JON LORD

Lord learnt from the bottlenecks of his previous 2 classically inspired works and came up with an improved results on "Sarabande". The fusion between the orchestra and Lord's instruments (moog, organ, piano, synths) are more seamless and less pompous. Lord has invested more time in composing music with motives spanning the long pieces. There are loud full-fledged ouvertures as well as beautiful calm tracks ("Aria" with leading piano and beautiful synths). Other rocks players get space to provide a solo or two but they do not dominate. It's Lord instruments that glue everything together. This is a well thought symbiosis of classical music and ambitious/progressive rock playing.

Potentially the first work marrying classical music with rock ensemble to that level of experiment alongside the previous 1970 Deep Purple album, this one was cautious not to carry the DP moniker. Playing at the orchestra level and Jon Lord's contribution are astonishing. Lord showcases a lot of classical influence (Baroque, classicism, romanticism) on his piano playing. The organ piece is the most dramatic and longest of the movements, however also the most obscure next to the drumming piece. Other rock contributors strive hard to dominate or at least equal the overwhelming orchestra. Vocals are emotional and not operatic, thankfully. It is an interesting hearing and was an essential experiment at the time, however I doubt that the majority of the first-time listeners ever come back to it.

When the progressive, or symphonic, prog was a new thing, ie. in the late 60's and the early 70's, several musicians combined the worlds of orchestral music and rock. To a varying results, of course. Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra (1970) is among the most ambitious of those early works, but it left me with an impression that the two elements didn't function together very well. (The Moody Blues' classic and lovely album Days of Future Passed from 1967 deserves a mention, although the pop group's song performances and the orchestral extensions/interludes were in the end two rather separate entities.)

In the case of Deep Purple, the father of the project was the band's organist Jon Lord. Later on his role in Purple became somewhat smaller as guitarist Ritchie Blackmore became more recognized figure. Lord continued his literally symphonic adventures as a solo artist, debuting with the pretentious Gemini Suite (1972). The next, Bach- inspired album Windows (1974) was a collaboration with composer Eberhard Schoener, who is conducting the orchestra on this album too.

Sarabande functions better as a whole than its precursors. As the track titles reveal, the album was influenced and inspired by the dance forms of Baroque music. Lord tried to maintain the tempo and mood of each form even though the end result goes rather far from the Baroque per se. Anyway, it becomes clear at once that the rock and classical elements mingle much more naturally than on the DP Concerto. Here and there the album reminds me of the more recent crossover projects -- in good and in bad. For example 'Bouree' makes me think of my countryman Anssi Tikanmäki. In its 11 minutes it is slightly too long, but finds more energy in the end.

After two pompous pieces comes 'Aria' which centers on romantic piano and thus resembles The Enid. 'Gigue' has a lively Rick Wakeman vibe on the keys, but its extended drum solo in the end is very unnecessary. My favourite is definitely 'Pavane', in which the sensual string section is joined by classical guitar (Andy Summers before his time in The Police!) and softly played piano. Faster pieces like 'Caprice' and 'Finale' are farther in spirit from art music.

Sarabande is a fine example of orchestral, instrumental prog rooted in classical (Baroque) music. My personal enjoyment however remains on the medium three-star level.

British Keyboard wizard JON LORD needs no introduction. Oh Lordy-Lordy, where do we begin with such a legend of the keyboards. He was born in Leicester in 1941, where he studied classical piano from the tender age of five. He moved to London in 1959-60 and joined his first band, The Artwoods, in 1964. Jon Lord is of course best-known for being the co-founder of Deep Purple in 1968, but he's also been a brief member of Whitesnake, Paice-Ashton-Lord & The Flowerpot Men at various times. He also composed the music for the first Live Deep Purple album in 1969, a Symphonic Rock opus recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Jon Lord played on all of Deep Purple's albums from 1968 through to 1998. This album "Gemini Suite" (1971) is Lord's first solo album in a long and illustrious career spanning five decades with ten classically-inspired solo albums to his credit. His most recent album "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" (2012) was released the same year as his untimely death from cancer at the age of 71. "Gemini Suite" consists of six fairly long orchestral pieces of music with a soloist featured on each song, including Ian Paice and Roger Glover of Deep Purple, blues guitarist Albert Lee, and singers Tony Ashton and Yvonne Elliman. The six suites have such imaginative titles as "Guitar", "Piano", "Drums", Vocals", Bass Guitar" & "Organ", but at least you're left in no doubt who the soloist is on each piece of music. Renowned composer Malcolm Arnold conducted The London Symphony Orchestra in this magnum opus of Symphonic Rock.

