Thursday, August 15, 2013

Sights and Sounds: Jon Lord, Dream Theater, 'Front and Center' returns, New 'Music Worth Buying' episode

Today's roundup includes a little bit of everything, so let's get to it!


EAGLE ROCK AND EARMUSIC RELEASE
 
JON LORD
CONCERTO FOR GROUP & ORCHESTRA
 
AS BLU-RAY/CD AND DOUBLE VINYL ON SEPT. 3, 2013
 
 

New York, NY (August 15, 2013)--On September 3earMUSIC and Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the first studio recording of Jon Lord's Concerto For Group And Orchestra. Originally released in September 2012 on CD (earMusic/Eagle Rock), this groundbreaking meeting of rock and classical music will now be released as a Blu-ray/CD set and double vinyl. [MSRP $19.98 Blu-ray/CD, $24.98 2LP]
 
The recording of this incredible album began in June 2011 in Liverpool. Lord, the marvelous rhythm section of Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, Madonna) andBrett Morgan (Jon Anderson, Sting) with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (with whom Jon had recorded twice before) were conducted by Paul Mann. The production then moved to Abbey Road Studios in London to record Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson (on vocals withSteve Balsamo and Kasia Laska) and Joe BonamassaDarin Vasilev and Steve Morse on guitars.

Happily, Jon got to hear and approve the final mixes a few weeks before he passed away. The family and earMUSIC decided to proceed with the release of the album in September 2012 as scheduled, as this seemed the best way to celebrate and pay tribute to Jon and his beautiful music. Thus this superb studio recording of Concerto For Group And Orchestra is exactly the way Jon wanted us to hear it and will now hopefully become Jon's legacy for generations to come.

 “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 2012
 
Following the huge demand of the fans, the Concerto will now be made available on double vinyl including a special bonus audio piece: Jon Lord’slast interview with the BBC from August 2012. There will also be a very special Blu-ray + CD edition, which includes not only the full Concerto on CD and a 5.1 audio bonus piece on the Blu-ray, but the “Making Of” feature and in-depth interviews with Paul Mann and Marco de Goeij. Exclusive to this format is the new behind the scenes documentary “Up Close & Personal (Orchestral Recording Sessions)” which gives an interesting insight into the work of Jon Lord and the orchestra.
 
With his legendary organ blues-rock sound, Deep Purple’s founder Jon Lord has influenced decades of rock musicians. He is with no doubt the pioneer of fusing rock and classical/baroque forms and became one of the most important composers of the last few decades. Jon Lord co-wrote many of Deep Purple’s legendary songs including “Smoke On The Water” and played with many bands and musicians throughout his career (Whitesnake, Paice Ashton Lord, George Harrison). Best known for his orchestral work Concerto For Group And Orchestra was first performed and recorded at Royal Albert Hall with Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969, conducted by the renowned Malcolm Arnold - a feat repeated in 1999 when it was again performed at the Royal Albert Hall by the London Symphony Orchestra and Deep Purple.
 
Jon’s solo work was universally acclaimed when he eventually retired from Deep Purple in 2002 but he continued to tour the Concerto around the world to sell outs and standing ovations.

For more information on Jon Lord, please visit: www.jonlord.org
 

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Dream Theater event announced!




SPECTICAST TO DISTRIBUTE 
DREAM THEATER: 
LIVE AT LUNA PARK
 TO THEATRES WORLDWIDE 
THE LONG-AWAITED CONCERT FILM FROM TOP NAME IN PROGRESSIVE METAL CAPTURED OVER TWO NIGHTS FROM BUENOS AIRES

NEW YORK, NY (August 15, 2013) – SpectiCast and Eagle Rock Entertainment are once again collaborating to distribute the long-awaited DREAM THEATER: LIVE AT LUNA PARK concert film to theatres worldwide beginning Thursday, September 19, 2013.  This anticipated cinematic event was captured over two nights during the final leg of the band’s 15-month “A Dramatic Turn Of Events” world tour, which hit 35 countries. DREAM THEATER: LIVE AT LUNA PARK was filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina – home to one of Dream Theater’s most ardent fan-bases.
DREAM THEATER: LIVE AT LUNA PARK runs for 160 minutes and features many of Dream Theater’s classic tracks, including, “Metropolis Pt. 1,” “The Silent Man,” “Pull Me Under,” “The Root Of All Evil,” “The Test That Stumped Them All,” “The Spirit Carries On,” and the recent track “On The Backs Of Angels.” Dream Theater formed in 1985 under the name Majesty and has remained a top name in progressive metal ever since.
DREAM THEATER: LIVE AT LUNA PARK is a fantastic addition to our ROCK IN CINEMA series,” said Mark Rupp, Co-Founder and President of SpectiCast.  “We are delighted to continue our relationship with Eagle Rock Entertainment, bringing theatrical releases of concerts by some of the world’s best musical groups to theatres around the globe.”
DREAM THEATER: LIVE AT LUNA PARK will premiere on the SpectiCast network beginning September 19 2013.  For more information, visit www.liveatlunapark.com and www.specticast.com.
Furthermore, DREAM THEATER – the first self-titled collection in the GRAMMY®-nominated band’s nearly three decade career – arrives at last on September 24th.  The album is now available for pre-order in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard and special edition CDs, 180 Gram Vinyl Double LP, and a Limited Edition Box Set. Fans who pre-order the album via the iTunes Store will receive an instant free MP3 download of the Dream Theater’s new single, “The Enemy Inside.” Preorders are also available at Dream Theater’s Webstore as well as at the Roadrunner Records Webstore.

'Front and Center' music series set to return this fall
Good news for fans the PBS music series Front Row Center. The series, now called Front and Center, is set to return this fall. Writer George A. Paul has posted an in-depth look at the new season, which includes episodes focused on a wide range of artists including Train, Buddy Guy, Rock Candy Funk Party (featuring guitarist Joe Bonamassa) and more. Click here to read George's Music Minded post...

'Music Worth Buying' update


Finally, my Music Worth Buying co-host TJR has posted an excellent solo episode on our YouTube channel where he reviews a couple of MOJO magazine's tribute collections including We're With The Beatles and the Fleetwood Mac tribute Rumours Revisited:

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