Jon Lord: classically trained pianist, composer and co-founder of Deep Purple has passed away today at age 71. His writing credits include some of Purple's best known songs, including "Smoke on the Water", "Black Night", "Strange Kind of Woman" and "Child in Time". Breathtaking assaults on the Hammond B3 became a signature, placing him squarely at the center of the prog-rock movement as it began to take shape in the late sixties. He pioneered rock and orchestral fusion with his Concerto for Group and Orchestra, first performed by Deep Purple with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1969.
Blues, jazz, symphonic pieces...his range was stunning, extending to many genres. His session work was also extensive.
Sadly, our culture currently seems to be celebrating the anti-musician, with dancing idiots in headsets conveniently bypassing the 10,000 hours of practice traditionally deemed necessary before taking the stage. The performances captured below serve as a reminder of his great talent.
Lord was a gent, legend and a craftsman. Today the music world has lost one of the true masters.
1 comment:
goodbye Jon,wherever you are.This is an alien century.How we used to love.how we used to feel.how we used to wonder.Now it's all painted faces,painted bodies,all extreme and pointless.We hurt for we understood what was ahead of us.It's time to go.Backwards,though.There is nowhere to go on.
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