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Performers: Ian Anderson (flute/guitar/vocals),
Dave Goodier (bass), John O'Hara (keyboards), Florian Ophale (guitars),
James Duncan (drums), Ann Marie Calhoun (violin), the St Bride's
Church Choir, and the Rev'd George Pitcher.
 Back
in the early 1970's a leading UK music paper reported that the
rock group Jethro Tull had sold out the Los Angeles Forum for an
unprecedented five nights, under the headline: "Jethro - Now
The World's Biggest Band?". One of the albums which had helped
propel JT to those heady heights was 1971's Aqualung, whose eponymous
first track sympathetically explored the misfortunes of a wheezy
(geddit?) tramp, Ian Anderson' lyrics having been inspired by photos
of London's homeless taken by his then wife Jennie.
35 years later Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull have a somewhat lower profile,
but are no less hard-working as they regularly play 100+ sell-out concerts
a year across the globe, with the song Aqualung still a live highlight. It
was entirely fitting therefore that the recent St Bride's Church charity concert
by Ian and his musical chums was in aid of St Mungo's homeless charity.
350 lucky people crammed into the beautiful Fleet Street church to hear a unique
performance which embraced Jethro Tull classics (including Living In The Past,
Life Is A Long Song etc), jazzily reworked Christmas carols (Holly Herald,
We Five Kings), startlingly rearranged classical pieces (Bach, Mozart et al),
and some fabulous un-Tull-like bluegrass fiddling from Ann Marie Calhoun, all  interspersed
with poetry and gospel readings by various band members. The St Bride's Church
choir became Jethro Tull members for one night only, and one of the highlights
was Claire Seaton's vocals on the inevitable but dramatically rearranged Aqualung.
Despite pushing 60, the much less hairy but still goggle-eyed
Ian Anderson skips around with a litheness which belies his years,
whether gibbering and snorting manically into his flute or deftly
picking out a series of guitar notes in seemingly impossible time
signatures. And yes, he still stands on one leg. In fact, as a
front man of undiminished energy and charisma he was surpassed
only by one other performer - step forward the Rev'd George Pitcher,
whose gleefully received "walk on parts" climaxed at
the end of the encore with a truly astonishing falsetto God Rest
Ye Merry Gentlemen. I kid ye not.
A double triumph, therefore - a musical and festive treat, and
a worthy cause handsomely rewarded. Congratulations to all involved
both on and off stage. Or, rather, on and off altar...
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