Jon Lord has released this message today on JonLord.org:

I would like all my friends, followers, fans and fellow travelers to know that I am fighting cancer and will therefore be taking a break from performing while getting the treatment and cure.

I shall of course be continuing to write music – in my world it just has to be part of the therapy – and I fully expect to be back in good shape next year.

God bless and see you soon
Jon

May we also, at Jon’s request, ask if everyone could please respect his need for privacy so that he can spend time with his family (and his music).

Thank you.

Purpendicular will be released on vinyl by a boutique Dutch label Music on Vinyl at the end of August. This release will include bonus track Don’t Hold Your Breath originally available on the Japanese edition of the album.

Amazon UK says that the title will be available on August 29th.

Thanks to Peter Nikolakakos for the info.

In 1999 Deep Purple restaged Jon Lord’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra for the first time in 30 years. This then formed the basis of tours in South America, Europe and Japan in 2000 and 2001. Singer Ronnie James Dio was the band’s special guest at these shows.

In 2001, conductor Paul Mann donated to The Highway Star several items from his personal collection to be used as prizes. For a variety of reasons, ranging from technical to getting the main item signed by the band, the intended competition did not happen.

The items have been carefully stored for the last decade and now, with Paul’s agreement, it has been decided to auction them off in three lots.

All proceeds will go directly to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.

These are being auctioned on eBay under the name purpleconcerto and payment will have to be made via PayPal. The auction will run from Saturday 6th August to Saturday 13th August 2011.

Lot 1: Original poster for the two Albert Hall gigs. The poster is 96 x 146 cm (38 by 57 inches) and in very good condition –- there are some minor creases caused by rolling/unrolling the poster to get it signed. It has been signed in black marker by Paul Mann, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Steve Morse, Jon Lord, Ian Paice and Don Airey (autographs were obtained during the re-scheduled 2002 UK tour which featured both Jon and Don on keyboards). The poster will be posted rolled in a rigid tube.

Lot 2: Set list and plectrum. The set list, now slightly creased having been used on the night, is signed in pen by Paul Mann. The plectrum is one of the special dated ones made up for Roger Glover – one side says Deep Purple with a facsimile signature, the other ‘Royal Albert Hall Sept. 25-26, 1999’.

Lot 3: Programme from Albert Hall shows – in very good condition and signed by Paul Mann on his article on ‘Restoring the Concerto’

These will be posted worldwide (from the UK) so bid with confidence and bid high!

While being on tour in the UK with Black Country Communion, Glenn Hughes spoke with the O₂ TV:

Thanks to Blabbermouth for the info.

On August 16 Eagle Rock Entertainment will release on CD 4 historical Purple live albums: In Concert 1970/1972, Scandinavian Nights, Live in London and Mk.III The Final Concerts. Out of those, Live in London will be available domestically in North America for the first time. In Concert 1970/1972 and Scandinavian Nights were released on Spitfire in 2001, while Mk.III The Final Concerts was released circa 1997 by the now defunct label Archive Records under the title Archive Alive! and has long been deleted.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Update (Aug 13): On August 23 Eagle Rock will also be re-releasing Rainbow Live in Germany 1976, previously available in the US as Live in Europe, released in 1996, and under the present title released in 2001. Both previous releases have been deleted and sealed copies fetch a pretty penny on the secondary market.

On July 27, Deep Purple were in Vienne, near Lyon, for what should be their only concert in France this year.
It was part of their “Songs That Built Rock” tour, with orchestra.

The venue is really unique. The “Théâtre antique” of Vienne was built in the 1st century AD. It’s open air, and the sound is perfect!

The supporting act was a guitarist alone. He did a very nice job. The only thing is that he didn’t say his name (or I didn’t hear him). When he came, he just said “I’m not Deep Purple!”.
If anyone knows his name, please let me know in the comments.

Then at 9PM, Deep Purple came on stage, preceded by the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt Orchestra who played a nice intro, inspired by Smoke On the Water.
They opened then with a great version of Highway Star (the organ solo with the orchestra behind sounds wonderful).
That was nice to hear Woman From Tokyo and Knocking At Your Back Door back in the setlist (with the orchestra, a different tuning and a bit slower, it sounded really so powerful).
Lazy with the “battle” between Morse and the violonist at the end was great.
Perfect Strangers, one step down, definitely sounds darker.
The Well-Dressed Guitar…well it was written to be played with an orchestra so it was perfect!