"Guitar" opens the album in grand triumphant style with the London Symphony Orchestra playing in all of their full symphonic glory and splendour. Guitar legend Albert Lee is the soloist given a chance to showcase his talents here. This uplifting piece of celebratory music alternates magnificently between orchestral parts, solo electric guitar and also the two combined together for some magnificent Symphonic Rock. It's a tremendous 9-minute opening piece designed to impress with the power and the glory of the music. It's orchestral, it's magisterial, and it's worthy of being played in a cathedral. Jon Lord is the powerhouse behind Deep Purple, and this marvellous music is the Deep without the Purple. In other words, it has the Deep driving force and resonance of a Deep Purple number, but without the Purple Hard Rock element. Onwards now to "Piano", where Jon Lord plays his heart out as if his life depends on it, in a stunning piece of musical virtousity. Wow! Can a solo piano really sound that LOUD! Jon Lord displays his classically-trained credentials here with some dextrous keyboard runs, playing both solo and combined with the orchestra. Even a full orchestra can't overwhelm the sound of a piano though when Jon Lord is running rampant on the keyboard. This is where the Lord of the Keyboard really stamps his mark on the album and announces his presence in full bombastic fashion. And now we come to "Drums", and no surprise that this features Ian Paice, the bandmate of Jon Lord in Deep Purple. Obviously, Ian Paice isn't going to let this track go by without embarking on an impressively long 3-minute drum solo to demonstrate why he's one of the most respected drummers in the world. Finally, When the orchestra re-emerges after being awestruck by the pace of Ian Paice's drum solo, the music sounds like a triumphal marching theme, along the lines of what might be heard as an army goes marching off to war. To paraphrase Mr Bachman, Mr Turner & Mr Overdrive though, you ain't heard nothing yet, because along comes Track 4: "Vocals", a glorious symphonic epic, combining the vocal talents of Tony Ashton (of Ashton, Gardner & Dyke fame) and Yvonne Elliman (best known for the song "If I Can't Have You"). This is a full-blown symphonic masterpiece, guaranteed to awe-inspire you with the power and the passion of the music. Another one of Jon Lord's Deep Purple bandmates, Roger Glover, is given the chance to display his virtuosity with the bass guitar on Track 5, which comes as no surprise as this track is titled "Bass Guitar". This leads us on to the sixth and final number, the 12-minute-long epic, "Organ". This marvellous piece of music is epic in every way. Jon Lord's colourful musical feathers are in magnificent plumage here as he demonstrates his prowess on the keyboards in truly dramatic fashion with some stunningly powerful blasts from his Hammond organ, which will be oh-so-familiar to fans of Deep Purple. A glorious and spectacular end to a symphonic extravaganza!

A magnificent masterpiece of Symphonic Rock!

Many consider Sarabande to be the most successful of Jon Lord's experiments to combine an orchestra and rock band. In spite of Lord's hard rock credentials, do not go in expecting a symphonic metal album. As the song titles suggest, the focus is on classical music rather than rock, with the songs being based on Baroque dances.

The album is certainly more cohesive than Lord's earlier effort with Deep Purple, Concerto for Group and Orchestra, where the objective was to start off with the orchestra and the rock band in opposition and gradually integrate them over the course of the three movements.

Sarabande was recorded in Germany, by the Philharmonia Hungarica, a distinguished symphony orchestra founded by Hungarian expatriate musicians fleeing the Red Army's occupation of Hungary in 1956.

Lord is also backed by a rock group comprised of competent session musicians. Future Police member Andy Summers does a fine job on the guitar, particularly his electric solos on Gigue and Bouree. The drummer is Pete York, formerly of the Spencer Davis Group. Mark Nauseef, who would later be drummer in the Ian Gillan Band, provides interesting percussion. The bass is played by Paul Karas, previously of Rare Bird and Stackridge. Lord does not try to hog the spotlight and plays a variety of keyboard instruments.

Fantasia is the only purely orchestral piece and stars things off with bombastic brass. The middle section with woodwinds, harp and stings is quite lovely.

The title track starts off with just the rock band playing a jazzy Latin American-influenced tune. Soon strings join in, followed by brass. Lord and Summers have solo spots halfway through.

