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He knows what’s up
Here’s what happens when a jazz musician learns on the fly how to play Highway Star, from scratch. On Hammond.
Jazz legend Larry Goldings takes on the challenge of learning Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” as fast as possible. Known for his soulful touch and deep harmonic vocabulary, Larry breaks down the driving rock energy of the song, learns every part note for note, and brings it to life through his own jazz-infused style.
Of particular interest is the second (guitar) solo, where they decided to completely forego the original and just improvise.
Thanks to Pianote for the video, and to Uwe and Simon for bringing it to your attention.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Very cool, Jon was brilliant
November 18th, 2025 at 13:01Goes to show what a living legend Jon Lord was, even in his youth (early 70s).
Didn’t know this particular player, but he seemed to struggle at times.
November 18th, 2025 at 15:09One of the best videos I’ve seen for a long time!
November 18th, 2025 at 18:55This was a big fun to see. Razzle, if the gentleman struggled and if he indeed is renowned in his musical circles – then it only goes to show how much a genius Jon Lord was (God, how I miss him, everyday). One thing that still fails to crack my system is – how on earth was his life and craft so far – if he never knew of Jon and his ability. Seems kinda unthinkable. Was it the same with Jimmy Smith? I don’t think so!
November 18th, 2025 at 20:02Jon was damn good and he was especially damn good at coming up with ideas on the spot. Not many keyboard players have that gift.
Larry Goldings normally plays music like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyiFzxN-7Ps
That someone like him at the end of the Highway Star exercise comes away impressed by Jon’s chops and originality is a testament to the latter’s greatness.
But Jon was no stranger to Jazz himself, just listen to him here at 04:56:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB_nvTZUHBY
November 18th, 2025 at 21:17Settle down Uwe, “not many keyboard players have that gift of coming up with ideas on the spot’. Do you want me to make a list. From the same era? Come on, Jon himself was in awe of the players before him and also while he was plying his trade throughout that time. They were everywhere. According to the clock, two hours and seven minutes for Larry to work it out and play it. Larry would have been approached to do this and as with any player in that situation, they are going out on a limb. Is it staged as such. That isn’t a dig at the keyboard player at all. He is a wonderful highly respected musician. It is who is behind this and why (well we know why) that I am querying. The reaction thing, the heavily edited showbiz side to it and the advertising. ‘There ain’t no business like show business’. Two hours and seven minutes would be far too long for most people to view unedited. Especially in today’s impatient world of ‘I want it now”. I enjoyed Larry the keyboard player, well done. And it gives Jon and DP some extra media coverage, maybe better for most of the people who may not be familiar with their music etc. Cheers.
November 19th, 2025 at 00:52The musical versatility of Jon Lord is unprecedented!
I listen to several genres of music and I have a trouble identifying someone, in whichever instrument, that seems to be that comfortable, in performing/improvising/composing in blues, rock&roll, jazz, heavy and classical music.
If any other name comes to anyone’s mind I would be interested to hear it
November 19th, 2025 at 09:46Fantastic to watch.
My takeaway, for what it’s worth, is really good players can replicate others work given a decent amount of time. The genius is in the composition. In this case does anyone think that what he came up with to replace Ritchie’s solo comes close to Jon’s solo?
November 19th, 2025 at 11:20@ 8, No David, he didn’t IMO! It was interesting to see his adlibs and own spin bits in this solo, few finely played figures there – but still – I think it’s far from Jon’s vision and classical leanings. Attempt itself though – is very successful, IMO, especially given the fact that as a player the gentleman is in completely different oeuvre of music. And the more the song goes on, the more he seems to catch the groove and actually starts to enjoy it – at least seems so to me. Great thing to watch. I have this approach myself on keyboards – play along to a thing that moves you and see how you flow with it yourself. Always a great time to have a go. Some tunes are just created for this. My favorite is “No Quarter” by the band that Uwe doesn’t like, hee hee. It makes you get lost in the flow, sometimes after I end it up and press stop to the recording – the version has 20-25 minutes of running time. A blast to play!
November 19th, 2025 at 12:48It pains me to admit that even I think that No Quarter by The Band That Shall Not Be Named Here is a great song. The devil must have written it for them.
Herr MacGregor, I know you’ll yell at me again for this and throw all kinds of insults, you Torrid Tasmanian Terror, but neither Ken Hensley nor Tony Banks nor Tony Kaye nor Rick Wright nor John Evan nor Eddie Jobson nor the two Supertramp keyboard players nor even your beloved Rick Wakeman (he’s more an embellisher than a true improviser) were as improvisationally strong on Hammond as Jon. Keith Emerson on piano yes, but not on organ. Some of them might have been technically superior, but as improvisationally gifted? I believe Jon learned to improvise with his organ as far back as The Artwoods where he was the unrivaled lead instrument. In the Mark I era he was no doubt the superior soloist to Ritchie, it took Ritchie a while to catch up and he only totally found his feet on In Rock.
