Late DEEP PURPLE keyboardist JON LORD's official website reports:

"Here is conductor Paul Mann‘s tale of Concerto For Group And Orchestra. In this 45-minute in-depth interview, Paul Mann takes us through the process of recording the Concerto in Liverpool and at Abbey Road Studios in 2011 and 2012. He recounts the emotional day when Jon recorded his organ solo for the album; of working with all the guests on the album; and he also talks of the impact Jon’s Concerto had on his childhood years and how it helped shape his decision to become a conductor. The interview was filmed on July 11th, five days before Jon passed away."

When rock 'n' roll began, it was music of rebellion, fighting against the strait-laced world of classical music. The two worlds seemed far apart until the late Jon Lord wrote his Concerto for Rock Group and Orchestra which combined the forces of his heavy rock group DEEP PURPLE with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The work was premiered in the Royal Albert Hall in London under the baton of Malcolm Arnold in 1969. The late Jon Lord, in his last ever recorded interview, talks to the BBC Radio 4 about his passion for writing classical music, inspired by his early experiment with his Concerto.

Jon Lord always wanted a studio recording of his famed Concerto For Group And Orchestra. Only recently did he publicly make this wish a reality. In what turned out to be his swan song, he recorded Concerto For Group and Orchestra.

Lord assembled guest musicians such as IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson, JOE BONAMASSA (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) and Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse in the Abbey Road Studios, to work with his trusted partner, director Paul Mann, on the 2012 version of the legendary concert.

“Over these last years since leaving Deep Purple, I’ve played it over 30 times with different orchestras and conductors all over the world, and, of course, in 2000 I did it well over 30 times with Purple on the Concerto tour, so I’ve been honing the piece live on stage, and I’ve had the opportunity to change things in the score that weren’t sounding quite right. It is therefore a marvelous and exciting prospect to have the definitive recording of the definitive version of the score.” (Jon Lord May 2011)

On July 16, 2012, Jon Lord passed away in London at 71 years old. This album is a joyful testament of a great musician and fantastic man.

“His dignity and graciousness touched us all. His music was an inspiration and took us to places beyond our imagination… A truly great man. We humbly express our eternal love and great respect.” – Tribute from Deep Purple upon the passing of Jon Lord.

Jon Lord's Concerto For Group And Orchestra will be released by Eagle Rock Entertainment on September 25th and features the following tracklisting:

'Movement One'

'Movement Two'

'Movement Three'