And how impressive is the riff of Smoke On The Water with the orchestra behind! This is really a must-see!
The crowd was really on fire (around 6000 people)!
Really a great night with Deep Purple! Thank you!

Cyril

Setlist:

Highway Star
Hard Lovin’ Man
Maybe I’m a Leo
Strange Kind of Woman
Rapture of the Deep
Woman From Tokyo
Contact Lost
When a Blind Man Cries
The Well Dressed Guitar
Knocking at Your Back Door
Lazy
No One Came
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
Smoke on the Water
Hush
Black Night

Something went wrong in the Joe Lynn Turner’s camp and today this open letter landed on our editorial floor:

Dear Fans and Media Friends,

I am aware of a compilation of unfinished demo songs that was published on the Internet by an individual named Scott Rolaf. These demos were recorded in my studio about two years ago. While there was discussion of releasing some of them as part of an album for a special project, I was not happy with the way the collaboration was progressing on all levels…artistically, musically and in how it was prematurely presented online. This is why I stopped having contact with Scott Rolaf. We were at odds, however, he continued to pretend on the social media sites that we were still friends and that this project was moving forward. This was an outright lie.

I never had confirmed plans for this album to be released but Rolaf took it upon himself to publish a website and other social media sites (i.e. Reverbnation, etc.) without getting prior approval from me. This misled my fans, members of my street team and several reputable media outlets. I have since severed my professional and personal relationship with Scott Rolaf permanently.

Scott Rolaf’s recent posting of these demos for free download in the form of an “album” is unethical. I have taken legal action to protect my artistic/intellectual property and reputation. On July 21, 2011, Rolaf was served a Cease and Desist by my lawyers. Sometime around July 29, 2011, he had the audacity to post free files of these demos along with a “new” press release which he wrote. These actions are, in my opinion, nothing more than an attempt by Scott Rolaf to gain fame on my name!

I admit that I made the mistake of trusting Rolaf with some unfinished songwriting demos… simple ideas, incomplete performances, music, vocals, production, etc. He betrayed that trust by releasing these songs without legal or personal confirmation. This is an unscrupulous, immoral act, and, by the laws that protect artistic/intellectual property, it is criminal!

It is individuals who take actions, like Rolaf did, who hurt and destroy the hopes and chances of thousands of honest and talented artists who want and need a helping hand to climb the ladder of success! This action is a pathetic example to the true creative people who love to write and perform music. What a stain on the heart of honest art!

My loyal friends and fans know of the high quality of work I have delivered throughout my career. To think that Scott Rolaf, to whom I extended my hand in friendship as well as professional trust, has betrayed me by releasing unfinished/unapproved works, is an outrage!

My only hope is that you can understand this situation and realize that this is a sad event that can happen to anybody… anywhere… regardless of position and status. Don’t let it happen to you.

Sincerely,
Joe Lynn Turner

The following interview with journalist James Gaden from February 2011 provides some background to what happened (originally published in Fireworks Issue 45):

JAMES: I’m also intrigued to hear the album you’ve done with Scott Rolaf, because again, the snippets I’ve heard online sounded good.

JLT: Well, look… alright, I’ve got to tell you the skinny on that right now. It’s on hold. I’ve got some personal problems with Rolaf… I never agreed to the Rolaf/Turner name. I never agreed to have any of the clips on Facebook or wherever the F**K they were. Everything has been taken down for now. The songs are still there, but we’ve had some problems between us. He’s the kind of guy – maybe you have someone in your life like this, they just go off and they do what they want. All of a sudden, you go ‘Hey, I’m supposed to be your partner!’ I’m over in Europe somewhere, I come back and there’s bits and pieces of this thing all over the place. That is not the way to market something. I don’t mind him leaking a few things here and there, but those were demos. You should hear these things now, we’ve got real drums, real bass, we’ve been tearing down the fluff and making it real. It’s so much better. So I don’t want to totally abandon “the songs” but I’m not Rolaf/Turner. I never agreed to that. This guy is a wannabe star, he’s putting his name first – this isn’t Hughes/Turner, this is not comparable. I was incised at that.

