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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 13, 2015 18:13:15 GMT
Thanks David, It really was a group effort and obviously wouldn't have been much without Martin's generous approach last week-end, so, it was all stops being pulled out and a hectic week. I can't say I fully agree as regards the acoustic-electric debate, Martin's playing of either, as well as Ian's acoustic work rarely leave me unsatisfied, but I can understand your reasoning fully. Tull's back catalogue contains so many different and diverse types of song that it is probably more easy to prefer one style over another, in a way that many other bands cannot achieve. Hi Pat, You really did a fine job. I always sweat a little when sharing my opinions, because I know my tastes are unusual for someone of my age and gender...and even for a Tull fan! As a kid I never dreamed of owning an electric guitar... I fantasized about owning a flute, a mandolin, and a Hammond Organ! I bought a flute and mandolin, but never could manage the Hammond! Tried to play the other two and never could get a good sound out of the bloody things! Personally, I find healthy and polite sharing of different opinions is a thing to be celebrated, but it can be too easy to offend without intending to do so. And I think you're right - Tull's music is so diverse that there is something for everybody in there somewhere! -David What I like most is multiple opinions as long as it's respectful, it's all good. It was a true team effort, amazing how much can get done on such a short deadline...Many thanks to Pat, Erin and Angella...A TEAM WORK
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 13, 2015 11:18:11 GMT
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 12, 2015 12:29:16 GMT
Pat thats a great video teaser for the upcoming box
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 12, 2015 12:28:10 GMT
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 12, 2015 12:23:01 GMT
FROM MARTINS FACEBOOK PAGE THIS MORNING
Martin Barre 1 hr Here is to the start of a great USA tour! Full list of venues & tickets are all on my website www.martinbarre.com/index.cfm/events
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 12, 2015 12:13:51 GMT
www.ticketfly.com/event/1004971-evening-blues-folk-rock-hamden/20 An Evening of Blues, Folk, Rock w/ a Touch of Tull Martin Barre (of Jethro Tull) Phoebe Legere The Ballroom at The Outer Space 295 Treadwell Street Building G Hamden, CT, 06514 Doors 7:00 PM / Show 7:30 PM Touring worldwide with his own band playing Jethro Tull classics, Martin Barre also performs material from his solo releases. His instantly recognizable fretwork can be heard in "Locomotive Breath," "Minstrel In The Gallery," "Songs From The Wood" and "Aqualung" which was voted one of best solos according to Guitar Player and Guitar World Magazines plus Martin's playing on 'Crest of a Knave' earned a Grammy. Tull also racked up a dozen gold and pair of platinum albums with sales exceeding 60 million. Barre worked with many other artists including
Paul McCartney, Phil Collins and Jo Bonamassa plus shared the stage with Hendrix, Floyd, Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac. "His playing has provided much of the energy that allows the band to soar on record and in concert." - BRUCE EDER ON ALLMUSIC.COM
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 12, 2015 12:11:53 GMT
www.thecapitoltheatre.com/2015/11/11/recap-jethro-tull-the-rock-opera-performed-by-ian-anderson-2015-11-10/ Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera Performed by Ian Anderson Words by: Howard Weiner Ian Anderson- Jethro Tull – The Rock Opera Capitol Theatre (Tue 11 10 15)_November 10 On a rainy Tuesday night in Port Chester, Ian Anderson and mates performed, Jethro Tull—The Rock Opera, in the Capitol Theatre. It was a heavy dose of Old Weird England: factories, farms, horses, electric guitars, and Ian’s iconic flute outbursts. The show simultaneously was well-conceived and bizarre —Pink Floyd meets Monty Python in an agricultural tug of war to the music of Mr. Anderson in a quasi-operatic, semi-cinemograph production. There was a big screen behind the band with images of farms and fields, and two virtual performers, vocalists Ryan O’Donnell and Unnur Birna Björnsdóttir. O’Donnell’s fine singing helped fortify and rest Ian’s weary voice. An early version of “Aqualung” fired-up the crowd. Ian and his big-screen alter-ego traded lines within verses. It sounds like this might have been messy, but it all worked out smoothly. O’Donnell had performed on stage with Ian before on his Thick as a Brick tour, and virtual reality was surprisingly rewarding. Ian pranced around the stage whistling flute and wearing sun glasses. A black bandana covered his cranium. Guitarist, Florian Opahle, cut loose with an outstanding “Aqualung” solo. Ian continued the story of Jethro Tull with some lesser-known numbers from his meaty back pages, and ended the opening set with “Songs from the Wood.” Between the cinematography, and the quality music from the band, there was a lot to digest. I’m inclined to believe that a show from this tour will either be released as a movie or documentary. After a brief intermission, and minus the glasses and bandana, Anderson opened set two with “And the World Feeds Me.” The tribute to Jethro Tull, the 18th century agriculturist, continued with “Living in the Past” and “Jack in the Green,” the latter song being one of the only tunes Anderson sang in its entirety. Opahle unleashed another fine solo in “Living in the Past,” and the rest of the band featuring, David Goodier on bass, John O’Hara on keyboards, and Scott Hammond on drums, was super-tight all night. The set plowed forward with some early Tull favorites, “Cheap Day Return” and “A New Day Yesterday,” as Ian played flute in his legendary one-foot on the floor and one-knee bent stance. As one might prognosticate, the blockbuster tune was “Locomotive Breath.” Ian and mates once again proved you’re never too old to rock and roll, or too young to plow a field. This splendidly arcane show spliced together opera, theatre, film, and rock and roll. It was a distinctive and memorable night, unlike anything Port Chester has ever seen, and won’t see again, unless Ian returns to give us another taste of Old Weird England.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 11, 2015 13:50:13 GMT
