RIP Jon Lord

Big Ears

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Thanks for posting MP. That says it all really.

I've been listening to Last of the Big Bands and thinking about the planned collaboration with Rick Wakeman. It would've been great, but Rick allegedly planned a lot of things that came to nothing (Keith Emerson, Trevor Rabin, etc).
 

Nololob

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From the Facebook page.

I was so shocked and saddened to hear the news of Jon's passing . Jon was not only a magnificent keyboard player and musician but a wonderful human being and a true gentleman.

I'm honoured to have had the opportunity to play together with him. We've lost a true legend but his music will live on in all of our hearts.

My deepest thoughts go out to his family.

R.I.P Jon, my friend.

Tony Iommi
 

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RITCHIE BLACKMORE: 'Without JON LORD There Would Be No DEEP PURPLE' - July 17, 2012
Former DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (pictured below) has released the following statement regarding the passing of former PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord:

"Jon was not only a great musician, he was my favorite dinner companion.

"We are all deeply saddened. We knew he was sick but the word was that he was recovering and doing much better. This news came as a complete shock.

"Without Jon there would be no DEEP PURPLE. He lives on in our hearts and memories."

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DEEP PURPLE Bassist: JON LORD Was 'A Fantastic Musician' And 'A Gentleman Of The Finest Order' - July 17, 2012
DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover (pictured below) has released the following statement regarding the passing of former PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord:

"It’s unthinkable that Jon is gone. My thoughts are for his wife Vicky and all his children and family at this sad moment in their lives. I wish them all strength. A great sadness and sense of loss hangs over me. Not only has the music world lost a fantastic musician but a gentleman of the finest order. He was a giant in my life, a great friend, a fellow traveler, a teacher, not only of music, but of life. I am devastated at his passing."

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METALLICA Drummer: 'There Was No Musician Like JON LORD In The History Of Hard Rock' - July 17, 2012
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich (pictured below) has released the following statement regarding the passing of former DEEP PURPLE/WHITESNAKE keyboardist Jon Lord:

"Ever since my father took me to see them in 1973 in Copenhagen, at the impressionable age of 9, DEEP PURPLE has been the most constant, continuous and inspiring musical presence in my life. They have meant more to me than any other band in existence, and have had an enormous part in shaping who I am. So obviously I'm beyond bummed, saddened and devastated by [yesterday's] news of the untimely passing of keyboardist Jon Lord.

"We can all be guilty of lightly throwing adjectives like 'unique,' 'one-of-a-kind' and 'pioneering' around when we want to describe our heroes and the people who've moved us, but there are no more fitting words than those right now and there simply was no musician like Jon Lord in the history of hard rock. Nobody. Period.

"There was nobody that played like him. There was nobody that sounded like him. There was nobody that wrote like him. There was nobody that looked like him. There was nobody more articulate, gentlemanly, warm, or ****ing cooler that ever played keyboards or got anywhere near a keyboard. What he did was all his own. Including obviously his unique sound. Whatever it was he did with that Hammond organ, the way the Leslie distorted what he was playing and pushed it to some unheard of place, the way he attacked it while he was throwing it around, and whatever the **** else it was that was going down between Jon and 'The Beast,' as he called his organ, it was unlike anything before, during or after. That simple.

"DEEP PURPLE, of course, was also an entity all their own, always unpredictable, often impulsive, never repetitive and most of the time, otherworldly. I had the good fortune of seeing them three times in Copenhagen between '73 and '75, numerous times again on the reunion runs in '85 and '87. We even played a couple of gigs in Germany with them in the summer of '87 and, needless to say, every time was an experience that had a major impact on me. Seeing Jon on stage right playing the riffs, the colorings, the textures, the next level solos, intros, outros, blues bits, classical pieces and whatever else came into his head each night AND on top of that keeping up with Ritchie Blackmore song after song, night after night, was the sign of the master of his craft . . . the most accomplished, original and unique hard rock keyboardist that ever walked this planet.

"In 1992 when we played Munich on the 'Black Album' tour, Jon Lord and lead singer, Ian Gillan came down to the show and stood in the snake pit the whole time. I was in heaven. Performing in front of members of the band that had meant more to me than anything in my life was a dream come true. And when I got a signed note after the show that they had had to leave and get back to their milk and cookies and be ready for the recording sessions the next day, I was simply beyond psyched. My hero(es) in the ****in snake pit.!!!!! 'Look, Mom, on top of the ****in world!!'

"....Full circle for the impressionable 9 year old from KB Hallen in Copenhagen in February '73.

"Rest in peace, Jon, and THANK YOU for everything."

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IAN GILLAN: JON LORD Was The 'Godfather' Of DEEP PURPLE - July 17, 2012
DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan (pictured below) spoke to the U.K. digital radio station Planet Rock yesterday (Monday, July 16) about the passing of former DEEP PURPLE/WHITESNAKE keyboardist Jon Lord. You can listen to a snippet of the chat using the SoundCloud player below.

