Musical Matrimony

Ian Anderson performs Orchestral Jethro Tull.

By: Susan Van Dongen
   Ian Anderson, the flute-playing founder of legendary rock band Jethro Tull, has been performing with orchestras for some years now, and has observed that they’re usually comprised of about 50 percent males, 50 percent females.
   But for the chamber orchestra he gathered from the New England Conservatory of Music for his current tour, Mr. Anderson was astonished to see almost only women coming to the auditions in Boston.
   "For some weird reason I just got girls applying for the job," he says, speaking from his home in England. "I think they’ve confused me with someone else, perhaps they think I’m some kind of boy band star. We ended up only picking one guy — we have a male clarinetist with a sea of female musicians around him. So he’s going to be kept pretty busy. Myself, I feel a little awkward — kind of like Hugh Hefner with the flute. But never mind, my wife will be there to look after me."
   Rock’s foremost flutist will be at the State Theatre in New Brunswick Oct. 21 to play an evening of Jethro Tull favorites, solo songs and instrumentals together with a sprinkling of classical repertoire, all carefully re-arranged for amplified flute, acoustic rock band and symphony orchestra.
   "The object here is not to force together unlikely combatants in unholy musical matrimony," Mr. Anderson says. "This is a more ambient setting where all of the musicians can leave the theater with both eardrums and dignity intact. We try for a vigorous rock feel but without brute force volume.
   "It’s predominantly Jethro Tull done up in a different suit of clothes as befits the way of performing with an orchestra," he continues. "I play a lot of orchestral concerts in other parts of the world so I thought I would visit parts of the United States and do it while the moment is right."
   It’s good timing to present the concerts because Mr. Anderson has been preparing the Jethro Tull repertoire, re-doing the scores and the orchestrations for several years now, and has invested considerable time in the effort.
   "I’m geared up for this at the moment," he says. "Also, in some, but not all of the dates on the tour, we’ve put out an invitation to aspiring young classical musicians to audition, come and join in with the orchestra for the sound check. It could be a violinist, a clarinetist, a flutist, a bassoon player — just no guitarists and no singers, please.
   "We’re trying to give young musicians coming from the world of classical music the experience of performing with those skills and techniques but perhaps in a way that’s more eclectic and crosses over into other musical styles," he continues. "We can integrate them into our sound check and see how they do. It’s a way of broadening their musical horizons."
   In addition to the orchestra and a trio of rock performers, Mr. Anderson is touring with violinist Ann Marie Calhoun, who has played with Old School Freight Train and Dave Matthews.
   "She’s an excellent improviser in many genres," Mr. Anderson says. "She’s also bringing some of her own compositions to the repertoire."
   Inspired by the late Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Mr. Anderson incorporated Kirk’s trademark techniques of singing through the flute and flutter-tonguing into his own playing. He plugged in his acoustic instrument and set it against Jethro Tull’s eclectic fusion of classical, jazz and progressive rock. In the ’70s, Mr. Anderson also stirred British folk and even a touch of Medieval music (Minstrel in the Gallery) into the blend. He also plays ethnic flutes and whistles, as well as acoustic guitar and mandolin.
   He’s recorded several solo albums and played against his curmudgeonly character by releasing The Jethro Tull Christmas Album in 2003. The group, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2007, just released a live recording of the album Aqualung, performed on XM radio.
   A rock band playing with an orchestra isn’t something new and Mr. Anderson says he’s heard some disastrous results, because "…rock musicians are mostly deaf and they’re playing so loud you can’t hear the orchestra. But I’ve learned from their mistakes. Our object is to produce and balance the various sounds at very natural levels.
   "I’ve been an acoustic musician all my life and playing with a rock band is sort of a penance," he continues. "Playing this kind of concert is certainly easier on my ears."
Ian Anderson will perform Orchestral Jethro Tull at the State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, Oct. 21, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $30-$65. For information, call (732) 246-7469. On the Web: www.statetheatrenj.org. Ian Anderson on the Web: www.iananderson.com