www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/music/jethro-tull-pays-homage-to-namesake-agriculturist-1.1451581 Ian Anderson brings Jethro Tull, the man and the band, to life November 9, 2015 By BRIAN ABERBACK SPECIAL TO THE RECORD | WHO: Ian Anderson Presents Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera. WHAT: Progressive and folk rock. WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday . WHERE: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St., Newark; 888-466-5722 or njpac.org. HOW MUCH: $39.50 to $119.50. MORE INFO: jethrotull.com. Jethro Tull is giving some love to its namesake. The band led by singer-flutist-guitarist Ian Anderson will perform a multimedia rock opera on Wednesday in Newark that reimagines the life of the original Jethro Tull, a pioneering 18th-century British agriculturist. "A little over a year ago I was driving through Europe and looking at the different forms of agriculture out of the window of the car and it made me think of Jethro Tull," Anderson said by phone from his home in Britain. "I starting reading about his life story and was immediately struck by how many songs I've written over the years that coincidentally touch on elements of his life. "It got me wondering what he would make of farming today," Anderson said, "and I thought it would be interesting to build a narrative about his life in the present and near-future around Jethro Tull the band's most well-known songs." Tull, the agriculturist, is best known for inventing the horse-drawn seed drill. The device, which sows seeds at equal distances in the soil and then covers them, helped form the basis for modern agriculture. "Today we need more and more food to feed more and more people in a cheaper way," Anderson said. "During the next 50 years we really do need another Jethro Tull to come up with the innovations that are going to be necessary to address this problem. The show concerns issues of genetics and cloning, moral dilemmas in the agro-business." Anderson said Jethro Tull's classic song, "Aqualung," about a ragged, sick homeless man with nasty respiratory problems, has ties to Tull the man's real-life health ills. "Jethro Tull suffered from pulmonary problems and traveled abroad seeking balmier climates," Anderson said. Another Tull favorite, "Locomotive Breath," about population expansion, was also a natural fit for the rock opera. Anderson said he changed some of the songs' lyrics to better reflect the story. "The show provides a chance to give those songs I've played many times in the past a new context," he said. Anderson also wrote five new songs to help position Tull's life in the present day and near-future. The concert features virtual duets between Anderson and pre-recorded, guest vocalists projected on large screens. There are also actors onscreen portraying Tull, his wife, father and son. Jethro Tull the band, like its namesake, were also innovators. The group formed in 1968 — the band's agent at the time gave the group its name. "I didn't know who he was at the time," Anderson said. "I didn't study that period of history when I was in school." The band melded folk and progressive rock, with Anderson introducing the flute as part of the equation. The woodwind instrument mirrors and compliments the guitar riffs on tracks like "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath," adding a then-unheard-of dimension to rock music that became part of the band's signature sound. Jethro Tull released its debut album, "This Was," in 1969. Their breakthrough album, 1970's "Aqualung," hit No. 4 on the U.K. charts and No. 7 in America. Follow-up "Thick As a Brick" (1972) consisted of just one song spanning the entire 45-minute album. Despite its non-commercial bent, "Thick As a Brick" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart, as did the band's next album, "A Passion Play" (1973). Tull continued to release popular albums throughout the ensuing decades, including "Songs from the Wood" (1977) and "Crest of a Knave" (1987), which won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. The band's last release was a 2003 Christmas album. SEATS STILL AVAILABLE AS OF 8:30 am
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 11, 2015 13:02:09 GMT
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 11, 2015 12:45:36 GMT
www.pressreader.com/usa/the-philadelphia-inquirer/20151110/282226599609425/TextViewPhiladelphia Inquirer An opera for Jethro Tull band’s namesake. By A.D. Amorosi Despite recently retiring the Jethro Tull brand, British baritone singer-flutist Ian Anderson has conjured his onetime band’s namesake — an 18th-century English inventor-agriculturalist who modernized farming — for something new, pretentious, yet weirdly winning, in Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera. Playing Saturday at the Academy of Music, this wasn’t a reunion of Anderson’s progressive-blues band, wasn’t a theater piece, and wasn’t some historically based lesson plan on tilling and seeding the land. The overall text of the new program — meant to flesh out Tull hits and original Opera Anderson bits — concentrated itself in an imagined present-day dialogue: What if the real-life Jethro Tull were working now? This might not seem like every rock fan’s fantasy of a weekend excursion. There were Spinal Tap-ish moments like the horror rock-ist “Fruits of Frankenfield.” Then again, Anderson aficionados have forever watched their longtime hero wear codpieces and tell long, literarily lyrical, interrelated stories, such as those that fill conceptual LPs like Minstrel in the Gallery. What’s one more night with plant-based rock songs and flutes? This might not seem like every rock fan’s fantasy of a weekend excursion. There were Spinal Tap-ish moments like the horror rock-ist “Fruits of Frankenfield.” Then again, Anderson aficionados have forever watched their longtime hero wear codpieces and tell long, literarily lyrical, interrelated stories, such as those that fill conceptual LPs like Minstrel in the Gallery. What’s one more night with plant-based rock songs and flutes? Backed by a screen loaded with fast-moving landscapes and GMO-related graphics, Anderson and his quartet (highest marks to thick-as-abrick organist John O’Hara) interacted with filmed singer-characters portraying young Tull and a damsel of the woods, who turned into a woman in a pantsuit (is this what the city does to a lass?) in the opera’s second act. That interaction was surprisingly seamless, even when Anderson duetted with Unnur Birna Björnsdóttir on the sweeping ballad “With You There to Help Me” or (with Ryan O’Donnell) crunching, dramatic Tull classics like “Aqualung.” Backed by a screen loaded with fast-moving landscapes and GMO-related graphics, Anderson and his quartet (highest marks to thick-as-abrick organist John O’Hara) interacted with filmed singer-characters portraying young Tull and a damsel of the woods, who turned into a woman in a pantsuit (is this what the city does to a lass?) in the opera’s second act. That interaction was surprisingly seamless, even when Anderson duetted with Unnur Birna Björnsdóttir on the sweeping ballad “With You There to Help Me” or (with Ryan O’Donnell) crunching, dramatic Tull classics like “Aqualung.” On hits such as that, the sensuously breezyblue “Living in the Past,” and the hard syncopated “Locomotive Breath,” Anderson’s rich baritone cracked when approaching breathier moments and highest-highs. Luckily, he didn’t hide the stress, but rather pointed upward as though to signify the familiar sound audiences might’ve expected; or he just hit the flute and crafted lilting curlicues of tooty jazz. The pixieish “Songs From the Woods” found its voice, literally and figuratively, in the backing of his band’s boyish vocal chorale. In other cases, Anderson doubled down on the deeper end of his voice for the familiar ground-dragging grumble of “Jackin-the-Green” and its acoustic strum. Either way, when Anderson’s voice warmed — whether it was the through-the-glen groovy “Requiem and Fugue” or the barbed “Farm on the Freeway” — his vocals were as saucy and rounded as his flute’s flighty low tones.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 11, 2015 12:36:35 GMT
