JON LORD Is 'Looking Massively Forward' To Playing With DEEP PURPLE Again

May 30, 2008

Ex-DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord will join his former bandmates onstage for this year's Sun Flower Jam. The charity show takes place at Porchester Halls in London on September 25.

Confirming that this is a one-off, Jon Lord tells his official web site, JonLord.org, that he is excited by the prospect of playing with DEEP PURPLE for the first time in six years.

"I am looking massively forward to playing some of those grand old PURPLE numbers again," Jon Lordsays.

"I imagine they'll be playing some of the more recent stuff and I'll join for a few of the old favorites. The idea is not that they'll turn up without Don Airey at all. That would be terribly unfair to him after all this time," Jon Lord explains.

In its third year, the Sun Flower Jam is the brainchild of Jackie Paice, wife of DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice. The first two years Jon Lord performed at the Jam as part of the house band.

"I imagine I'll also be a member of the house band this year, so when DEEP PURPLE confirmed that they would come and do the show, Jackie asked me, 'Will you get onstage with them?' I said, 'Of course I will!'

"There's absolutely no animosity between us. Never was. And I really miss them, so I'm very much looking forward to it, and of course it's for such a good cause."

The Sun Flower Jam raises money to pay for complimentary health technicians who aid the healing process or the dying process in children's hospital wards.

"It all started when Paicey and I went to see a young DEEP PURPLE fan in hospital about four years ago," Jon Lord remembers. "He didn't know we were coming, and when we got there and he saw us, his eyes just lit up. We talked and he even got out of bed and plugged in his guitar to play 'Smoke on the Water' for us.

"The idea for the Sun Flower Jam came from that. The first and second years we raised a great deal of money. At University College Hospital in London we managed to add a full team of complimentary practicians.

"The idea behind the Sun Flower Jam is to keep raising money. It's in a small hall with only about 30 tables, each seating 10 people. During the evening we hold auctions, and you pay a lot of money for it, but that's fair enough.

"It's really nice to be able to do what you can to help and have terrific fun at the same time."

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