Two years ago, Jon Lord, legendary Deep Purple keyboard player, "passed from Darkness to Light"

Performed in front of a live TV audience, Deep Purple storm through 'Child In Time', featuring the classic Mark II line up of Gillan/Glover/Lord/Paice/Blackmore:



Jon Lord passed away on July 16, 2012 at age 71, from pancreatic cancer and pulmonary embolism.

From Jon Lord's official website:

Jon Lord, the legendary keyboard player with Deep Purple co-wrote many of the bands legendary songs including Smoke On The Water and played with many bands and musicians throughout his career.

Best known for his Orchestral work Concerto for Group & Orchestra first performed at Royal Albert Hall with Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969 and conducted by the renowned Malcolm Arnold, a feat repeated in 1999 when it was again performed at the Royal Albert Hall by the London Symphony Orchestra and Deep Purple.

Jon’s solo work was universally acclaimed when he eventually retired from Deep Purple in 2002.

Jon passes from Darkness to Light.

Jon Lord 9 June 1941 – 16 July 2012.

Pictured Within - Music and Lyrics by Jon Lord: "It is certainly no coincidence that Jon chose to reflect Elgar’s paean to the love of friends and family in his own very personal music. This song was among the music heard at Jon’s funeral, played by myself and sung by the incomparable Miller Anderson for whom it was originally written."



Recorded From Deep Purple In Concert With The London Symphony Orchestra Live At Royal Albert Hall.Singer: Miller Anderson, Conductor: Paul Mann.

Here is Roger Glover's reflection:

"A bittersweet year. It was in the studio in Nashville that we heard about Jon. It was a real blow to the body, even though we expected it. Stories and thoughts of him flooded the following weeks as the enormity of the loss sank in. Back in England we said goodbye to Jon with great dignity, the service was sadness made beautiful with music. When Jon first gave me Pictured Within, I wept at the beauty of it. At his funeral I wept again at the sadness of it. Such moving music. Music that has the power to stir emotions that run deep. He changed my life. I am a lucky man."

I had the chance to see Jon Lord at a Deep Purple concert in 2001, and he was truly amazing. Several songs from the latest Deep Purple album Now What?! are devoted to him and they are featured during the live performance. Deep Purple will be touring the US in August. Join me during the last day of the tour on August 31st.

I have written about Deep Purple before: What Musicians Can Teach Doctors, And How Allergists Are Like Rock Stars http://buff.ly/1yqQ4zO and did a brief interview for the University of Chicago Science Life blog: Rock Star Doctors: What Physicians Can Learn from Musicians | Science Life http://buff.ly/1jPgpEU

Excerpt from the 2012 blog post: I went to a concert of the British rock legends Deep Purple last summer. Their biggest hit “Smoke on the Water” was recorded more than 40 years ago. The average age of the musicians is 65 nowadays. I looked around. The audience ranged from the 70-year-old parents of 30-year-old fans to their 5-year-old children. When Deep Purple hit the first big riffs everyone jumped to their feet. The rock stars were clearly in their element - smiling, engaging, and seemingly enjoying the experience, sending great vibes to the audience who sang the songs from start to finish with them. What struck me was that the musicians have played the same song tens of thousands of times by now, and yet it was like their first time. Because it was the first time for their audience.

Smoke On The Water video from "Live At Montreux 2006" DVD:



Related reading:

Music Man http://goo.gl/8aYk0
Jon Lord obituary | Music | The Guardian - http://goo.gl/sohGI
BBC News - Deep Purple's Jon Lord dies at 71 - http://goo.gl/qvhiq
Malc Deakin talks to Jon Lord on Vimeo - http://goo.gl/cDvjU
BBC's Last Word: Ritchie Blackmore, Rick Wakeman, Geoff Barton pay tribute to Jon Lord. Also, Jon on how he'd like to be remembered. http://goo.gl/fW3VT
Steve Morse on Jon Lord - YouTube http://bit.ly/16QmDMn
Deep Purple's Ian Paice Remembers Jon Lord http://bit.ly/1rslIfT