Jon Lord will join Deep Purple onstage for this year’s Sunflower Jam. The charity show takes place at Porchester Halls in London on September 25.
Confirming that this is a one-off, Jon Lord 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 Lord says.
Jon Lord will be featured Special Guest during Deep Purple’s set at the Sunflower Jam.
– I imagine they’ll be playing some of the more recent stuff and I’ll join for a few of the old favourites. 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.
Read more below the photo.
Jon Lord with Roger Glover and Ian Paice at 2007’s Sun Flower Jam.
Photo: Fin Costello.
From house band to Special Guest
In its third year, The Sunflower 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.
Jamming for children
The Sunflower 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. 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, Jon Lord remembers.
– The idea for the Sunflower 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, Jon Lord says.
– 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, Jon Lord says.
Read more about The Sunflower Jam.
Video: Jon Lord and Ian Paice on BBC News about Sunflower Jam in 2007.
Book tickets for Sunflower Jam 2008.
Jon Lord - The Official Website 
Even with space for 10000 it would be sold out. Jon back with Purple (even it’s for a few songs) – a dream comming true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow great!!!
Hope that they produce an DVD for the fans of that show with Jon Lord!! I hope so….because I love Jon´s keyboard work so much!!
I’m a huge fan of Lord’s, he’s my favorite, but I really like Airey’s work, too. Perhaps they could both do some jamming on an upcoming album. It’s not against the law, and who cares how awkward it is?
The old ticker skipped a beat when I saw the news, but then I clocked the ticket price! Sorry, but it’s beyond my means, even for so good a cause. So, great idea Juergen; shoot a DVD and sell it for the charity. Please!
this BETTER be on dvd
Yep Great…. a real organ-player in DP again.!!!
But I can’t afford 3000,- for a table 😦 not eve 300 for a place : realy bad that this is so f*cking expensive
Even more inspiring, you continue to be a life model for me. God bless
tHANK YOU FOR ALL THE MUSIC WITH OR WITHOUT THE PURPLES.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE YEARS.
Many Happy Returns, Jon, and thank you for the music of our lives
Happy birthday Jon!
My best wishes go out to you.
Kind regards.
David.
Dear Jon,
It’s a good new!!!
Thank you for many years in Purple, thanks for “The Boom”, thanks for the Durham Concerto, thanks for all your Compositions, for the “future Music” and…
…Happy Birthday Maestro!
Giovanni
Great news indeed.
We are treated this summer with a lot of music of the DP family tree: Deep Purple, Blackmore’s Night, Whitesnake, Joe Lynn Turner with Graham Bonnet, Glenn Hughes and Dio, they all will play/played in Finland this summer.
But we miss you and your music, Jon.
We hope you’ll come to Finland soon.
Happy Birthday Jon.
Perfect Strangers of Finland, PSOF
Sirpa
info (at) psof.fi
http://www.psof.fi
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU JOHN!!!! All Ukraine with you!!!!! I wish you good Health, happiness and all, all, all what you need!!!!!
Hi Jon,
I’ve never met you in person, though I did get the opertunity of a lifetime to meet your old bandmates and Don a couple of years back with my son. Such wonderful guys!
It’s no surprise to me that you are doing a charity event, and a DVD would be a superb idea! Being in the States (U.S.) a trip to England is kinda out of the question for me, especially for just one show.
Hope you all enjoy the event and some time afterwards to catch up together.
Good Luck and God Bless! What you are doing is a great thing!
Allen
I’m going! Just got the confimation from Binni, and am I excited? You bet! When I heard of this there was no doubt in my mind: get ticket, get airplane-ride, get going! See you there! The price? Yes it is high, but so is the evening going to be one long high. Greetings from Denmark to all.
Jon Lord is one of the coolest fellows I know of.Guys like Peter O’Toole and Richard Harris and Jon Lord have got a dignity to them which is rapidly disappearing in today’s society. It must have been superb to be around him making music. Some guys have got class and Jon Lord’s got it. I’m always real happy to see him with Deep Purple. I get a good warm feeling to know he’ll be playing with Deep Purple. Jon Lord can bring out a smile and make you laugh what a great guy to hang out with.
Jon, you are one of my all time favorite musicians,bar none! When are you going to tour the U.S.? Specifically, the East Coast(Wash,D.C.)
Peace!
Stewart
i’ll try to be there for this meeting…
i cannot miss Lord & Airey togheter…
ilo from Italy
I sincerely hope that the jam will be recorded. Jon Lord is one of the reasons I sincerely started listening to Deep Purple and I am convinced that he is the king keyboardist that made Deep Purple what it is today. It is heartening to note his heartening attitude and relationship with the current members of the band.
Here’s hoping of more such sessions, and perhaps even including Ritchie…. after all there’s nothin’ like “Pictures of Home”