www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20151110_Review___Jethro_Tull__The_Rock_Opera_.htmlPhiladelphia review Review: 'Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera' A.D. Amorosi, For The Inquirer Despite recently retiring the Jethro Tull brand, British baritone singer-flutist Ian Anderson has conjured his onetime band's namesake - an 18th-century English inventor-agriculturalist who modernized farming - for something new, pretentious, yet weirdly winning, in Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera. Playing Saturday at the Academy of Music, this wasn't a reunion of Anderson's progressive-blues band, wasn't a theater piece, and wasn't some historically based lesson plan on tilling and seeding the land. The overall text of the new program - meant to flesh out Tull hits and original Opera Anderson bits - concentrated itself in an imagined present-day dialogue: What if the real-life Jethro Tull were working now? This might not seem like every rock fan's fantasy of a weekend excursion. There were Spinal Tap-ish moments like the horror rock-ist "Fruits of Frankenfield." Then again, Anderson aficionados have forever watched their longtime hero wear codpieces and tell long, literarily lyrical, interrelated stories, such as those that fill conceptual LPs like Minstrel in the Gallery. What's one more night with plant-based rock songs and flutes? Backed by a screen loaded with fast-moving landscapes and GMO-related graphics, Anderson and his quartet (highest marks to thick-as-a-brick organist John O'Hara) interacted with filmed singer-characters portraying young Tull and a damsel of the woods, who turned into a woman in a pantsuit (is this what the city does to a lass?) in the opera's second act. That interaction was surprisingly seamless, even when Anderson duetted with Unnur Birna Björnsdóttir on the sweeping ballad "With You There to Help Me" or (with Ryan O'Donnell) crunching, dramatic Tull classics like "Aqualung." On hits such as that, the sensuously breezy-blue "Living in the Past," and the hard syncopated "Locomotive Breath," Anderson's rich baritone cracked when approaching breathier moments and highest-highs. Luckily, he didn't hide the stress, but rather pointed upward as though to signify the familiar sound audiences might've expected; or he just hit the flute and crafted lilting curlicues of tooty jazz. The pixieish "Songs From the Woods" found its voice, literally and figuratively, in the backing of his band's boyish vocal chorale. In other cases, Anderson doubled down on the deeper end of his voice for the familiar ground-dragging grumble of "Jack-in-the-Green" and its acoustic strum. Either way, when Anderson's voice warmed - whether it was the through-the-glen groovy "Requiem and Fugue" or the barbed "Farm on the Freeway" - his vocals were as saucy and rounded as his flute's flighty low tones. www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/music/20151110_Review___Jethro_Tull__The_Rock_Opera_.html#QAbM30oIEm7EssxY.99
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 10, 2015 12:44:41 GMT
rocknycliveandrecorded.com/jethro-tull-a-rock-opera-foxwoods-casino-mashantucket-ct.htmlJethro Tull A Rock Opera, Foxwoods Casino Mashantucket, CT Written by Helen Bach | November 9, 2015 7:25 atullCasinos suck. You enter them your lungs fall out from the filthy smell of smoke and disappointment. Your surrounded by 3 elements. Old folks in double knit and O2 tanks throwing out their kids inheritance, gangster thugs who are using their public assistance to pretend theyre Kanye for a night and this odd element of people with kids… what the hell are 5 year olds doing there? So straight out the gate Im pissed off and doing a runner since Foxwoods has chosen not to use proper signage to direct you to their ‘Grand Theater’. I asked a total of 5 people for directions.. and got 4 different answers. Onward. As a massive Tull fan I was excited but guardedly so to see this ‘rock opera’, I purposely did little research- rather wanting to have a fresh perspective. What I had read was all negative- so lets face it, I had a bit of negative in my vibe (as always). Ian Anderson, at age 68, must be nearing the end of his route, or so you’d think. A ‘progressive’ rock band 30 years ago is a dinosaur today- right? Welcome to the ‘opera’ which in fact is no opera at all and if you’re thinking rock opera ala The Who’s,”Tommy” stop thinking now. Jethro Tull A Rock Opera is in fact Ian Anderson and an excellent band playing back up to a movie and nothing more. As a screen (which I found a tad too small for the stage) played the story of agriculturalist Jethro Tull (look it up- its a bore.. and if you plan on seeing the show.. please research the character since otherwise you will have absolutely no idea whats going on) but relax, all is not lost. Ian Andersons voice is shot. It is gone. He masters his nasal exclamations but anything more is just a garble. Thankfully our video leading lady Unnur Birna Bjornsdottir has the pipes of a fucking angel. I generally hate female voice but her haunting tone and gorgeous accent kept me engaged. So hats off to her image for keeping it real. How much did she get for this gig? She’s a movie– its the great rock and roll swindle and I’m pretty jealous. But as the hero of this event she deserves every penny. Anderson for all his missing range has done something miraculous. He has amped up his musicianship. I saw him about five years ago and was blown away with his incredible vocal power, last night I was blown away by his incredible musicianship. Suppose its a case of when one door closes another opens cuz for all his missing lyrics- he kicks your ass on flute and every other instrument he touches. His grand and sweeping theatrics are dynamic and impacting… but again, he cant sing for jack…but who cares at this point? As this back and forth story goes on the music is there with some favorites tossed in for good measure. “Songs From The Wood”, “Locomotive Breath”, “Bouree”, (blissfully instrumental) the haunting “Witch’s Promise” all showed up for sing a long.. and the crowd ate it with a spoon. The crowd, thats another story..but I’ll let them be, theyre lives are tough enough. Lets just say I may well have been the youngest person there and upon exit I felt as if I were on set for the Walking Dead. Am I sorry I attended this event? Not at all. Unlike some performances by ‘legendary artists’, there was zero nostalgia here. Aside for some absolutely heart warming footage of our Ian in his fluffy locks piper days there was no looking back. Anderson took classic tunes, tweaked them, and got younger voices to deliver the goods- that makes him genius in my eyes. I bid Ians voice goodbye. I’m grateful for having hear them in full glory live while they were at prime, and I mourn that loss but I also take comfort in knowing that at 68 years old you can still be progressive. You just need to modify your work and he did so quite well. I wont grade him, nor the night. I wont name check the band or the other ‘video stars’…I wont dwell on the audience flaws… instead I’ll just admit that for one night Anderson was able to. ‘spin me back down the years and the days of my youth’.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 10, 2015 12:40:09 GMT
