Jon Lord "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" cd review

This cd was 42 years in the making.
Years of live performances and countless hours honing the score to be the best it could be make this the perfect tribute to the great man who sadly passed away in July.
This would be his last work and happily he managed to hear the final mixes before his death and his family decided to press on with the release as the best way to celebrate his life and music.

Jon Lord recorded the marvellous rhythm section - Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, Madonna) & Brett Morgan (Jon Anderson, Sting) and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (with whom Jon had recorded twice before) in June 2011 in Liverpool - conducted by Paul Mann. The production then moved to Abbey Road Studios in London to record Iron Maiden‘s Bruce Dickinson (on vocals with Steve Balsamo and Kasia Laska) and Joe Bonamassa, Darin Vasilev and Steve Morse on guitars.

Recorded in three movements with over 80% of it being instrumental this ebbs and flows from quiet sections to full orchestra and then orchestra and band sections.

Darin Vasilev plays some beautiful guitar in the first movement before in movement 2 we get Steve Balsamo and Kasia Laska’s vocals working well together.
Shortly after Bruce Dickinson does a great Ian Gillan impersonation before Joe Bonamassa plays a stunning solo.
Also some quite marvellous Hammond organ work and sound from the great man for what he will always be remembered.

The third movement features a couple of solo’s from Jon’s Deep Purple band mate Steve Morse and Jon plays what turned out to be his last ever solo so added poignancy there and the orchestra hits a peak.

This is so much more than just a cd release but a lifetime’s work that meant so much to one man.

A perfect and fitting tribute.