Tag / musicians

by trondjs

40. Another Ballad

"The Sun Will Shine Again"

From the left: Jon Lord, vocalists Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo, conductor Torodd Wigum, and backing singers Karina Hanssen and Nina Brovoll.

Seen from the left: Jon Lord at the grand piano, vocalists Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo, conductor Torodd Wigum, as well as backing singers Karina Hanssen and Nina Brovoll. The Lord Chamber Orchestra behind the, with the wonderful arches and the mighty rose window of the Nidaros Cathedral forming a stunning backdrop.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

The book is out – head to the bookstore to order your copy. There is two sizes and two bindings for each size available, from the standard sized book with soft cover, to the lavish coffee table book on high-end photo paper.

by trondjs

39. “Child in Time” Crescendo

39. Conductor Torodd Wigum with Jon Lord

Conductor Torodd Wigum leading the orchestra through the closing crescendo of “Child in Time”, with Jon Lord in the background.

As the end of “Child in Time” is building towards the finishing crescendo, conductor Torodd Wigum is fiercly leading the orchestra, Jon Lord seen towards the back on the right hand side.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

The book is out – head to the bookstore to order your copy. There is two sizes and two bindings for each size available, from the standard sized book with soft cover, to the lavish coffee table book on high-end photo paper.

by trondjs

38. Conductor Torodd Wigum, Jon Lord, Orchestra

38. Torodd Wigum with Jon Lord and

Conductor Torodd Wigum leading the orchestra through the closing crescendo of “Child in Time”, with Jon Lord in the background.

Conductor Torodd Wigum is leading the orchestra as “Child in Time” is coming to the crescendo. Jon Lord at the Hammond organ on the right side.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

The book is out – head to the bookstore to order your copy. There is two sizes and two bindings for each size available, from the standard sized book with soft cover, to the lavish coffee table book on high-end photo paper.

by trondjs

37. Jon Lord, Nathalie Lorichs, Steve Balsamo

37. Jon Lord, Nathalie Lorichs, Steve Balsamo

Jon Lord signalling to the musicians with his right arm, as Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo sing the final high notes during the second verse of “Child in Time”

We continue with the large bulk of photos taken during the last run-through of “Child in Time” before the concert. Here we see Jon Lord in a typical pose in the background, playing the Hammond organ and signalling to the band and orchestra, as vocalists Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo are reaching the higher notes during the second verse of the song.
See the video of the song performed during the concert here. The cover photo for that video is indeed taken at more or less the same moment during the song as this one, but from another angle.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

The book is out – head to the bookstore to order your copy. There is two sizes and two bindings for each size available, from the standard sized book with soft cover, to the lavish coffee table book on high-end photo paper.

by trondjs

36. Jon Lord with Steve Balsamo

Vocalist Steve Balsamo watching from the opposite side of the stage as Jon Lord plays the intro to the second verse of “Child in Time”.

36. Jon Lord with Steve Balsamo

Jon Lord by the Hammond organ with Steve Balsamo watching in the background, as the final crescendo in “Child in Time” is approaching.

Vocalist Steve Balsamo watching from the opposite side of the stage as Jon Lord plays the intro to the second verse of “Child in Time”.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

The book is out – head to the bookstore to order your copy. There is two sizes and two bindings for each size available, from the standard sized book with soft cover, to the lavish coffee table book on high-end photo paper.

by trondjs

35. Jon Lord – with Magnus Johansen

35. Jon Lord with Magnus Johansen

35. Jon Lord by the Hammond organ with keyboardist Magnus Johansen and the “Children in Time” choir in the background

Jon Lord plays the Hammond organ during “Child in Time”. Keyboardist Magnus Johansen watches him in the background. The choir is also visible. The “Children in Time” choir was gathered for the concert and conducted by Elen Cath Furunes.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

The book is out – head to the bookstore to order your copy. There is two sizes and two bindings for each size available, from the standard sized book with soft cover, to the lavish coffee table book on high-end photo paper.

by trondjs

34. The Martins

Bassist Martin Méndez and drummer Martin Axenrot playing.

34. The Martins

Bassist Martin Méndez and drummer Martin Axenrot watching Jon Lord (not in the photo) for cues during “Child in Time”

Bassist Martin Méndez and drummer Martin Axenrot playing – their eyes fixed on Jon Lord (not in the photo). This is still during “Child in Time”.

Martin and Martin form the rhythm section in Swedish prog-metal band Opeth. Opeth is held in high regard among their fans all over the world. But the rhythm section of a band starting out in the death metal genre back in 1990 appearing on an orchestral concert backing Deep Purple legend Jon Lord might not seem obvious to many of their fans. So how did it all come about?

“Exactly how they felt. They were so impressed by playing with Jon… and he seemed to like what they did too…” was Christer Lorichs’ comment to this photo when I posted it on Flickr shortly after the concert.

Christer is a central piece in this puzzle. A fan of Jon Lord for decades, he got to know the artist after meeting him for the first time while Jon was playing in one of the early versions of Whitesnake in 1979. His daughter Nathalie has been brought up listening to the music of Jon Lord and Deep Purple. And Nathalie Lorichs is the partner of Opeth drummer Martin Axenrot.