www.thesunchronicle.com/go/concert-review-ian-anderson-offers-jethro-tull-as-rock-opera/article_2af5e7d6-8712-11e5-8d74-8f501a2ff4bb.htmlConcert review: Ian Anderson offers Jethro Tull as rock opera Ian Anderson performs in "The Life and Times of Jethro Tull." BY STEPHEN PETERSON SUN CHRONICLE STAR MASHANTUCKET, Conn. — Move over “Tommy.” There’s a new rock opera making the rounds. Ian Anderson, 68, and his legendary British progressive art rock group, Jethro Tull, brought their take on the genre, “The Life and Times of Jethro Tull,” to the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Sunday night. The band is named after an 18th century English agriculturalist who invented the seed drill, and the opera pays tribute to him.It tells the story of Tull’s life, reimagined with video clips as if it were in the near future. One clip shows a young Tull and a woman both singing along with the eccentric vocalist/flutist Anderson, who hails from Edinburgh, Scotland. There was more singing and less instrumental play than is typical of an Anderson show.As his usual animated self, the frontman hopped up and down on one leg along the stage playing the flute, an unusual instrument for a rock group’s lead vocalist. The band included bassist David Goodier, keyboardist/conductor John O’Hara, guitarist Florian Opahle and drummer Scott Hammond. The song list spanned new and old — including a few classics from the Grammy Award-winning group, divided into two one-hour sets, with an intermission and encore. Some of the lyrics were slightly rewritten by Anderson to better tell the tale. His lyrics have always been profound and surreal. And there was a modern twist to the rock opera, with global warming’s impact on agriculture referred to in videos. The opening song, “Heavy Horses,” was a folky tune that featured the female on video playing violin. The opera turned to hard rock as Anderson played mandolin on his band’s most famous song, “Aqualung,” and the guitarist shined. Anderson was back on flute for “With You There to Help Me.” “Back to the Family,” the lengthy “Farm on the Freeway,” “Prosperous Pasture,” “Fruits of Frankenfield,” and another folk number, 1977’s “Songs From the Wood,” wrapped up the opening set. The second set opened with “And the World Feeds Me.” “Living in the Past,” from the 1972 album of the same name, just missed out making the Top 10 on the music charts. There were film clips of vintage Jethro Tull and Anderson with long hair and a beard. Anderson switched back to mandolin on “Jack-in-the-Green,” and returned on flute for “The Witch’s Promise,” “Weathercock,” and the toe-tapping “Stick, Twist, Bust.” After playing mandolin on “Cheap Day Return,” Anderson performed on harmonica for “A New Day Yesterday” from 1969. Following “The Turnstile Gate” was another popular tune, “Locomotive Breath,” that has an enticing keyboard introduction and is also from the “Aqualung” album. A video of a moving train was shown. The encore was “Requiem and Fugue” (with snippet of Bourrée) that showcased the organ.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 9, 2015 16:42:53 GMT
Seems you enjoyed the show, that's great, I agree it might be better to try and just listen to the music, as if you try and follow the video you will get lost in it. I felt the same about the first set, very slow and dragged especially after a good version of Farm On The Freeway. The second set did pull up the overall enjoy ability of the show with the highlights for me Cheap Day return and Requiem.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 9, 2015 15:04:37 GMT
My take on the Wang Theater Show !!!!......
Oprea is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (libretto) and musical score usually in a theatrical setting....Well with that said the Ian Anderson show was that, it combined musicians and singers in a theatrical manner. The video playing the entire time was trying to help the story line and attempted to let the audience follow along the tale of the modern "Jethro Tull". Although a valiant effort I found the video somewhat a distraction at times and took away from the band performance. The band played very well but to me it seemed almost sterile especially without the usual banter and wit of Ian nowhere to be found. It still amazes me that Ian can still deliver the goods and the MU (Musician Union) on his passport is and has been safely stamped. Ian shows is still full of motion and gesture that we all have come to know over these past 47 years. It's been heard a million times about his voice .."it is what it is".
I think we as fans have to get over that fact, so I thought it good he had others to help him out. However I would rather of seen them playing live also it would of have made for a better show. To me it seems strange to watch them on a screen instead of singing it live, I guess the old Memorex phrase can be used here "Is it live or is it Memorex". I found Unnar Birna Bjornsdottir's vocals at times where overpowering. While I liked her voice found it strange to hear her in some of Ian's classic Tull songs. It was great to have her to assist in those songs but found it a hard adjustment because I am so used to Ian signing them. The roll Ryan played was easier for me as I am used to Ryan assisting in the vocal department for a few years now. He compliments Ian fairly with his vocals. David Goodier makes also assisting in the vocal department and has a major roll on the video. The video was the undertaking of James Anderson, an interesting video shoot, while a major under taking I think the story line gets lost because there is almost too much going on, I know I am more inclined to watch the musicians and not pay a lot of attention to any video and the video which tells a story gets lost and once you lose your place it makes it even harder to follow the theme.
It was too bad that a lot of the small passages between songs were barely audible and very hard to make out and understand, I think if those were a bit easier to hear and understand it would of helped the flow, especially in the first half. The other inconvenience was that Ian changed the lyrics to so many songs it made those lyrical changes almost over shadow the entire song. Most fans know Ian's lyrics and when he changed them it kind of changed the entire flow of the song. Especially in songs like "Back To The Family", a song that rarely is ever played live. The new lyrics kind of put a different spin to the song and changes it completely. There are other minor alterations of lyrics throughout the entire show that disturb the natural flow in my head. Some of the new songs, to me seem like outtakes from HE, and found it hard to understand and hear them. I think when they release a the DVD/CD release ( I am speculating) of the show it might be nice to have all the lyrics included, even the passages between the songs. That might make it easier for people to follow the story..just my opinion. To me the first half drag along not terrible but a bit stagnant I thought that Farm On The Freeway and With You There To Help Me were the solid points of the set but I guess it was building momentum to the second set which I thought saved the day. Having the opening set end with 2 new songs "Prosperous Pasture", "Fruits Of The Frankenfield " and "Songs From The Wood" , I thought it just ground to end and lost the momentum that Farm On The Freeway seemed to start. The second set started with another new song, of all of them this one to me was the best "And The World Feeds Me" It started a solid second set with great versions of Living In The Past, Weathercock, A New Day Yesterday. The absolute highlight s for me were A Cheap Day Return and the final song Requiem, Ian at his absolute best.
The show overall I thought was a lot better than I thought it would be. I went in with an open mind as I always try to do. I will say I would give it a solid B- not bad for a show I had serious reservations about. Again Ian always has a surprise for us and in this show it was Cheap Day return and Requiem.
