MP:  What can we expect from your upcoming third solo-album?
Don: It will be more different than 'K2' and 'A Light In The Sky'. There will be five        instrumentals and five vocal-songs on it. It contains a much extended track about a famous World War 2-battle, and a track that's featuring guitarist Joe Bonamassa. He's a fantastic player! There are also some tracks with just Hammond, bass, and drums that we recorded live in the studio. It's quite a mixed bag, but I think the emphasis is the sound of the Hammond. That's what I wanted to capture.

MP: Although you went to music-college, you never achieved becoming a concert-pianist.

How come?
Don: I wasn't good enough! Ha!Ha!Ha! But to be honest: that's a very though life. When I went to music-college I practiced very hard, but I discovered that it wasn't my kind of thing. I was playing a lot of jazz, and a bit of rock, and I liked that very much.

MP:  The world doesn’t believe that Don Airey can't play Beethoven's 5th piano-concerto.
Don: Well, that's a very hard concerto. No, I can't play it. But I like his 4th piano-concerto, and I can play that. Ha!Ha!Ha!

MP:  Perhaps you need some more practice?
Don: I can't compete with those incredible pianists like Arthur Rubinstein. They are absolutely dedicated to their art. On the other side: they can only play music that is written. People in rock and roll have got something so to say. They're writing their own music.

MP:  Many keyboard-players are very fond of the Hammond organ-legend Jimmy Smith. What makes him so special?
Don: He's the greatest Hammond-player who ever lived. Jimmy was the first who actually did something with the Hammond. In the late 50's he took the instrument from the background to the foreground. He had an incredible technique, an incredible feel, and was a fantastic improviser. Miles Davis called him 'the 8th wonder of the world'…and that’s from Miles Davis! John Lord (ex-Deep Purple) made the decision to be different from Jimmy Smith. He said: "I can't do that, I'm going to do my own thing". Brain Auger did the same. He also couldn't copy Jimmy, and became a different kind of player. But someone like me, and maybe some other famous players, are still trying.

MP:  Many musicians who worked with Ritchie Blackmore said that his though kind of character made them better musicians. Can you agree with that?
Don: I learned a lot of great things from Ritchie. Things like how to put some music together, and how important the audience is. Also what is takes being in a band. He's a difficult person, but good people always are. For 30 years ago my life has been playing his music, and
I'm very proud of that.

MP:  You are also writing a book about your experiences as a musician and session player.

When will it be released?
Don: I got half way through, and then I stopped thinking about it. I said: "I can't put this out, because these are my friends". But I'm going to have another look now, and finish it off. Next week I'm going to talk to some publishers, and we'll see what happens.

MP:  Let’s do some gear talk. What's on stage during this tour?
Don: Oh, it's just a basis set-up. I've got a Kurzweill PC-3, and that's a great keyboard. It has some fantastic sounds, and you can build the sounds up. It's a very useful keyboard to have, especially as a master keyboard. I've used Kurzweill for years, although they are a bit quirky. Also I've go a Moog-Voyager on stage. It's a Voyager old-school, which means it doesn't have the presets. It's just like an old Mini-Moog.

MP:  Record companies aren't very keen on promoting keyboard-albums. Aren't they sexy enough like guitar players?
Don: My record company said that they want me to produce an album, but questioned who's on guitar. I promised to get some different guitar players. Gary Moore did a little playing on my forthcoming album, but because of copyright problems we can't use what he did. I was very upset about it, because it was the last time I saw him. So, I've got some of Gary's playing, but it will never see the light of day. The world of guitarists is a big network. There are a lot of magazines about it. Of course there are also keyboard-magazines, but they
are quite boring. Nobody reads them, unless you're a keyboard-player. Guitar-magazines are read by a much bigger readership. I agree that playing keyboards isn't very sexy. That's the thinking.

MP: What would you want to remember for when you retire from the rock-business?
Don: It's a difficult life when you're a keyboard player in rockbands. Characters like guitarists and singers are very forceful. They're pushing their way to the front. You've got to be in the background, and holding the band together. Being appreciated for providing that glue is the big part of the job. I think I've done that playing with Rainbow, and the first Whitesnake-album. Although I wasn't in the band, it's a pretty significant contribution. Also I'd like that people say that I'm the one who took over from John Lord helping to continue Deep Purple. That's an achievement!

LR: Thanks for your time and anwers, Don!

May 2011 Kerkrade the RockTemple,

Michel Scheijen.

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