JAMES: I can understand that. It was your name that drew my interest to the project anyway. I’d probably have completely ignored it if you hadn’t been attached to it.

JLT: He’s riding on my back isn’t he? We were supposed to be getting a big marketing company, hitting the internet, setting up all the right things, putting out ads… that’s correct, that’s the way to do it. Then Scott starts releasing stuff everywhere and we were like ‘Hey, you’re giving away the game!’ I don’t mind a snippet here and there but it became ridiculous.

That, and the name he came up with, he did that himself and he was looking to press CD’s and put out the demos from the computer without real drums, the tracks were murky and awful… I said hey, I don’t do that standard. It’s a low standard for me. If my name is going on it, I’ve gotta have it right. Anyway, we had a big f**king argument and he called me all kinds of names and I was ready to punch him out, I swear I was. So I said ‘Alright, I’m done with your ass. You’re an egotist – you’re arrogant and it’s not even earned.’ I said ‘You’ve done nothing, and if I open my hand and release you, you’ll go back into obscurity where you belong’. I said ‘Just because you have a bit of talent to write a fair song… please, I’ve written hundreds of great songs. Have the common decency, respect and consideration for a partnership.’ If you don’t have that, you have nothing. So that’s it, you have the full story there in a nutshell. Right now, it’s on hold. The songs are there, lots of good songs, but I also got a whole album of songs with a guy in Sweden that will just blow your mind. I don’t mean heavy rock stuff, it’s in a much more commercial, radio orientated way. It’s got writing from guys like Gary Baker from Nashville, guys who wrote for Backstreet Boys, it’s just a set of brilliant songs. We’re finishing up the drums now and stuff – the only thing I’m worried about is the vocals, they’re demo vocals.

I was reading the lyrics, really just mapping out the songs, but the recordings sound so good! I don’t know whether I need to go and put some excitement in there… I don’t know, I feel I’ve got so much more ability vocally than what is on there, but people who’ve heard them are just saying it’s a great other side of me. I digress, but I’m just saying I don’t need this. Working with a guy who has come out of obscurity, all the while I was under the impression he’d follow my lead because I’m the experienced one, but I found out that apparently he was the important one, he was the rock star, and I’m just a tool to sing the songs. So I said ‘Oh really? F**k you’.

It’s tough, on one side he’s actually quite a nice guy, but on the other side, he can be a f**king asshole! Not unlike everyone else. (laughs)

Thanks to Lisa Walker for the info.

24/07/2011 Dolina Charlotty, Slupsk, Poland

What a pity. I didn’t know my brother would be in Slupsk. I’d buy three tickets, the more so as he’s never seen Deep Purple live, although he’s their fan, too. When we reached the venue, all tickets had been sold out.
Kruk, the support, surprised me a lot. I haven’t heard such music for years. They played famously! What’s more, their last song, Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and hell”, was dedicated to Deep Purple. An unbelievable band.
As for Deep Purple, they played very well as usual, although there was something wrong with Ian Gillan’s voice. He avoided high keys, sometimes spoke instead of singing, even sang out of tune (Woman from Tokyo)… “Hard lovin’ man” was too slow. “Maybe I’m a Leo” came out better, but the ending sounded very poor. “Rapture” was played too slowly again, and a bit dully. A few phrases were missing in “Knocking at your back door”. And Mr Gillan behaved unnaturally. He may have been overworked lately.
Well, since we’ve already grumbled at the weak points, let’s talk about the strong ones, as in general the band didn’t disappoint us. Those brilliant solos from Don and Steve! That unbelievable play from Roger before “Black night”! The fragment of the As major polonaise was much longer than usual, maybe on the occasion of the Chopin’s Year we celebrated in 2010.
But the biggest surprise of the year was a guest performance of that brilliant violinist. So far I’ve heard only “Smoke” with a violin. On 24th July more songs were played with that lovely instrument: “Lazy”, “Contact lost” (what cool solos!), “When a blind man cries”… It was fantastic.
Ian Gillan, after having a rest during Steve’s solo in “Lazy”, started singing quite well. “No one came”, “Space truckin’”, “Smoke”, “Hush”- sounded much better. People who don’t listen to rock often ask me if I shout and wave my hands during rock gigs. Yes, from time to time, but my husband does it better. I prefer singing and dancing, and I did it this time, too. Many people did it, the benches we were sitting on didn’t be any obstacle. Yes, Dolina Charlotty is an excellent venue for rock festivals.
Two hours of Deep Purple show, one hour of the support before, it was my best evening of the year. I only wish I could get some autographs from the musicians, especially from Roger Glover who has just released his new solo album. Maybe next time?
Many thanks to my brother for giving us a lift! If not for him, we couldn’t get out from the venue, as there is no bus communication there. By the way, although he couldn’t be at the show, he heard everything from his car. He was surprised by the repertoire, as he didn’t expected so many songs he’s fond of. He says he liked the show very much, so when the opportunity occurs, we’ll take him to another one.

