Jon Lord, whose epic keyboard solos defined the sound of his rock band Deep Purple, has died at the age of 71. He had been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.
Lord was a co-founder of Deep Purple and played with several other acts, including Whitesnake with fellow Deep Purple alumnist David Coverdale. Lord was influenced by a variety of music, composing classical pieces even during the height of Deep Purple's success, when he co-wrote hits such as "Smoke on the Water."
To better appreciate the man and his music, we've collected some examples of Lord playing and talking about his craft.
Prime example of a Jon Lord solo
Lord's improvisation of Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra
Lord talks about the evolution of his organ playing
Lord performs "Lazy in Copenhagen" in 1972
Lord performs "Lazy" at Palace of Arts, Budapest, in 2010
With files from Mike Miner.
Related:
CBC News: Deep Purple's Jon Lord dies at 71
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Jon Lord's official website
posted by
John Paolozzi
on Jul 16, 2012