When Knut Morten Johansen set out to put this concert together, one of his main concerns was getting a really good backing band together. Of course, as big fans of Jon Lord, Knut and Christer’s paths had crossed long before this – as mentioned previously, Nathalie Lorichs sang backing vocals on Jon’s 2007 concert in the Nidaros Cathedral, for instance.

So, as I’ve heard this, Knut one evening sent an SMS to Christer – could there be a chance of getting Martin Axenrot to join as the drummer for this concert? Martin’s first reaction was very humble – why on Earth would Jon Lord want him as the drummer? Christer convinced him it was a good idea. Martin’s big idol as a drummer is Ian Paice – playing with Jon surely must have been a dream come true.
Nathalie was later suggested to Jon by Knut as a possible main female vocalist. Jon, remembering her voice from the backing vocals from 2007, quickly agreed to the suggestion.

Then, after Opeth’s concert in the Royal Albert Hall in London on April 5, 2010, Magnus Johansen – Knut’s son – on a whim asked Martin Méndez backstage after the gig if he would like to play bass on Jon’s Trondheim concert. Quite taken aback, Martin Méndez nonetheless said “Yes, of course!”, and the band lineup was complete.

At the party after the concert in Trondheim, Jon walked up to Martin and Martin and said: “Can I play with you guys again?” He also said to Nathalie: “Your boyfriend is one Hell of a drummer. Usually I have to wave my whole arm, to him I only have to show my little finger.”

A colour version of this photo has previously been published.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

The book is out – head to the bookstore to order your copy. There is two sizes and two bindings for each size available, from the standard sized book with soft cover, to the lavish coffee table book on high-end photo paper.

by trondjs

28. Nathalie Lorichs, Steve Balsamo and Torodd Wigum During “Child in Time”

Nathalie Lorichs, Steve Balsamo and Torodd Wigum During “Child in Time”

Nathalie Lorichs, Steve Balsamo, Torodd Wigum

Nathalie Lorichs, Steve Balsamo and Torodd Wigum During “Child in Time”

Vocalists Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo, with conductor Torodd Wigum during “Child in Time“.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

by trondjs

25. Jon Lord and the Children in Time

Jon Lord with the “Children in Time” choir in the background.

Jon Lord with the "Children in Time" choir

Jon Lord with the “Children in Time” choir in the background

Jon Lord plays the Hammond organ during “Child in Time”. In the background, the “Children in Time” choir is seen. Keyboardist Magnus Johansen is also seen on the left hand side in the background.

The “Children in Time” choir was, as the name suggests, gathered for the concert. Conducted by Elen Cath Furunes, the children’s choir was made up of then current and former song students at the Stjørdal school of culture – a municipal cultural offering for school children. Here’s an article about the choir from local newspaper Stjørdalens blad. (And if you, like a surprisingly large percentage of the world’s population, find yourself Norwegianally challenged, Google Translate is your friend.)

This was the first and only time “Child in Time” was performed by Jon with a choir. Jon wrote a totally new choir arrangement for this concert, which the choir received during the same week the concert was performed. They did a wonderful job, as can be seen and heard on the video from the concert.

Conductor Elen is in fact married to another of the unsung heroes of the evening – Terje Craig Furunes, who through his production company Craigtones produced the event. His version of “Smoke on the Water” translated to “nynorsk” during the birthday celebration that preceded the concert was also something to remember for those of lucky enough to be present.

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.

 

by trondjs

21. Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo Singing “Pictured Within”

Vocalists Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo singing “Pictured Within”.

Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo

Nathalie Lorichs and Steve Balsamo singing “Pictured WIthin”

Nathalie Lorichs singing backing vocals and Steve Balsamo handling the lead vocals for “Pictured Within”.

Vocalist Steve Balsamo practically came “out of nowhere” when he impressed Andrew Lloyd Webber so much that he landed the title part in “Jesus Christ Superstar” in the production at the Lyceum Theatre in London from 1996 to 1997. His TV performance of “Gethsemane” reputedly sold tickets for the show for GBP 160,000 within half an hour, and saw the world famous composer calling him “one of the most exciting talents it’s ever been my privilege to discover”. Steve had only played the part at college prior to this.

In 1997 he also sang the part at Værnes Church during the Hell Blues Festival in Norway – where Knut Morten Johansen was one of the organizers. Knowing Knut Morten’s part in organizing Jon Lord’s orchestral concert in the Nidaros Cathedral in 2003 – the concert that in large part gave Jon the confidence to continue with his orchestral music – I wouldn’t have been surprised if Knut Morten was the one suggesting Steve as a fitting singer for Jon. But indeed – the man himself assures me that this was not the case, and that Jon and Steve starting to collaborate had nothing to do with him.

Steve Balsamo reputedly has a massive three and a half octave vocal range, thus nearly matching the vocal range of the young Ian Gillan – who sang the title part on the original studio version of “Jesus Christ Superstar“ in 1970. Steve matches Ian in vocal range, but has a distinctly different voice – what I would call a “cleaner” sound, where the young Ian Gillan could add a rawer, more powerful sound. Apples and oranges – both are / were great. Steve clearly states Ian’s version was a huge influence.

(A colour version of this photo has previously been published.)

All Material: © Copyright Trond J. Strøm. All Rights Reserved.

No usage without my written consent. Links to the blog and blogs posts on social media etc are of course OK, but stealing the photos without permission is not.