-Joanna Ostrowiecka

In the latest installment of Road Life, Roger Glover shares with us events which happened to him during just one day on the road:

Anyway, we recently flew in for a gig at a spa resort in the countryside where a rock festival is annually held. The three-hour journey by van from Gdansk airport went smoothly enough, at least as far as I was concerned. Of the three vans (and a crew bus), one of the van drivers was an awful driver. When I say he was awful, let me relate how Don Airey and Steve Morse described his driving skills. He would come up behind a car much too fast, slam the brakes on, straining everyone’s seat belts, and wait until he had the opportunity to overtake. Then he’d hesitate too long and one can imagine him talking to himself, saying, “What kind of man are you? Go for it, you can make it.” By the time he had convinced himself that he had enough time to overtake, it was too late. He would pound on the accelerator, shoot forward with a stomach-churning lurch, veer around the other vehicle, scatter the oncoming traffic, and leave the passengers shaken but lucky to be alive. He was promptly ‘let go’ as nobody wanted to drive with him again.

Read more on RogerGlover.com. And once there, be sure to check the updated photo gallery.

Why on the street, you ask yourselves? Well, it is a bit macabre I must admit, but this phrase came to my mind on the way to the venue. When we were a few kilometers ahead of Kunzelsau, we saw thick black smoke in the distance. We first thought a barn or something is burning somewhere. Then the traffic stopped and 200 meters in front of us we saw a burning car in the middle of the road. Lots of fire engines, police cars and emergencies around. Must have been a terrible accident. And somehow – being on our way to hear ‘Smoke on the Water’ – ‘Smoke on the Street’ came to my mind.

The show itself was great. Ian’s voice was in best shape. Of course not as good as in the good ol’ times of the 70s, but this was one of his best concerts since the last 10 years I would say. Keep in mind he turns 66 next month!

The Setlist:
1. Intro by the orchestra
2. Highway Star
3. Hard Lovin’ Man
4. Maybe I’m A Leo
5. Strange Kind Of Woman
6. Rapture Of The Deep
7. Woman From Tokyo
8. Steve Morse Solo (partially with orchestra)
9. When A Blind Man Cries
10. The Well Dressed Guitar
11. Knocking At Your Back Door
12. Lazy
13. No One Came
14. Don Airey Solo
15. Perfect Strangers
16. Space Truckin’
17. Smoke On the Water

Encores:
18. Hush
19. Roger Glover Solo
20. Black Night

It was the same as on the whole tour so far. Together with an orchestra it is rather difficult to change anything.

Well, the orchestra. It was there. We could see it. But we could not HEAR it unfortunately. For that the band, especially Don’s Hammond, was much too loud. Only during ‘Knocking at Your Back Door’ was it balanced and Don controlled himself, so that we could hear the riff being played by the orchestra. Some songs like Maybe I’m a Leo or Space Truckin’ they didn’t even play at all. Too bad.

Instead the violin solo of the conductor during Lazy was most impressive. Guitar and violin in a duel, now that’s really something new.

All together a successful evening. Even the weather cooperated. Just in time it stopped raining and in the crowd in front of the stage it was so warm, that we didn’t even need our jackets.

At the end there was a firework display, what inspired me to the second part of the headline: “Fireworks in the Sky”.

Helge, from Uhingen, Germany