November 19th, 2025 at 16:14Uwe, I agree with you (as opposed to MacGregor, whose opinion I generally respect as well): Jon was damn good at coming up with ideas on the spot. That’s because he was such a terrific improvisor : always probing, coming up with new ideas, almost never playing the exact same solo twice. Yes, MacGregor, there were lots of outstanding keyboard players that could do similarly (Rod Argent, for example, was a marvelous improvisor), but most of them were of the jazz genre where improvisation is a given. I heard Jon, Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman on numerous occasions, and Jon’s improvisation was (in my humble opinion of 70 years of keyboard playing) quite superior to the two others, who were both more prone to replaying their recorded solos. That’s not to say that Emerson and Wakeman didn’t surpass Jon in technique – they did, not by a lot, but were slightly better technicians – even Jon said so on several occasions. But Jon’s cerebral approach, combined with powerhouse technique and marvelous improvisational talent, was unique.
November 19th, 2025 at 22:41True, Ohio George, Wakeman and Emerson were both technically superior to Jon (especially on piano), but they were also both a lot stiffer in groove than Jon who had that “Keith Richards on Hammond”-swagger.
I saw Wakeman at Jon’s tribute at the RAH and he struggled with some of Jon’s parts. Not because they were technically too difficult for him, but because he found it difficult to replicate the groove.
Rick really struggles here playing the Arabian-tinged melody and his solo is nothing to write home about either:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_JNZEZQoT8
In comparison: Jon … (now don’t cream in your pants Herr MacGregor, yup, that is indeed Bill Bruford playing alongside Pete York)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRGqVTb_m0U
November 20th, 2025 at 02:47“Wakeman an embellisher’ more than a true improvisor” : I couldn’t have said it better. My thoughts on Rick exactly. And I am a Wakeman fan: he’s a terrific player with strong classical overtones. Keith Emerson was more jazz-oriented : as you say, Uwe, more so of an improvisor in his piano playing than his organ work.
I’ve given a bit more thought on the improvisational aspect of Jon’s playing since my earlier post and reading Uwe @ 10. I feel it was the area of his playing where Jon most successfully displayed feeling and best communicated emotionally with the audience. Not surprising, given his blues influences from his Artwoods days. My experience is that improvisation can be both the best and worst weapon in a keyboardist’s arsenal, depending on how well you can do it. Jon’s success ratio as an improvisor was incredibly high – better than just about anyone else in the rock genre. One additional name I thought of after my earlier post is Brian Augur, who was a superb improvisor – indeed, he filled in for Jon in Purple on a few gigs, so obviously the other guys in Purple realized that as well. But only Jon was Jon – one of a kind – and perfect for DP.
November 20th, 2025 at 03:57@ 10, Oh, Uwe, come on. Let’s agree we’ll not mention the name of the band BUT “NQ” wasn’t conceived by the devil, it’s more than fair to mention the genius of John Paul Jones by name here. The guy who – out of whole four – never got mentioned enough and never got enough credit for his ability and credibility as a versatile multi-instrumentalist, while really deserving this.
November 20th, 2025 at 11:09Yup, Brian Auger would also come to my mind for being in the same Hammond improvisation league as Jon.
November 20th, 2025 at 12:50@ 13
I seem to remember hearing Auger long ago stepping in for Jon and I had really mixed emotions about this. Something in his approach irked me, like he was trying too hard. Of course, there was a capability, undisputable. But the result didn’t land with me well.
November 20th, 2025 at 14:03Thorsun, I respect your response to Brian Augur’s gigs with Purple. But anytime you have someone (even a similarly talented musician) sitting in for an iconic player, the results are going to be at least a bit different. Jon and Brian had similarities, but Augur’s albums that I’ve heard (which I have definitely enjoyed), are clearly more jazz-oriented than Purple. That’s OK. That’s who Brian Augur is, in large part. I confess I didn’t hear BA play with Purple, but I’m sure that he tried to strike a balance of channeling Jon Lord while remaining true to who he was as a musician. Just like Roger Glover told Don Airey to be himself (and not a Jon Lord clone) when he joined Purple. It’s not an easy task to succeed an icon, but it’s two different things if you are permanently replacing them or simply subbing for a few gigs.
November 20th, 2025 at 17:51Thorsun, I’m totally with you, JPJ is my favorite Zeppelinista and In Through The Out Door, that owes so much to him, one of my favorite albums of theirs.
