{"id":5496,"date":"2025-11-12T15:18:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T15:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/?p=5496"},"modified":"2025-11-12T16:21:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:21:05","slug":"martin-bejerano-the-purple-project-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theconcertwitness.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/12\/martin-bejerano-the-purple-project-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin Bejerano The Purple Project"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Reimagining the Music of Prince<\/em> (Figgland Records, 2025)<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Overview<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It takes a rare kind of musical courage to reinterpret the work of Prince \u2014 an artist whose legacy thrives on reinvention. Latin GRAMMY\u2013nominated pianist, composer, and educator Martin Bejerano<\/a><\/strong> embraces that challenge with The Purple Project<\/em>, a bold and imaginative reworking of ten songs from Prince\u2019s golden era. Joined by vocalist Nicole Yarling<\/strong>, bassist Kurt Hengstebeck<\/strong>, and drummer David Chiverton<\/strong>, Bejerano builds a concept that deliberately avoids two elements inseparable from the Prince sound \u2014 guitar and a male lead voice. In their absence, he finds new textures and rhythmic pathways, replacing guitar lines with layered keyboard voicings and reconstructing familiar melodies through harmonic and rhythmic innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concept & Sound<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The repertoire draws from four albums between 1984 and 1987 \u2014 Purple Rain<\/em>, Around the World in a Day<\/em>, Parade<\/em>, and Sign O\u2019 the Times<\/em> \u2014 arguably Prince\u2019s most fertile creative period. Bejerano\u2019s approach doesn\u2019t mimic or modernize; it reframes. Latin rhythmic inflections, odd meters, and subtle reharmonizations create a hybrid language where gospel, funk, Afro-Cuban, and jazz idioms intertwine. Yarling\u2019s vocals bring emotional clarity and interpretive depth without attempting imitation \u2014 her phrasing moves fluidly between soulful grit and delicate restraint, highlighting the harmonic freedom of Bejerano\u2019s arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Performance Highlights<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The album opens with \u201cKiss,\u201d<\/strong> one of Prince\u2019s greatest hits from Parade<\/em>. From the start, it reveals what the project is about to deliver \u2014 Latin-infused piano riffs, a tightly interlocked rhythm section, and a fearless sense of reinterpretation. Driven by a brisk, dance-like groove and marked by abstract harmonic shifts, Bejerano\u2019s arrangement transforms one of Prince\u2019s funkiest tunes into a forward-leaning pop-fusion piece energized by collective precision and flair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the album\u2019s standouts, \u201cRaspberry Beret\u201d<\/strong> shines for its inventive Afro-Cuban rhythmic treatment and subtle reharmonization of the verses. The Latin pulse gives the tune new lift while Bejerano\u2019s harmonic turns feel fluid and organic, opening fresh spaces for Yarling\u2019s phrasing and Chiverton\u2019s crisp rhythmic accents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gospel-infused \u201cThe Beautiful Ones\u201d<\/strong> is an emotional centerpiece \u2014 Yarling delivers a deeply expressive vocal performance supported by harmonies that unfold with a natural sense of tension and release. The trio\u2019s brush-textured groove adds intimacy, and Bejerano\u2019s extended solo builds with narrative clarity, evolving into an inspired exchange with Hengstebeck\u2019s melodic electric-bass solo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife Can Be So Nice\u201d<\/strong> captures the album\u2019s spirit of joyful exploration. It begins with an almost Keith Jarrett-like piano introduction over Yarling\u2019s vocalizations, creating a luminous atmosphere that amplifies the song\u2019s lyrical optimism. The rhythm section plays with tight precision and drive, and the inclusion of layered strings broadens the texture. Bejerano\u2019s solo burns with rhythmic fire, punctuated by Chiverton\u2019s dynamic fills, and the piece concludes with a high-energy coda lifted by lead-synth lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStarfish and Coffee,\u201d<\/strong> one of Prince\u2019s most playful tunes, retains the charm of the original piano part while introducing a newly imagined bass line and a rich reharmonized chorus. The arrangement balances lightness and sophistication, with the strings once again adding warmth and momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interplay & Improvisation<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the album, Bejerano\u2019s trio functions as a single rhythmic organism. Hengstebeck\u2019s electric bass lines often act as countermelodies, particularly in \u201cWhen Doves Cry\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cStarfish and Coffee,\u201d<\/strong> where Bejerano subverts Prince\u2019s famously bass-less originals by foregrounding groove and low-end propulsion. Chiverton\u2019s drumming navigates metric modulations and layered polyrhythms with precision and exuberance, while Yarling\u2019s voice enriches the arrangements through expressive vocalises and delicate embellishments that intertwine with instrumental lines and hooks.<\/strong> Her interpretive choices give each piece a fresh contour, blurring the line between lead and accompaniment. The result feels less like a cover project and more like a collective act of re-composition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reharmonization & Emotional Arc<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bejerano\u2019s harmonic imagination shines in \u201cUnder the Cherry Moon,\u201d<\/strong> whose Bolero groove and lush chordal color give the song cinematic breadth. Yarling\u2019s delivery carries a wistful, conversational quality, and her brief vocal scat before the final verse adds a spontaneous lift \u2014 a moment of free play that connects the track\u2019s introspection to the album\u2019s improvisational core.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album also doesn\u2019t miss \u201cPurple Rain,\u201d<\/strong> Prince\u2019s most iconic song from the album and film of the same name. Here, it\u2019s reimagined in a 6\/4 rhythm, with carefully placed reharmonizations that steer the song away from the predictability of a standard cover, while preserving the emotional intensity and communal spirit of the original anthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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