tried to nurture it by literally acquiring all of Fresu's albums where he was accompanied by the Franco-Vietnamese guitarist. But I had never been able to listen to one of his solo albums.
When I had the chance to discover the existence of an album of his dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, aptly titled Purple, given the contents and the performer, I did everything to find it. And now here I am, happy as a child to review it.

The first listening impression, however, was an absolute disappointment. I expected another album. I was waiting for actual Hendrix covers. In fact, thinking back on it, my expectation was somewhat naive. It's quite evident that a guitarist like Nguyên Lê would never have tackled Hendrix without his original input.
And indeed, the album is a true reinterpretation of Hendrix's pieces. In the liner notes, Nguyên Lê clarifies the spirit with which he engaged his forces with Hendrix's music: "I play his music with the same freedom and dedication as a jazzman will play a standard."
Once I understood the spirit, thus having changed my listening approach, I must say that I very much enjoyed Purple.

For Nguyên Lê, Hendrix is a starting point to explore new sounds. In particular, there are North African influences ("Manic Depression" and "Voodoo Child," for example), both in Aida Khann's singing and in Karim Ziad's contribution to percussion. Other tracks, like "1983 … (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)" and partly "Are You Experienced," have electronic influences to the point where they seem to emerge from a Hector Zazou album. "Purple Haze" is instead characterized by a fine vocal interpretation, quite different from Hendrix but respectful of the original, by singer-drummer Terry Lyne Carrington.
Thanks to the Fender Rhodes piano played by Bojan Zulfikarpasic in the background, "Up From The Skies" seems like a true jazz standard.

In short, Purple overall represents an interesting transfiguration of Hendrix's music and, although it may appear distant from it, I believe it is an excellent tribute to his unforgettable genius. Recommended for the curious.