The mix of rock with jazz and classical music probably reached its apotheosis in 1972 when the band Jethro Tull released Thick as a Brick. Band leader Ian Anderson, still with flute in hand, leads a most recent edition of Jethro Tull with John O’Harra/key, David Goodier/b, Florian Opahle/g, Scott Hammond/dr and Ryan O’Donnell/voc-etc through not only a revisitation of the original opus, but brings along a “Thick As A Brick 2” to the 2012-13 concerts in Iceland.
As you might expect, some of the original pieces has been revamped with a bit more electricity being brought in, but otherwise, the material has aged quite well. The TAAB2, while not as strong-what out there in the same genre IS?-but nevertheless has some impressive moments such as “Adrift and Dumbfounded” and “Give Till It Hurts.” Anderson’s voice has aged like a good wine, and his Roland Kirk-influenced flute playing still hits the right spots. The whole band is flexible and fun, mixing blues, rock and Renaissance into one voluminous and ambitious feast. Anyone for a return to Stand Up or Benefit?
Eagle Vision DVD