I originally thought Aria is a misnomer, since it is not a vocal work, but apparently the term 'aria' was also used for instrumental pieces. It's a beautiful and melancholy piece that showcases Lord's piano playing. Interestingly, the sparse accompaniment is played on synthesizers, though it fooled me. Its mood is somewhat reminiscent of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

According to a quote by Jon Lord on his website, Gigue quotes the first twenty-four bars of Bach's 4th English Suite. Similarly to part 3 of Concert for Group and Orchestra, Gigue is slightly marred by a superfluous drum and percussion solo towards the end. Nevertheless, I consider it to be the most progressive composition on the album, with a multipart structure, and good solos by Summers, Lord and York.

Bouree has nothing to do with the Bach composition famously recorded by Jethro Tull. In fact, it has a distinct Middle Eastern feel, but in a much more authentic style than Blackmore's future Kashmir-style compositions with Rainbow and Deep Purple (Stargazer, Gates of Babylon, Perfect Strangers, Hungry Daze, Ariel). Mark Nauseef adds plenty of percussion effects. Great guitar and clavinet solos.

Pavane is a melancholy track, focused on acoustic guitar and piano later. Only the orchestra's string section is featured on this piece.

Caprice is a lively composition with an organ solo. It does not feature the orchestra. Due to the varied synths and uptempo, the piece reminds me of Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleve from Wakeman's The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

Finale begins by reprising themes from all previous compositions accompanied by drum rolls. It ends in the same way as Fantasia, with a few overdubbed synths. This track is rather disjoint, since it was assembled by splicing extracts from the previous compositions, but it is short and finishes on a satisfying note.

I would have preferred for the music to be in a more baroque style and livelier. As is, the music sounds much more like 19th or 20th century classical music (which it is!). There is little of the music that reminds me of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Scarlatti or Pachelbel. I was expecting counterpoint, fugues, chamber music, Bach-style organ compositions, harpsichord sonatas or something in the vein of Lord and Blackmore's composition April, which remains one of my favorite Deep Purple songs.

Personal preferences and expectations aside, the music is very well orchestrated and performed. The album showcases Lord's compositional skill. The quality is very even throughout the album and the themes are memorable. I must admit that the album has grown on me with repeat listenings.

For me, a lover of Hammond organ, Jon Lord stands as one of the top five organ grinders of all time. Maybe, even, he's the greatest. Few organ players have been able to squeese, bend and distort the keyboard like him. Listening to the great(er) live albums by Deep Purple or those made in the studio, one is surely, regardless of ones preference in music, bound to be impressed by him.

So, knowing full well his love for classical music one could expect an album based on elements from that genre. In many of his recordings with Purple (and others) there are classical elements to be found and since Deep Purple seemed to stray more and more into Heavy metal territory, what could be more fitting than seeing Lord making a solo album in his own taste?

Actually, Gemini Suite is as progressive as it gets. Classical meets rock and gives birth to progressive music and they build a home named Gemini Suite and their furniture are long pieces of presumably epic proportions. Great!

But, and there is one, the music tends to be somewhat overwhelming and overbearing. Thus the music becomes too heavy handed and almost self centered. There is nothing really obviously wrong with the music, it is all very well played and composed. One has to give him credit for this work. However, it fails to grasp me and leaves me rather indifferent in the end. I think that the track "Organ" is the best of the lot. Begonning with an orchestra performing a classical sounding theme, Lord's organ creeps in to the picture and allows him to demonstrate his skill on the keys.

This may have been a visionary album in it's day and I applaud his effort. I can even say that I feel warmly about this album, though it fails to enthrall me in the way other albums by Lord (and associates mostly, I must confess) does. So, no matter how epic, progressive and visionary it may be, the album falls on it's face and leaves only a slab of classically infused prog on the ground. Impressive but not engaging. Sorry.

Before I Forget (1982) is the first Jon Lord's album in the 80's and his fouth solo album.

Here he's not trying to be as much as a classical composer like in the previous albums (and later albums too). He's more into playing the same music as he was in Whitesnake, the difference is, of course, many great keyboards. Even when the tracks are not that good. But of course you have the classical moments too.

I cannot say that Jon was an exceptional composer, but he was, for sure, a fantastic keyboard player. And when he was on Hammond organ no one could beat him!

'Chances On A Feeling' is a good 80's hard rock track. 'Tender Babes' are his classical side speaking louder.

Like I said, the tracks that are more classical are heavily under the Pop ones. But hey, nevermind that and listen the music. 'Hollywood Rock And Roll' is a fun R&B kind of song. Then closing A side 'Bach Onto This' a weird and great mix of Classical and Hard Rock. The most Prog on the album. So far so good.