The band is solid from start to finish, I have said it a million times Ian Anderson is one the most gifted musician. I love hearing Ian on any acoustic instruments and flute. He has such a unique mastery of these instruments, it virtual can send shivers up your spine. Ian voice is no longer his strongest asset we all know this, so we have come to accept that that. I thought it was a good idea to have others pick up some of the vocals to help Ian out. Which for the most part worked. The band was solid John Ohara on keyboards did a wonderful intro to Locomotive Breath. Florian played solid, and had some nice solo work in Locomotive Breath. Scott Hammond well he just plays and does a great job not over powering but spot on. New bass player Greg Robinson does a great job subbing for David Goodier.
I will say this about any time I go to an Ian show or in the past a Jethro Tull show, the people you run into and chat with along the way make it exciting. It is great to see old friends and make some new ones, and that is how an Ian Anderson show has always been. It brings us fans together and brings new fans into the circle of this family we call "Jethro Tull" or "Ian Anderson"...It is only giving that makes you what you are..
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 5, 2015 14:04:33 GMT
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 5, 2015 12:09:22 GMT
Ian Anderson performs "Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera" on Tuesday night, Nov. 3, at Detroit's Fox Theatre
www.themorningsun.com/article/MS/20151104/ENTERTAINMENT/151109886 By Gary Graff, ggraff@digitalfirstmedia.com,, @graffonmusic on Twitter DETROIT -- There were two distinct but satisfying ways to take in “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera,” which Tull founder and frontman Ian Anderson brought to town Tuesday night, Nov. 3, at the Fox Theatre. One was to accept it at its highly conceptual face value, as a multi-media biography of the real Jethro Tull, a British agriculturist and inventor, but uploaded into a new context of contemporary issues such as global warming, food production and population control. The other was to simply enjoy it as a characteristically exceptional Tull concert and whose concept meant some choice rarities and lesser-known material -- as well as some solid new songs -- made their way into the two-hour (plus intermission) show. The former was filled with technological dazzle, living up to the theatrical leanings of Tull’s 70s heyday and arguably the most ambition show Anderson has ever staged. The affair was tightly synchronized with an elaborate video production that featured an array of vignettes and virtual duets, primarily with actor Ryan O’Donnell as the young Tull and Icelandic singer-fiddler Unnur Birna Bjornsdottir -- although during “Living In The Past” Anderson played his flute and sang along with the significantly hairier early 70s version of himself on the screen. The set list was also tailored to the story, drawing from the “rural” side of the Tull canon, including “Heavy Horses,” “Farm on the Freeway,” “Songs From the Wood” and “Jack-in-the-Green” -- some with lyrics altered to fit the plot -- as well as short connecting pieces between songs. There were five new tracks, too, of which “And the World Feeds Me,” “The Turnstile Gate” and the rocking “Stick, Twist, Bust” stood well along side the more familiar material. It’s hard to say whether those at the Fox on Tuesday gleaned a great deal if insight into the real Tull’s history and philosophies -- and a bottom-heavy sound mix that obscured many lyrics certainly did not help. Stilted and occasionally preachy? Yes. But entertaining and original? Absolutely. And if you didn’t want to buy into the Tull tale, there was still the music itself, a deep-digging set deftly delivered by Anderson and his four cohorts. There were enough established favorites such as “Aqualung” and a lengthy romp through “Locomotive Breath,” but the real treat for Tull fans was hearing fare such as “Wind-Up,” “With You There To Help Me,” “Back to the Family,” “The Witch’s Promise,” “Weathercock,” “Cheap Day Return” and “A New Day Yesterday” -- material that doesn’t make the cut in more conventional shows. The group played a bit of the instrumental “Bourree” during the encore of “Requiem and Fugue,” and Anderson offered a bit of his one-legged flute playing during “Living in the Past” and “Locomotive Breath.” In that regard the concert may have worked somewhat better than the concept, but either purpose was well-served on Tuesday night. Any way you took it, “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera” was a story well worth hearing.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 4, 2015 13:43:36 GMT
Yes it is, it from Greece
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 4, 2015 12:19:22 GMT
www.theoaklandpress.com/arts-and-entertainment/20151104/review-ian-anderson-presents-a-tull-tale-at-the-fox-theatreIan Anderson presents a Tull tale at the Fox Theatre Ian Anderson performs "Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera" on Tuesday night, Nov. 3, at Detroit's Fox Theatre By Gary Graff, The Oakland Press DETROIT -- There were two distinct but satisfying ways to take in “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera,” which Tull founder and frontman Ian Anderson brought to town Tuesday night, Nov. 3, at the Fox Theatre. One was to accept it at its highly conceptual face value, as a multi-media biography of the real Jethro Tull, a British agriculturist and inventor, but uploaded into a new context of contemporary issues such as global warming, food production and population control. The other was to simply enjoy it as a characteristically exceptional Tull concert and whose concept meant some choice rarities and lesser-known material -- as well as some solid new songs -- made their way into the two-hour (plus intermission) show. Jethro Tull, the band, meets the man in new show The former was filled with technological dazzle, living up to the theatrical leanings of Tull’s 70s heyday and arguably the most ambition show Anderson has ever staged. The affair was tightly synchronized with an elaborate video production that featured an array of vignettes and virtual duets, primarily with actor Ryan O’Donnell as the young Tull and Icelandic singer-fiddler Unnur Birna Bjornsdottir -- although during “Living In The Past” Anderson played his flute and sang along with the significantly hairier early 70s version of himself on the screen. The set list was also tailored to the story, drawing from the “rural” side of the Tull canon, including “Heavy Horses,” “Farm on the Freeway,” “Songs From the Wood” and “Jack-in-the-Green” -- some with lyrics altered to fit the plot -- as well as short connecting pieces between songs. There were five new tracks, too, of which “And the World Feeds Me,” “The Turnstile Gate” and the rocking “Stick, Twist, Bust” stood well along side the more familiar material. It’s hard to say whether those at the Fox on Tuesday gleaned a great deal if insight into the real Tull’s history and philosophies -- and a bottom-heavy sound mix that obscured many lyrics certainly did not help. Stilted and occasionally preachy? Yes. But entertaining and original? Absolutely. And if you didn’t want to buy into the Tull tale, there was still the music itself, a deep-digging set deftly delivered by Anderson and his four cohorts. There were enough established favorites such as “Aqualung” and a lengthy romp through “Locomotive Breath,” but the real treat for Tull fans was hearing fare such as “Wind-Up,” “With You There To Help Me,” “Back to the Family,” “The Witch’s Promise,” “Weathercock,” “Cheap Day Return” and “A New Day Yesterday” -- material that doesn’t make the cut in more conventional shows. The group played a bit of the instrumental “Bourree” during the encore of “Requiem and Fugue,” and Anderson offered a bit of his one-legged flute playing during “Living in the Past” and “Locomotive Breath.” In that regard the concert may have worked somewhat better than the concept, but either purpose was well-served on Tuesday night. Any way you took it, “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera” was a story well worth hearing.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 3, 2015 20:15:09 GMT
