Record-breaking Jazzfest: Finally a real Lord

By Johannes Dürr

Rottweil, May 15 – Moscow, Palermo, Mulhouse, Rottweil, Graz – the touring schedule of the all-stars around Jon Lord reads almost as august as the line up, with which the Jon Lord Blues Project was moving in as the culmination of this year’s Jazzfest. Said Jazzfest has set a new record of patrons, with one concert less than last year, and has lured all in all 11.000 listeners int the old Stallhalle.

They all have whirled tremendously, those many volunteers around the Jazzfest-core-team, the bandwidth in program was remarkable, the artists often world-class – notwithstanding shortened subventions and tightened legal restraints for the festival-doers. We can only hope that with the anniversary year also a lasting cooperation-agreement is up with the city, that the local council is going along with it, and program-maker Claus Gams can leave a tilled field to his club-successor Simon Busch.

At the close of this year’s concert marathon a bunch of old warhorses played, who gave together the blues gleefully and with ease – and especially during the second set not only that. In the Jon Lord Blues Project there is room not only for twist and rock’n'roll – as there plays a project-ensemble consisting of British bluesrock’s first string, whose members were celebrated stars already in the 60s and 70s.

They had the honours with Deep Purple, Eric Burdon, Mountain, Alexos Korner and Spencer Davis Group, and this list could be continued for quite a while. Obviously well-known to a bulk of the audience, quite some blues-expert entertained his neighbour with detailed expert-knowledge for several minutes, whilst polyphonic vocals and one solo after the next boomed from the boxes from the front.

The sound mixer struggled now and then, left a bit much of room for the guitar in some places, and in comparison to that a bit little for the Hammond, searched audibly for the correct level in reverb when powerful-voiced Maggie Bell entered for the first time, but all in all both tightly played stes convinced with a powerful and clear sound across the hall.

During the first 45 minutes it was clearly the Hoochie Coochie Men’s blues that dominated, but after the break there appeared more and more familiar, rocking tunes, soloes aplenty from Miller Anderson, Colin Hodgkinson, Zoot Money and of course Jon Lord himself, additionally one,  even two blues-tinted Deep Purple pieces, until right at the end, after all his colleagues, drummer Pete York was finally allowed to let rip.

Respect, they know their craft. According the atmosphere in the sold out venue, but after “Gimme some lovin” the veteran stars couldn’t be brought to play forther encores. Let the good times roll – to be continued in 2010…