B side is weaker, the whole of is ballads. It starts with the title track, a ballad full of keyboards. 'Say It's All Right' is yeat another ballad, now with female vocals. It continues on the ballad side with 'Burntwood'. At least we have 'Where Are You?' a good track, the best on the B side. great vocals, and if you like The Alan Parsons Project you will remember this voice.

Before I Forget (1982) is not really a Prog album, and it's certainly not the best album Jon Lord offered us. But it's a good album and far away from the 80's atrocities commited in 80's.

Key tracks: Chances On A Feeling, HOllywood Rock And Roll & Where Are You?

Jon Lord had been very active between all the bands he was in. Between recording and touring with Deep Purple and Whitesnake he had a solo career where he tried to fulfill his classical dream.

He tried with Deep Purple in Concerto For Group And Orchestra (1970), the band wasn't that much interested, so he tried solo with Gemini Suite (1971) and then Windows (1974), his second solo album.

I think he lost himself here, Windows (1974) is quite boring and full of nonsense music. Only this last line would resume the album quite accurately, but, for the sake of the album Jon Lord was smart enough to bring in some good participations like David Coverdale and Glenn Hugues (both his partner in Deep Purple at the time). They play a good role when the moments that the music really appears. Because the rest of the time the album is just a fail try in making a 'serious composition'.

Do not judge a book by it's cover.

Despite a craptacular art cover (creepy mustachioed exhibitionist or something) this album is a total keeper for the orchestra-keyboard-marriage lover that I am. I went around the block many times over, re-listening to the same old records and trying to discover some new material. I even went to the newcomers, unfortunately, nothing new to the horizon, just the same old flash in the pan: boom bang goes the drums, duhduh duhduh goes the bass and nini nini on the keys...yawn.

Finally Jon Lord arrived (too late) in my life, without Ritchie Blackmore this time. Frankly, this is a balm to me. On the contrary of ELP, Trace or Par Lindh Project, Jon Lord takes his time and does not focus on 'Hey Mom! Look what I can do!' attitude. He is not showing off; should he a bit more? If you like Triumvirat or Rick Wakeman, this could grind your gears (useless drum solo in Gigue, bongos, little keyboard diversity and humble technique). On the other hand, if you're a keyboard driven veteran, you could appreciate the modesty and the exotic/ modern music tangent of the album. The orchestral arrangements are nice and catchy, many times I surprise myself to air-maestro. Jokes on the side, the orchestra is very well melted in the songs: bombastic when needed and emotional as well.

Why this album is not in everyone's collection? Is it because it's on the simpler side of prog? Hey, a guy needs a bleeping break once in a while and Sarabande is a perfect soundtrack to chill out in your chair with a book and a pint of Harp lager.

Dedicated to the Raiders of the Lost ARP.

This is a strange hybrid of rock, jazz, classical and the avant garde. Although one can admire the bold eclectic experimentation of the two lengthy paces here, it is not quite a success. The first piece is billed as an attempt to continue Bach's unfinished art of fugue. There have been many attempts to conclude this magnificent composition in the past, usually less free than Lord's. The actual Bach composition does not start until we are 8 minutes into the piece and is played pretty straight. Before that we have rather incongruous jazz rock improves interrupted several times by heavy orchestral blasts of the BACH motif (B flat, A , C, B natural), and there's a viola solo hinting at themes from classical works followed by a jazzy trumpet solo. After the unfinished fugue, the jazz trumpet returns even more incongruous than before followed by an exciting but short lived riff passage. The problem for me is that none of this additional material bears any relationship to Bach's work either thematically or harmonically so I'm not sure what new insights it really brings. The longer piece "windows" is even more eclectic, Starting with a fairly ordinary bluesy organ, it is surprising to encounter a pair of sopranos improvising briefly interrupted by the more familiar strains of David Coverdale. Many rock fans, I suspect, will find their high pitched wailings rather grating. Without a break the slow movement begins about 10 minutes or so in. This is quite a change, a lushly scored and very big romantic theme, some weirdly 'spacey' sounds, then a memorable and darkly melancholy string tune. This is the highlight of the album for me. Coverdale adds some vocals but unfortunately the lyrics consist of platitudes such as "make love not war". A drum solo and more weird sounds lead to a return of the sopranos, intertwining to good effect. Then more generic 70s funky rock, drums solos etc and out of nowhere, a piano tune reminiscent of ELP. By now, what little shape the piece had has fallen apart and it is now an incoherent mess.