Podcast # 22 features the modern day minstrel Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Jim Sullivan chats with Ian about performing Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera on the current tour, as well as all things Tull and beyond. Only on Boston Rock/Talk....sadly this is a uninformed person.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 3, 2015 19:14:07 GMT
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 3, 2015 15:45:20 GMT
Great Photo
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 3, 2015 12:17:30 GMT
chicagoconcertreviews.com/reviews/2015-11-01-jethro-tull-the-rock-opera/Ian Anderson revitalizes the classics and beyond in “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera” Posted on November 1, 2015 by Andy Argyrakis Jethro Tull With 30 studio and live albums that collectively sold over 60 million copies, Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull have toured the globe countless times since it all kicked off at London’s Marquee Club nearly 50 years ago. But across all the eras and incarnations, the legendary leader and his cast of outstanding players have never staged a theatrical spectacle quite like “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera,” which featured live performances intermingled with floor-to-ceiling visuals. Even with the quasi-operatic nature of the program, the double act, two hour undertaking still incorporated all the key elements of a massive rock show, from Anderson’s theatrical singing and flute-playing stances to his backers’ killer chops and playful interplay over lights and smoke galore. This time through the opulent Chicago Theatre (which rarely sounded better), Anderson, bassist David Goodier, keyboardist John O’Hara, guitarist Florian Opahle and drummer Scott Hammond told the tale of the real life Jethro Tull (the English agricultural inventor from the 1700s), who’s transported to this century to tackle hunger and environmental issues. Along the way, the program didn’t just feature several songs from the band’s beloved progressive/folk/hard rock songbook (with tweaked lyrics at times to further reflect the premise), but also a solid chunk of fresh tunes written specifically for the show, both of which interplayed with the actors/singers on the screen and descriptive scenery. Jethro Tull Even with the quasi-operatic nature of the program, the double act, two hour undertaking still incorporated all the key elements of a massive rock show, from Anderson’s theatrical singing and flute-playing stances to his backers’ killer chops and playful interplay over lights and smoke galore. An early inclusion of “Aqualung” and fellow first half highlight “Farm On The Freeway” were downright epic in their delivery, though newcomers “Prosperous Pasture” and “Fruits Of Frankenfield” also suggested there’s loads of life left in this spry 69-year-old. Part two also recapped some of Jethro Tull’s apexes (“Living In The Past,” “Witch’s Promise”), alongside narrative-fueling debuts “Stick, Twist, Bust” and “The Turnstile Gate,” though it was the charging “Locomotive Breath” (complete with a train racing around the big screen) that sent a collective roar through the crowd. Although the troupe didn’t tackle as many hits as the lengthy list could’ve warranted, this undertaking was nonetheless enthralling and adventurous from start to stop, reinforcing Anderson’s refusal to simply cash in on nostalgia, but rather, stay committed to making meaningful new music propelled by continuously intriguing concepts.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 2, 2015 15:08:13 GMT
Ian Anderson's tribute to Jethro Tull By Ed Hannan, Sun Correspondent Updated: 10/28/2015 02:21:51 PM EDT0 Comments Everyone knows the music of Jethro Tull, with classic songs like "Aqualung," "Living in the Past" and "Locomotive Breath," but not as many people know the man behind the music. I'm not talking about frontman Ian Anderson, though I did talk to him for this article. No, I'm talking about the actual Jethro Tull, the English agricultural inventor who inspired Anderson to name the band after him. Anderson has taken his homage to Tull to another level with Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera, which comes to the Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston on Thursday, Nov. 5, as part of a limited North American run. The show tells the story of the original Jethro Tull, reimagined as if in the near future and illustrated with Anderson's best-known songs from the band's repertoire. The performance is in a quasi-operatic structure with virtual guests on video and some newly-written songs to round off the elements of the story. "The term 'rock opera' is well-worn and rather tedious in the sense that it's a term that would appear to be owned by Pete Townshend for Tommy in 1969, but Tommy wasn't the first rock opera," Anderson told me earlier this week in a telephone interview. "The first rock opera was a British band called The Pretty Things a few months before (1969's S.F. Sorrow album), but I've struggled to find a way to describe a show with songs in the narrative concept joined together." Chatting with Anderson often veers in many different directions and our brief conversation included discussion about traveling through airports on tour, climate change and how this concept of a rock opera differs from a storyteller concert. Anderson hopes that the show appeals to long-time Jethro Tull fans. "This is a show for toe-tappers. Like a good onion, it has many layers. You can peel back the layers and get back to the center if you wish, but you can also swallow the onion whole. That's the art of good entertainment. It can be enjoyed on many levels. "You could see Jethro Tull for $5 in 1969 anywhere in the United States. It was relatively cheap. Now, tickets start at $50 to $60 and go to $200 to $300. You're asking people who are still clawing out of the last recession before the next one hits to pay more. People value live entertainment and are willing to pay for it, but the obligation is on you the performer to put in the time and effort to come up with a show that will intrigue, gratify and entertain people. That's up to me as the producer and the artist." Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera plays the Citi Performing Arts Center, Boston, Nov. 5. Tickets start at $38.75, and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. www.lowellsun.com/ci_29036186
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 2, 2015 14:45:29 GMT
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 2, 2015 14:38:13 GMT
File under damn I missed this Belper gig for Clarke and Pegg www.chad.co.uk/what-s-on/gig-guide/belper-gig-for-clarke-and-pegg-1-7528388published07:25 Wednesday 28 October 2015 Anthony John Clarke and Dave Pegg will play The Queens Head in Belper on Saturday, October 31, from 8pm. Regarded by The Fairport Convention as ‘a national treasure’, Anthony John Clarke is that rare thing: a songwriter who moves comfortably from pathos to humour within a song. Firmly aware of the need to entertain as well as move and inform, Anthony’s extensive repertoire encompasses themes as diverse as the politics of Northern Ireland, homelessness and of course a certain form of pub entertainment. A seasoned performer, he is as comfortable on the big stage compering the Cropredy Festival as he is in a small and intimate venue. Dave Pegg, of course, needs no introduction. The longest continuously serving Fairport, his fluent basslines have underpinned the band’s performances for many years and yet one of ‘Peggy’s’ earliest gigs was as the mandolin player in The Ian Campbell Folk Group. In 2015, his fingers still magically expand and contract to produce virtuoso performances on both instruments. It’s no surprise that his talents have always been in demand with his Fairport role complimented by stints with Jethro Tull. Those who have attended this gig in previous years will know that consummate writing and musicianship are balanced by the duo’s sparkling humour. Support comes from local hero Chris Butler. Expect plenty of tricks and a real Halloween treat.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 2, 2015 14:33:52 GMT
