Master of His Craft

Ian Anderson and his cat Bhaj

From time to time here on the blog I like to give you a bit of a taste of the music I like. It's not always about aircraft.

One of the bands I grew up listening to was Jethro Tull. The leader of this ever changing band (both in members and in musical styles) has always been Ian Anderson. Many of you (of a certain age) might recognize this album cover -

Yup, Aqualung. Most people if they've heard any Tull have probably heard something off of this album. The title track, Aqualung received a lot of air play back in the day and still pops up from time to time. Other songs off of that album include Locomotive Breath and Cross Eyed Mary. Both of which have been heard over the radio waves back in the "old" days and nowadays as well.

It was my first Tull album and there have been many others over the years. What stands out for me is the sheer talent of Ian Anderson. Well, of course I shouldn't be too surprised. After all, he is a Scotsman and a cat lover. Not that I attribute any greatness to those two attributes. (Well, actually, yes I do, being of Scottish descent and sharing my home and heart with many cats over the years. Kindred souls and all.)

For my 50th birthday (ten years ago!!!!) my youngest brother, The Musician, took me out to Tanglewood* in Western Massachusetts to see Jethro Tull. That was a great experience. I've seen other bands in concert, some don't sound nearly as good in person as they do recorded. Jethro Tull, on the other hand, was superb, mayhaps even better in person. For the energy that was in it!

Here's a photo of the stage at Tanglewood. That's not Tull on stage but the yellow circle indicates where our seats were. Pretty awesome those seats. First concert I ever went to where I didn't need binoculars to see the band! The acoustics were also superb.

Tobias Hutzler Photo

Some early Tull -

He was quite the showman, then and now. Though as the lead-in picture indicates, he's matured rather well. Here's a clip from 2008-ish -

Listen carefully to the lyrics on that last one. There are a couple of anniversaries approaching which fill me with sadness. The death of my Dad nearly four years ago and the death of Lex, nearly two years ago.

Like the song says, "Life's a long song but the tune ends too soon for us all..."

Peace be with you my friends. Now and always...

*If you ever get a chance to get out to Tanglewood, take it. It's a beautiful place and they have good music.