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Airey: “Nothing in the world quite like Deep Purple”

Don Airey in Kingston, Canada, February 9, 2012; photo © Nick Soveiko CC-BY-NC-SA

An interesting chat with rather rarely interviewed Don Airey have appeared on Hungarian ekultura.hu before the start of current Don’s solo tour.

On his solo career:

ekultura.hu: What happened after your second album with Deep Purple? What prompted you to launch a new solo career?

Don Airey: Ed van Zijl from Mascot Records offered me a record deal – I think he was fed up with just signing guitar players to his label. There was a gap in Purple’s schedule so I wrote some songs around the theme of astronomy, (a hobby of mine), booked studio time and musicians and went and made a record (Light in the Sky).

On Jon Lord and Deep Purple:

ekultura.hu: On a totally different note, how did the death of Jon Lord affect you personally?

Don Airey: I lost someone whose playing and quintessential Englishness I admired immensely, and who over the last ten years had been kindness itself to my tech son Mike, and myself. We were in the middle of recording the new DP album in Nashville when the awful news about Jon came through. It was difficult to get anything done for the next couple of days.

ekultura.hu: How does your solo project relate to what Deep Purple is doing now? Will it in any way have an impact on the music of the new album of the band?

Don Airey: It is separate – a whole different vibe! There is nothing in the world quite like Deep Purple I have to say.

Read more on ekultura.hu.

Thanks to Yvonne Osthausen for the info.



16 Comments to “Airey: “Nothing in the world quite like Deep Purple””:

  1. 1
    buttockss says:

    Thank god we have don, a wonderful person to replace the late great jon lord.

  2. 2
    oleg says:

    Last DA cd is just great- progresive 70’s stuff.
    Still waiting for gig in Israe l!!

    oleg

  3. 3
    Ron says:

    Nice interviews….but calling Purple the “Purps”? Ouch!

  4. 4
    Les Hedger says:

    Nice interview. Don has had a hard job in replacing Jon, but he’s done a great job!

  5. 5
    Wiktor says:

    Nobody can replace Jon Lord, but I like Don Airey, a nice humble guy and a very good organ player… I just wanted to say that…

  6. 6
    Xavier says:

    -there is lot of Jon in Don, and my that playing and quintessential Englishness be taken to greater heights. 🙂

  7. 7
    MacGregor says:

    Don Airey is one of the most “under rated” musicians in rock. Colosseum 2 back in the mid 70’s with Gary Moore, Jon Hiseman & Neil Murray. They were a great band, classic fusion type of progressive rock. Then Airey went to record on Sabbath’s album ‘Never Say Die’ then of course he ended up in Rainbow for a couple of albums & tours. A brilliant player & he also toured in the late 80’s with Jethro Tull.
    How good is he? He has appeared on many albums with so many wonderful players over the decades. I always thought back in the late 90’s when Jon Lord was saying he won’t go on forever in Purple, that Airey would be the man to replace him. I will have to have a listen to some of his more recent material.

  8. 8
    stoffer says:

    Just from a fans standpoint,I totally agree with Don, “There is nothing in the world quite like Deep Purple I have to say”. Thanks to Don’s great talents and experience DP continues, there is only 1 Jon Lord we all know that, but DA is the best man for the job now.
    We met him in Louisville KY and he too was a true gentleman. 🙂
    cheers

  9. 9
    Andra Thompson says:

    Nothin like Purple ! That’s why we love them sooooo!

  10. 10
    kraatzy says:

    1.)
    … There is nothing in the world quite like Deep Purple I have to say. …

    What a true statement ——– BUT: What do you EXACTLY mean with this words ??
    We – the fans are see it eye to eye with you, but for us, we mean mainly the music …
    What do Y O U mean Don ?

    2.)
    In an another way, it is very very still in the Purple house…
    There came with no voice,
    no statement,
    no (Roger Glover-) studio report,
    no recording infos from
    no webisode about the making of … like from BCC
    they bring us from Nashville in our home…

    >> dadaaa, baba babaaaa – – – What is going on here – – – dadaaa, baba babaaaa <<

    It a little bit of misterious or not ???

    Come on guys… We need a little bit to eat (to hear or to see or to hear and see) 🙂

    -LLRnR-

    *kraatzy*

  11. 11
    Micalonues says:

    We’re in good hands with Don!! LLDP.

  12. 12
    byron says:

    Cozy Powell’s “Over the top” was written and recorded with Don (and Gary Moore,Bernie marsden,Jack Bruce,Clem Clemson ..)
    Great album,fantastic players

  13. 13
    Jim Irons says:

    Nice interview with don. I have to say on a personal note that he is a true gentleman in his own right. (I’ve met him on several different occasions). He has done a terrific job with Purple.

    by the way, what’s kraatzy on about??????

  14. 14
    Roberto says:

    “There is nothing in the world quite like Deep Purple” this is true and for this reason I hope they will refuse the R’n’R Hall of Fame nomination…

  15. 15
    MacGregor says:

    byron @ 12- Yes, I regret not owning those 3 Cozy Powell records from all those years ago, Over The Top, Octupuss & Tilt. I thought of them after sending my comment. That is the small problem with getting rid of records & not replacing them. Over The Top was the strongest of the 3 if my memory serves me well. I might do some searching for them.

  16. 16
    kraatzy says:

    @ Jim Irons

    Hey JIM, I am only astonished about the zero-informations from our heros in PURPLE.

    The latest albums, they (or nearly only Roger Glover) gave us little nibbles of informations … but now … nearly NOTHING !!!

    It would be very nice, to get some informations or sampling demonstration about the new work of Deep Purple following like BCC and their WEBISODES !

    That was my intention.

    LLRnR

    -kraatzy-

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