www.thatmusicmag.com/index.php/2015/10/ian-anderson-returns-to-philly-with-a-rock-opera-about-the-life-and-times-of-the-real-jethro-tull/Ian Anderson Returns to Philly With a Rock Opera About the Life and Times of the Real Jethro Tull 28 Oct 2015 by Jane Roser Before U2’s Zoo TV tour, before Green Day threw an epic mud fight at Woodstock and way before Lady Gaga emerged onstage from a three story castle wearing God knows what, there was Jethro Tull. For decades Jethro Tull has entertained audiences with thrilling live shows, combining visuals and theatrics which encourage audiences to react both with excitement and nostalgia. A rock band simply cannot survive for this many decades unless they keep their shows fresh, entertaining and engaging; the band members have intense chemistry and they continually have something to say. I first saw Jethro Tull (their agent, a history buff, came up with the name) perform back in the early 90s at the Spectrum and loved the intensity of what I was witnessing: men in miner hats shining their headlamps into the audience instead of using the venue’s lighting, visuals of giant whales on screen, a belly dancer and coolest of all, a gigantic beach ball thrown into the audience (I always wondered where it ended up). Lead singer and flutist Ian Anderson began the show holding his flute up and standing on one leg behind a scrim creating shadowy images of a Fagin-like character. Simple, yet oh so cool. Now, 47 years, 30 albums (which sold over 60 million copies) and over 3,000 concerts later, Anderson returns to the US for only eight shows to present his latest creation, Jethro Tull-The Rock Opera. The opera celebrates the life and times of English agriculturalist Jethro Tull who invented a horse-drawn seed drill and hoe in the early 18th century which revolutionized the way fields were plowed, helping farmers to increase their production and profits. If you are yawning at this, consider the fact that without Tull’s invention your fridge would be nearly empty. He is considered to be one of the first people to propose a scientific approach to agriculture. Anderson’s show tells his story, but set in modern times to hit songs from the band’s repertoire, including “Aqualung”, “Songs From The Wood” and “Heavy Horses”, as well as new material and slightly modified lyrics to classic Tull songs to better tell the tale. Accompanied by David Goodier (bass), John O’Hara (Keyboards), Florian Opahle (guitar), and Scott Hammond (drums). There will also be virtual guests shown on a screen accompanying Anderson onstage (“I don’t have Pete Townsend or Elton John,” Anderson says, “but I’ll have people that I’ve worked with in recent years who are currently unavailable for this tour.”) Just over a year ago Anderson was being driven through Northern Italy and witnessing the landscape outside his window inspired him to look up information about the historical Jethro Tull online (which there is very little of and the information which is available is often quite sketchy). Anderson says, “I was immediately struck by a few aspects of his life and work that just seemed to be almost frighteningly linked to songs I’d written over the years, without having any idea of the details of his life [back then], so all of a sudden I had these songs that fit into his story. I wrote down a list of ones I could really work with and in a half hour I had the idea of telling his story through my existing songs.” Anderson knew he didn’t want to do a historical piece set in the eighteenth century. Instead, he wanted to do something a little more creative. “I set the story to be in the near future where Jethro Tull is not a quaint inventor tinkering with the mechanics of his church organ to invent his seed drill, but is a high-tech biochemist working on patented technology for genetic modification of crops and organisms and cloning. The high-tech side of agricultural business which is the reality of farming today and even more so, the farming of tomorrow where science and technology really have to double every effort to come up with new solutions to growing food. [This is] not only to meet the demands of an expanding planetary population, but also to cope with the difficulties that are being imposed upon the agricultural sector by climate change.” He presents the plot in a generally upbeat, whimsical way because “I think the way to get people’s attention is to lure them in with a cheerful smile, you know, a ‘have a nice day’ smile even if that means you might not be having a nice tomorrow.” Anderson is very intelligent, well-spoken and knowledgeable about the state of the world today, both politically and environmentally. He reminds me that in just over a hundred years, two generations have been responsible for an enormous planetary change, including the realization that by the end of this century, the world’s population is set to soar beyond 9 million people. How will the effect of climate change on our already stressed agricultural system feed them? We sure don’t want our society to turn into a real-life Soylent Green. When asked if he feels the need to try to push the envelope a bit more with each show, Anderson responds that he’s attracted to the fact that not all of his shows are the same and you really do have to present yourself differently depending upon your interaction with the audience. “The degree to which you play your music in almost isolation or if you’re referring to a big video screen behind you; all of these things change the way you perform and you have to be tuned into what you’re doing and where you are and vary your performance accordingly, but thankfully it’s not the same all the time and I don’t have to go out of my way to look for trouble.” The technology being used in this show is technology they have been using for the last three to four years. Anderson feels confident it will all work. “You also know that the audience is there to hear tried and tested favorites. You have to find a way to make that fresh and in a theatrical way that’s what I’m doing now- giving the songs context to allow them to tell a narrative. I think it gives the songs a fresh perspective, not only for me as a performer, but for the audience.” Anderson was seduced by science fiction novels as a teen, enthralled by authors such as Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson and other pioneers of the genre and that influence shows in his almost steampunk-like onstage persona and lyrics. “I like the sense of fantasy and imagination,” says Anderson, “it was very important later on in my development as a musician, but I’m still someone who also reads factual stuff. I think it’s interesting to draw from different cultures and beliefs and also different points of history because history teaches us a lot about ourselves and where we come from, but also gives us some insight into the world today and what the world tomorrow might be like.” He is finding that in this latter stage of his life, it gives him a sense of completeness knowing more about the big picture. It features in the way he writes music. “Probably since 1970 or so, I’ve become more of an observational writer, talking about subjects that were not just [like you’d find in emotional] pop lyrics, which are incredibly dreary and unimaginative. Those who write great love songs have my complete admiration because they’re the hardest songs to write. I mean, every word in the vocabulary has been used to the point of ad nauseam. I chose the easier route talking more about people and characters, but rather than being a portrait painter, in