Minstrels in the gallery

From his codpiece rock 'n' roll minstrel persona of the '60s, to the '70s street tramp of Aqualung, to the 21st-century UK gentleman he is today, Ian Anderson has steered Jethro Tull through four decades as one of pop music's most enduring stage acts. Given all the costume changes and theatrics over the course of the band's career, their music hall roots seem clear.

But, as vocalist/flautist Anderson tells The Prague Post, "The tenor of the performance we do is actually not like that at all. When I grew up, music hall was alive but not terribly well. I remember it as cheesy entertainment, quite unpleasant. But, in terms of our humor and performance onstage - which is not like my peers in rock music, who are not known for their communication skills beyond mad-ax antics and barely enough concentration to string a sentence together - I was influenced by the emerging British comedy of the '50s and '60s that began with the Goons and other precursors to Monty Python."

Comedy may be at the base of the band's stage demeanor, but when Jethro Tull first hit the airwaves in the late '60s they were part of a serious search for musicality that included the jazz and blues-inspired prowess of their peers in Cream and the Jeff Beck Group. Jethro Tull's 1968 debut This Was and 1969's Stand Up (both on Chrysalis) further spiced '60s British blues-rock with a mix of North Atlantic folk, Bach's Baroque and the jazz birdcalls of Roland Kirk. Layered on this synthesis were hints of the thoughtful social commentary Anderson would later develop to epic proportions on albums like Aqualung (1971), Thick as a Brick (1972) and War Child (1974).

Although their albums have made some challenging genre hops, as a live act Jethro Tull continued to develop the lessons learned early in their career. Anderson recalls his band's tours with Captain Beefheart in 1969 and 1972 as being especially validating for the Jethro Tull method.

Other groups signaled directions to be avoided. As Anderson recalls, "We had a support band called the Eagles around 1972. When these rather shambolic sort of country people ambled onstage, in their cowboy boots and slightly tatty jeans, I remember thinking how incredibly dull they looked and how incredibly dull they were onstage." Although Anderson admits the Eagles delivered an adept set of country-rock, he adds, "We were used to playing onstage with bands like Led Zeppelin or MC5, where things were a little bit more in your face."

Anderson's reach beyond the stereotypical self-destructive rock 'n' roll front man, combined with a choice of band members with contrasting backgrounds, spread some of the most beautiful melodic lines across the history of hard rock. The result has been confusion for critics, and five gold and 11 platinum albums for Jethro Tull.

Central to the alchemy that makes it work, Anderson says, is "getting the balance right by having a plan and a structure which takes you away from the simple harmonic developments of the 12-bar blues to being a little more enriched by music like jazz or classical."

While taking cues from the finer musical arts, Tull has never strayed far from the earthy spontaneity of rock and blues. "The good balance of all of that is what for me is the most rewarding thing about making music - finding that continuing balance between the heart and the head," Anderson says.

Next week's two-night stint at the Congress Center will offer fans an opportunity to see Ian Anderson and company where they are at their best - live and onstage.

Darrell Jónsson can be reached at
features@praguepost.com