Ian Anderson

A few years after the American folk revival had reached a curious crossroads of cross-pollination with both pop and rock, the inevitable result of the first British Invasion that manifested itself in the work of Bob Dylan and the Byrds, a second wave of British rockers was poised to hop the pond. This time, however, they weren’t just bringing R&B music back Stateside. Instead, they married modern pop to the sensibilities of Elizabethan madrigals and Shakespearean theatrics. Although most didn’t know exactly what to make of such acts, one particularly odd moniker was easy to remember — Jethro Tull. Thirty-five years later, Jethro Tull is still a living, breathing musical entity, along with its effusive frontman, vocalist and premier rock flutist Ian Anderson. With his fourth solo release, Rupi’s Dance, this modern-day minstrel shows he still has the chops to weave a compelling tale.