musical terms, I chose to be someone who likes to put those people in a landscape and give them context without getting too emotionally involved in my subjects.” While discussing books we are currently reading, Anderson tells me that he “isn’t one of those luddites who says ‘oh I have to have a real book, I like to feel the pages on my fingers’, well bugger that; I have to travel light these days so I can’t be carrying a half dozen books in my carry-on, so I read everything on my iPhone. I download books from Amazon’s Kindle and I sit in a restaurant because I like to eat alone and read a few pages of a book on my phone. It may sound rather dreary, but I find it a convenient way of taking with me a library of material to suit my mood and also walking though airport security knowing that I have a copy of the Koran [for instance] in my pocket is kind of darkly exciting. I rather enjoy the sense of knowing that I have things in my possession that may seem just like electronic files, but are actually windows to an entire universe.” One might say that Jethro Tull are not simply “Living In The Past” because they have immense hope for the future. Jethro Tull-The Rock Opera will be at The Academy of Music’s Kimmel Center on November 7th with another US tour planned for April and October of 2016.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 2, 2015 14:24:25 GMT
SOUNDS AROUND TOWN: Tull founder tells of the real Jethro Tull The Enterprise By Ed Symkus/Daily News Correspondent Posted Oct. 28, 2015 at 11:53 AM Updated Oct 28, 2015 at 12:00 PM www.enterprisenews.com/article/20151028/ENTERTAINMENT/151025747/?Start=1 The British band Jethro Tull has been around since 1968. The British agriculturist/inventor the band took its name from was around from 1674-1741. Last year, Ian Anderson, the flutist-guitarist-vocalist-songwriter who has fronted the ever-changing group of players from the start, had a musical light bulb pop on while driving through northern Italy. That idea led to a new project and a concert at the Wang Theatre on Nov. 5. Anderson spoke about “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera” by phone from his home in Wiltshire County, England. “I was traveling through some farmland and wondering to myself what old Jethro Tull might have made of farming in Italy, and since I had an Internet connection in the car, I looked up some elements of his life story. And some of them seemed to echo elements of songs that I’d written.” Anderson made a list of his songs that could be connected, no matter how loosely, to Farmer Tull, including “Songs from the Wood,” “Living in the Past,” “A New Day Yesterday,” “Farm on the Freeway,” and “Aqualung.” “Suddenly I had a show’s worth of music incorporating material that you would loosely describe as the best of Jethro Tull,” he said. “So straightaway, I had a new show! The only thing that I had to do was to incorporate elements of the story which I didn’t have a song about by writing five short new songs. And I decided I would put his life and times into the contemporary age, and reimagine Jethro Tull’s story as happening perhaps in the near future. So I made him a whiz kid biochemist working on new technologies for genetic modification and cloning and advanced techniques for feeding the world. In the face of a fast-growing population and climate change and the enormity of having to compensate for loss of crop growing and livestock-producing areas, we’re going to have to get pretty clever about feeding the world. So I thought this was good fodder for a more topical approach to the re-imagined life of Jethro Tull.” Anderson will be joined onstage by the four musicians who have made up the band Jethro Tull for the past decade, along with video appearances of singers incorporated into the show playing the characters of Tull’s father, Tull’s wife, flashbacks to a young Tull, and the son of Tull. “Some of the lyrics in the songs have been slightly rewritten to fit this show,” said Anderson. “It was mostly as simple as changing pronouns. You know, I becomes he, or she becomes me. It’s just changing things so the characters can sing their lines. There were a few songs where there was a new chorus line, but the musical arrangements are very much as we recorded them on their respective records.” And it’s in an opera format, pretty much sung all the way through. “We join all the songs together with the operatic device the recitative,” explained Anderson. “So instead of my just stopping between songs and saying, ‘the next song is ...’, it’s part of the performance. The recitatives are sometimes sung, sometimes spoken. Some are just a few seconds long, some last a minute or so. But they’re the elements that join the songs together, and explain to some extent what’s happening next in the story.” Anderson, 68, has been touring, with or without Jethro Tull, for more than four decades. He’s pretty sure the band’s first American stop was at the Boston Tea Party in 1969. And he shows no need or desire to slow down. “From my perspective, especially at my age, I find it advisable to try to do pretty regular concerts,” he said. “I don’t like being away from it for too long because increasingly, when you stay off-tour for three or four weeks, you really have to get back into physical and mental shape. You’ve got to kind of get that focus thing going. So it’s actually easier when you play multiple shows. In an ideal world I would play three shows a week, 52 weeks of the year. I would play Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and be home by lunchtime Monday, sleep in my own bed, and have three days at home before I had to leave again.” “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera” is at the Wang Theatre in Boston on November at 8 p.m. Tickets: $38.75-$85. Info: www.citicenter.org. Upcoming concerts and club dates:
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 2, 2015 14:11:46 GMT
Ian Anderson On His Jethro Tull Stage Show Boston Radio station 105.7 wror.com/2015/10/30/ian-anderson-jethro-tull-stage-show/October 30, 2015 Ian Anderson On His Jethro Tull Stage Show After playing to rave reviews overseas, Ian Anderson brings his new "Jethro Tull By Ian Anderson" to the U.S. for an eight-show run that starts Sunday (November 1) at the Chicago Theatre. The show is multi-media rock opera based on the life of the real Jethro Tull, a British agriculturist and inventor whose name was bestowed on the band in 1968 by its manager at the time. The concert features plenty of Tull favorites as well as deep album tracks, five new songs and 20 short instrumental connecting pieces Anderson composed especially for the show. Anderson tells us the concept for the piece came to him while touring in Europe during the summer of 2014: "I was somewhere last summer driving through either Italy or Germany sitting in a car, just working away while my driver drove the three or four hour journey, and it just...occurred to me to read about the original Jethro Tull and his life story...So I found myself reading that, and as I was reading I was just struck with a few things that I felt, 'Wow, that's really uncanny, but that sounds like one of my songs, the subject matter.' And then I thought, 'I wonder how many songs I have written over the years that somehow make references that tie into that story,' and I opened my catalog of references, reference works, all the CDs and tracks and so on and went through them all and I came up with a number of them that were obvious fits to his story and a few more I thought, 'Well, I can easily bend that to fit' or maybe vary the story a little bit to fit the songs." The tour wraps up November 11 in Newark, N.J., and Anderson is planning to play more shows during 2016 and also film and record them for future release.
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Post by Gerrald Bostock on Nov 2, 2015 14:04:02 GMT
Time to spin the (Canadian vinyl) black circle. Waiting for this to appear in 5.1. . ABSOLUTELY TOOTULL...
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