Brian Auger caught my ear in that 80s Pete York’s Super Drumming TV series, he was part of the house band (I didn’t know so much of his 60s work back then):
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O3ADG7VzChY
https://youtu.be/BuRPL_kTNT4
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FXgoUY07FyM
There is nothing that rubs me the wrong way in his playing, he’s jazzy, but also meaty and – very important – groovy. (There is nothing worse than DP with a static keyboard.) Whether he would have been the right guy to play with a likewise dominant lead guitarist is another matter though. Don Airey of course had a vast experience with banjo players who thought they were God’s gift to music … Moore, Blackmore, Schenker, Rhoads, Lee, Sykes, Roth …
November 20th, 2025 at 20:03Thanks for the live performance clips of various ‘drummers’ and their off siders. Bill Bruford playing with Jon Lord, there is a first for my knowledge of that. Another Yes and King Crimson member who crossed paths (even very rarely or in a one off) with a DP member. Jon jamming with Rick at the Sunflower jam of course is the most known one, possibly. Regarding the keyboard players and improvising. It depends on what you are talking about, Rick Wakeman and Yes created their music just like Deep Purple did. Playing live in jam sessions etc, creating something from nothing so to speak. That is how their music was put together, no different to Purple. A fair bit of improvising going on there me thinks. However are we talking about live performances as such. Yes some players don’t improvise as much with the known recorded music, it depends on what music and how often it is performed too, how many different performances do we hear of the same composition performed live over the years. Uwe mentioned a few keyboard players. Richard Wright and early Pink Floyd improvised heaps in creating a lot of their original material. Sometimes too much noodling goes on, especially in a live setting and especially back in the day with so many artists from that era. As the years rolled by less and less improvising occurred in live performances. It is different for different artists. Those other keyboard players that Uwe mentions, well I would never consider the two Supertramp keyboard players in that light, or even Ken Hensley, bless him. Keith Emerson yes I would, although in certain recording situations he would have written music down I imagine for his classical or jazz pieces, to a degree at times not doubt. However how much jamming did The Nice and ELP do in those days. creating something from nothing. To improvise or to not improvise, that is the question. In a live setting or creating from scratch, two different perspectives as we know. For Uwe to say Rick Wakeman couldn’t get those pieces down pat at Jon’s tribute concert, well enough said there. How much does a one off performing musician know about the music they will be playing. A quick run through of sorts, possibly some rehearsing, sometimes not a lot. Charts in font of them at the concert to read from as they go. Is Uwe comparing to the original studio album? Not a good way to compare is it? It would be similar if Jon played at a Yes one off tribute or Rick’s solo music. Jon would have his way of dealing with it and no doubt it would be different in many aspects. Jon Lord was a masterful improviser and he placed a lot of importance on that as his history displays. Those early days with Ritchie in DP, say no more. I am not going to keep comparing with some of those other keyboard players that Uwe mentioned, where will this comparison end? We will never get out of here. Good points from everyone and we have to have keyboards in rock music, well most of the time it is critical to my ears. Cheers.
November 20th, 2025 at 22:08Brian Auger seems appropriately “Lordy” to me here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJfWOxP_eVY
Wakeman is a great keyboarder no doubt and a true original as a person. I also saw him live with ARW and dare I say he’s great, but also just a bit devil-may-care sloppy? In that respect very much like Chris Squire.
That is not saying that Jon was always Mr Accurate. But he was “the right kind of sloppy” (and better at hiding his mistakes than Ritchie 😎) and Purple’s music isn’t as precision-oriented (or sophisticated) as YES.
Tassie Boy, you probably never got to see Pete York’s Super Drumming in your neck of the eucalyptus woods, right? May I accomodate you then, you percussion koala?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVhTXCyWBeE&t=832s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQdtzexuzK8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hDtt1bFYLI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6mE0HjmjBo
Enjoy.😘 (It’s easy to make drummers happy, their needs and desires are largely primal.)
November 20th, 2025 at 23:54@ 20 – thanks Uwe, I have looked at a few of those York drumming concerts online over the years, I will check out your links. Regarding Wakeman he didn’t fit in with ARW to my ears. Trevor Rabin’s music style at least and that is polar opposites to Rick. I have seen a few live clips here and there and yes indeed, he was a bit out of sorts with that music I noticed. He lifted classic Yes to another level and in doing that also Steve Howe’s playing. Wakeman pushed Howe and the band in general and Howe seems to enjoy being a little more out there as Rick use to mix things up a little. I have noticed Rick playing set Yes pieces that he was involved in differently on a number of occasions. He is an edgy performer, which I like. Anyway, all good music for anyone who enjoys it. I don’t know as much of Keith Emerson in concerts to gauge how much he improvised as compared to studio material. So I don’t have a memory there of any improvising live in concert as such. Yes us drummers love to hit things, it is the most basic way to communicate, for want of a better description. Bang, Crash, Whallop. Cheers.
November 21st, 2025 at 07:41