The Best of Jethro Tull (performed by Ian Anderson)

Don't miss The Best of Jethro Tull (performed by Ian Anderson) at the Stafford Centre on September 28th at 8pm.

Anderson will perform the classic Jethro Tull hits, music from his solo albums, as well as music from his newly released album “Homo Erraticus”.

Ian Anderson, known throughout the world of rock music as the flute and voice behind legendary Jethro Tull, celebrates his 46th year as an international recording and performing musician. On April 15, Ian Anderson will be releasing a new studio album Homo Erraticus. The album continues with the story of Anderson's favorite enfant terrible Gerald Bostock.

Early in 1968, a group of young British musicians, born from the ashes of various failed regional bands gathered together in hunger, destitution and modest optimism in Luton, North of London. With a common love of Blues and an appreciation, between them, of various other music forms, they started to win over a small but enthusiastic audience in the various pubs and clubs of Southern England. The breakthrough came when they were offered the Thursday night residency at London’s famous Marquee Club in Wardour Street, Soho.

After a lengthy career, Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull have released 30 studio and live albums, selling more than 60 million copies since the band first performed at London’s famous Marquee Club in February 1968.

After undertaking more than 3000 concerts in 40 countries throughout four decades, he has typically played 100-plus concerts each year to longstanding, as well as new fans worldwide. Widely recognized as the man who introduced the flute to rock music, Ian Anderson remains the crowned exponent of the popular and rock genres of flute playing. So far, no real pretender to the throne has stepped forward. Ian also plays ethnic flutes and whistles together with acoustic guitar and the mandolin family of instruments, providing the acoustic textures which has been an integral part of most of the Tull repertoire.

Anderson has so far recorded six diverse albums under his own name during a long career: 1983′s “Walk Into Light”, the flute instrumental “Divinities” album for EMI’s Classical Music Division in 1995 which reached number one in the relevant Billboard chart, and the more acoustic collections of songs, “The Secret Language of Birds,” “Rupi’s Dance,” plus rock albums “Thick As A Brick 2″ and now, 2014′s “Homo Erraticus.”

In recent years, he has toured more and more as simply Ian Anderson, often with orchestras, string quartets, featured soloists. Most of the concerts scheduled for 2014 will feature “Homo Erraticus” together with an hour of favourites from the Jethro Tull catalogue.

Anderson lives on a farm in the southwest of England where he has a recording and rehearsal studio and offices. He has been married for 36 years to Shona who is also an active director of their music and other companies. They have two children – James and Gael – and two grandchildren.