Gig review: Jon Lord in concert

Published on Tuesday 6 October 2009 18:53

JON LORD IN CONCERT ***** USHER HALL, EDINBURGH

ROCK legend Jon Lord may have been top of the bill, but this concert turned out to be a triumphant showcase for the hugely talented young musicians from Stevenson College in Edinburgh, Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the City of Edinburgh Music School.

The main attraction was Lord's 1969 Concerto for Group and Orchestra, written for his band Deep Purple but given a gritty contemporary edge here by Stevenson's six-piece rock group, Concertium. Together with Lord, their performance was jaw-droppingly brilliant – they took the work and made it their own, delivering tight rhythms and riveting solos.

Not to be outdone, the orchestra rose to the challenge of Lord's complexity under the assured baton of Paul Mann, becoming an equal partner in this captivating battle of the bands. Their sparky reading was even more impressive given that the musicians were predominantly first-year academy students in their second week of term. Lord also proved he's still the king of the Hammond organ, with some deft fingerwork and trademark whirlpools of sound.

Flanked by two fast-paced movements, the shimmering slow movement highlighted the prowess of singer Grant Barclay. He went on to demonstrate his incredible range in the Deep Purple classic Child in Time.

It was a performance that even Ian Gillan might envy and both pieces had the audience on their feet. Barclay, together with bass guitarist Ryan Anderson, guitarists Grant Kilpatrick and Thomas Temple, saxophonist Christopher Hartles and drummer Oscar Mannoni are surely destined for stardom.

Earlier, traditional music students from Stevenson and the RSAMD impressed with a selection of tunes by Phil Cunningham. Leading the band on accordion and whistle, he proved that he is without doubt one of the country's finest tunesmiths.