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It was a short nap
Don Airey has appeared on the Music Buzzz podcast talking about his latest solo album Pushed to the Edge and many other things — from Duke Ellington to John Sykes.
How did the Deep Purple job came about for you?
DA: Jon fell ill. And they had some sessions, they had some festivals [lined up] and Roger phoned me up. He said, ‘What are you doing tomorrow?’ ‘I’m conducting an orchestra at a Welsh festival.’ He said, ‘What are you doing the day after?’ I said, ‘Nothing much.’ He said, ‘Well, DEEP PURPLE needs you. We’re doing the [a festival in] Skanderborg [Denmark]. Jon’s ill. Can you stand in for him? Just three gigs.’ I said, ‘Okay. Can you send me the setlist, Rog?’ He said, ‘Oh, setlist?’ He said, ‘Whatever you fancy.’ I had a run-through in the afternoon with Steve Morse. He had a number called ‘The Well-Dressed Guitar’ that Jon would never learn. So with me coming in, he saw his chance to get it in the set. So he taught me ‘The Well-Dressed Guitar’. So that was included in the set as well. So I went on stage and I just had to wing it, really. You either do or you don’t… I stood in for Jon for 20 gigs and then thought nothing more of it except how wonderful it’d been. And then they phoned me up and said, ‘Jon’s left. We’ve got four names on the to-do list, all of ’em yours. Would you join?’ I said, ‘I’ll have to sleep on it. Yes.’
You can find the podcast on Megaphone and many other podcast platforms. Look for Music Buzzz Episode 118. It is about half an hour long.
Thanks to Blabbermouth for the heads-up and the quote.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Having seen three of his first four concerts, Don fitted in from the start. Given how little time he had in Skanderborg, he put on an amazing show.
May 27th, 2025 at 18:02I saw him in Bonn in 2001 with DP the first time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT2oB042jBw
(Sorry for the shaky vid, but audio ain’t bad.)
He was still a little stiff and angular in his solos (and he has never become as rhythm-groovy and giftedly sloppy as Jon, but improved greatly in his own way), but I knew after the gig that it would work out. And not for a second did I think this was anything else but an audition for him (which he passed with flying colors), I felt Jon would not be returning other than to say good-bye for good. He had found closure with the Concerto gigs and tours and wanted to do something else. Good for him. And Don picking up the baton of course opened – inter alia due to his songwriting contributions – a whole new era of DP for us that lasts to this day for us to enjoy.
One correction: Sure Jon could play The Well-Dressed Guitar, it was right up his alley!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D0M-lWNAac
May 27th, 2025 at 22:51It’s nice to see Don’s new album receiving such widespread acclaim, people really seem to be enthusiastic about it. You might think that a Don Airey solo release has more of a curio/nerd factor, but he really has his fans. I can’t remember one of Jon’s releases garnering that much media attention.
And the guys interviewing him really know their keyboard and piano shit. Admittedly, I had never heard of Floyd Kramer before this interview either.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Cramer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X08orJN4oJw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNFtUHY5dgE
And so this is the music that inspires Don:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhmGwTDpPf0
Finally, Don with Ozzy, Jake E. Lee, Bob Daisley & Tommy Aldridge at the US Festival in 1983:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPizQ2xlTlE
May 28th, 2025 at 01:51I saw them in Copenhagen (5 Øren), August 12th 2001.
It started in the rain but soon the rain stopped and it was a great show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djvS7YSXOP8
Janbl
May 28th, 2025 at 09:12Also saw them in CPH. Just a few looks and signals from Steve and Paice and everything worked out.
May 28th, 2025 at 15:27I’ve heard Jon play ‘The Well Dressed Guitar’ with the band, so not sure what Don is on about.
May 29th, 2025 at 10:57Don is a good musician but not, in my opinion, a great fit for DP. Jon’s musicianship, presence and influence was instantly missed when he left and none of those attributes were adequately replaced when Don joined.
May 30th, 2025 at 06:23@7. Agreed. According to setlist.com it was first played in 2000 and over 40 times before Don joined. It’s on the Rotterdam 2000 CD. Maybe Jon got fed up playing it but Don is mistaken in his statement
May 30th, 2025 at 09:30It might be that Don doubled certain lightning fast parts of Steve that Jon abstained from. As he matured, Jon’s style very much moved into a “less is more” direction – Don on the other hand is the exact opposite of sparse. 😂
May 30th, 2025 at 14:32I meant to reply to RB so that should have been @6.
May 30th, 2025 at 15:33It’s like with the guitarists or bassists that came and went, Andrew, you can’t expect a Tommy Bolin to be a credible Ritchie and Don isn’t – and to his credit: has never tried to emulate – Jon Lord. But he’s also brought things to DP that weren’t Jon’s forte – songwriting contributions and edgier solos (in his last years with the band, Jon had been cruising a little) plus a more daring use of synths (I like synths in a rock context, always dug that with Colin Towns or Manfred Mann too).
I view it as a trade-off, Jon’s “Keith Richards on organ”-groove element is gone as is his sense for pastoral embellishments, but Don has other strengths. A new chapter.
It was Roger who once said: “Don plays and sounds nothing like Jon. The only commonality is that both play the Hammond.” Fair enough.
May 30th, 2025 at 15:33Just checked Dirk K’s website and re-checked set list.com and according to them WDG wasn’t played until Don’s 3rd gig with the band
May 30th, 2025 at 18:58#11: He also brought in identical solos from one show to another. Not Jon’s forte either. He is missed.
May 31st, 2025 at 04:30That is true as well, Daniel, but I don’t think it’s an ability thing, Don can improvise, but – like many musicians – he has a preference for a certain structure that can be repeated with some security. His solos aren’t exactly the same night for night – go visit a Judas Priest concert if you want to hear that 😂 – but they follow a script. Mind you, Jon Lord wasn’t totally free form either, but he was better at hiding the seams than Don.
May 31st, 2025 at 13:18