"He was just an amazing character and, I suppose, the godfather of DEEP PURPLE, and we all looked up to him with tremendous admiration," Ian said. "If there was such a thing as a typical English gentleman in rock music, then it was Jon Lord. We've all been touched by Jon one way or another — anyone who's involved in music, not only the fans, but also behind the scenes. We all know Jon for the inspiration and the incredible talent that he was. I could speak for hours about what he's given us. We shall carry his memory forward and his music, of course."

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DEEP PURPLE Guitarist STEVE MORSE Pays Tribute To JON LORD - July 17, 2012
DEEP PURPLE guitarist Steve Morse (pictured below) has released the following statement regarding the passing of former DEEP PURPLE/WHITESNAKE keyboardist Jon Lord:

"Jon just died. I'm shocked and don't know what to do, so I'm going to try to tell you a little about Jon.

"Jon was the powerhouse keyboard player that brought rock and classical directly together many times. The first was his timeless organ solo on 'Highway Star'. The next was his 'Concerto For Band And Orchestra'. I was able to perform with the whole band as it was played at Albert Hall before we toured extensively with it. Just weeks ago, I was able to play on a studio recording of Jon's concerto and share some heartfelt thoughts and words with him.

"Jon was the guy that would stop us from giving up on an idea in songwriting because it wasn't immediately obvious. I remember him encouraging me in the studio to keep doing what I was doing as I played around with an idea that I was intrigued with. After writing something as amazing as his concerto, he still had the imagination to hear ideas on top of anything I suggested. He always had a regal, gentlemanly manner. Like any of us, he could get annoyed, but he would only show it with his wry and dry wit. Mostly, he was upbeat and a pleasure for anybody to be around. His humor was right up my alley, with us exchanging ridiculous thoughts like, 'If Brenda Lee married Tommy Lee, her new name would be Brenda Lee...' Or having him finish the tune when an announcement at an airport would start with several musical notes to get your attention.

"It's hard to give anecdotes that convey an ease that somebody could give you, but he sure had that ability.

"We all love people that will pay attention to our kids, and years ago he charmed my (then) 5-year-old son Kevin with a Donald Duck imitation even while he was being hurried to get out of the dressing room and go to the green room for after show greetings.

"Jon retired from the endless DEEP PURPLE tour schedule, but continued to do appearances with original material and performances of his concerto. I knew he missed the band he helped start, but at the same time couldn't stand the relentless travel. From time to time, we would see him on tour, and he would sit in with us. The last time we played, less than a year ago, at the Sunflower Jam at Royal Albert Hall, he had just come offstage from performing with Rick Wakeman. Later I talked with him and his wife about how strange it felt to look around at the keyboards and not see him there at Albert Hall. We promised to do something together. Soon thereafter, we all learned of his battle with pancreatic cancer. I kept hearing hopeful, positive reports that they might be making progress, but this sudden death caught me totally unaware. I thought we would meet and do a recording project in the future when he recovered from the chemotherapy. Well, we sort of did, but I had to record it and send it to him, as we were in different countries.

"If you have friends, family, especially kids, don't ever miss a chance to do or say something special.... or simply appreciate the fact that they are there. One day, they won't be."

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RICK WAKEMAN Pays Tribute To JON LORD - July 17, 2012
Rick Wakeman, the English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known as the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band YES, has released the following statement regarding the passing of former DEEP PURPLE/WHITESNAKE keyboardist Jon Lord:

"I first became aware of Jon Lord in the mid-Sixties when 'Hush' was released and I bought the album 'Shades Of Deep Purple', which was an album way ahead of its time. For obvious reasons, I paid special attention to the organ style and sound as it was quite different from how other Hammond players were using the instrument. I became a genuine admirer and fan of Jon that day and remained so with everything he did.

"We became real friends just a few years ago, although we had met on numerous occasions prior to that. We did talks together at music conservatories, we met for lunch and most importantly made music together. We wrote a piece 12 months ago for the Sunflower Jam at the Royal Albert Hall. We wrote this piece together at John Henry's rehearsal studios in London and it was so easy because we had such different styles and because Jon was concentrating heavily on the Hammond and I on synthesizers, the blend was quite magical. The piece was performed just the once and I am told was filmed, although I have never seen the footage.

"We sat in the dressing room which we shared at the Royal Albert Hall and made plans to do an album together. We were both utterly convinced that we could come up with something very special as our styles blended so well together. Our love of classical music and also working that style within that of rock music also completed the bond. We arranged to meet up later that month.

"One week before we were due to meet, Jon called me with the news he was ill. He was very positive and actually said he'd never felt better in his life and so he would beat it however long it took and so to bear with our project which went on hold.

"We spoke a couple of times after that and the last message I got was that he was responding well to his treatment. The news [yesterday] has hurt me like no other loss of a musician I have known. I can only thank him for the legacy he has left us all with his great music, great vision and for his kindness as he was one of the most gentle and kind persons I have ever had the pleasure of being able to call my friend.

"My heart goes out to Vickie, his wife, and all his family."
 

Nololob

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Those were posted few pages ago, maybe you should check first before copying?
 

gguerra

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Jon, You are a Top Notch Keyboardist in my book. His keyboard "made" the Deep Purple what it was, a unique one of a kind sound.

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