Jethro Tull

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I just want to ask the advice of people who are familiar with the music of Jethro Tull.

My son has been studying flute for about 9 years, and has become quite accomplished. He will be entering college next year, and has no current plans to continue studying music. Nevertheless, he is still very interested in music, and even this year was quite insistent on continuing his private lessons throughout the school year.

Even though he is a sports fanatic (he plans to become a sports journalist), he chose to write his college application essay about his musical education and his band director in high school, and the lessons he has learned from them.

Despite all this, he has no plans to continue studying or playing music when he graduates from high school. He says that the flute really isn’t an instrument he can play on his own.

Both my wife and I value music and art very highly. Although neither of us are musicians, we think it is an important part of a well-rounded person’s education.

He is an excellent student and will probably graduate 5th in his class. He has shown very good judgment in all aspects of his life, including the music he listens to. He’s really been a model son.

My question is this: Jethro Tull’s lyrics can be pretty rough, and certainly they often don’t reflect a Catholic view of life. But the music, especially the flute, is really quite good, in my opinion. I was always able to separate the lyrics from the music and appreciate the music for what it is, and I believe my son will be able to do so, too.

I’ve never introduced him to Jethro Tull because of the lyrics, but I am thinking of doing so as a way of expanding his horizons a little. Of showing him that the flute can be more than he might think. I believe he is mature enough to take what is good and leave what is not.

What do those of you who are familiar with Jethro Tull think?

Also, I would like him to consider taking up another instrument that he can enjoy on his own, like piano or guitar.
 
Bubba1 said:
I just want to ask the advice of people who are familiar with the music of Jethro Tull.

My son has been studying flute for about 9 years, and has become quite accomplished. He will be entering college next year, and has no current plans to continue studying music. Nevertheless, he is still very interested in music, and even this year was quite insistent on continuing his private lessons throughout the school year.

Even though he is a sports fanatic (he plans to become a sports journalist), he chose to write his college application essay about his musical education and his band director in high school, and the lessons he has learned from them.

Despite all this, he has no plans to continue studying or playing music when he graduates from high school. He says that the flute really isn’t an instrument he can play on his own.

Both my wife and I value music and art very highly. Although neither of us are musicians, we think it is an important part of a well-rounded person’s education.

He is an excellent student and will probably graduate 5th in his class. He has shown very good judgment in all aspects of his life, including the music he listens to. He’s really been a model son.

My question is this: Jethro Tull’s lyrics can be pretty rough, and certainly they often don’t reflect a Catholic view of life. But the music, especially the flute, is really quite good, in my opinion. I was always able to separate the lyrics from the music and appreciate the music for what it is, and I believe my son will be able to do so, too.

I’ve never introduced him to Jethro Tull because of the lyrics, but I am thinking of doing so as a way of expanding his horizons a little. Of showing him that the flute can be more than he might think. I believe he is mature enough to take what is good and leave what is not.

What do those of you who are familiar with Jethro Tull think?

Also, I would like him to consider taking up another instrument that he can enjoy on his own, like piano or guitar.
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I think you should pick and choose which songs to introduce him too based on his age. for example songs not to introduce him to maybe “think as a brick” while something like “bungle in the jungle” is benign while " fat man" may even get a few chuckles. I dont know the title but theres a god intrumental with a lot of flute in it. Have fun.
 
I have to agree with the above poster, pick the songs based on his age. But also look at what if any he could choose from todays music. Jethro Tull is very mild compared to the music that is being pushed out now.

Best Wishes,
Lee44
 
Bubba1 said:
I just want to ask the advice of people who are familiar with the music of Jethro Tull.

My son has been studying flute for about 9 years, and has become quite accomplished. He will be entering college next year, and has no current plans to continue studying music. Nevertheless, he is still very interested in music, and even this year was quite insistent on continuing his private lessons throughout the school year.

Even though he is a sports fanatic (he plans to become a sports journalist), he chose to write his college application essay about his musical education and his band director in high school, and the lessons he has learned from them.

Despite all this, he has no plans to continue studying or playing music when he graduates from high school. He says that the flute really isn’t an instrument he can play on his own.

Both my wife and I value music and art very highly. Although neither of us are musicians, we think it is an important part of a well-rounded person’s education.

He is an excellent student and will probably graduate 5th in his class. He has shown very good judgment in all aspects of his life, including the music he listens to. He’s really been a model son.

My question is this: Jethro Tull’s lyrics can be pretty rough, and certainly they often don’t reflect a Catholic view of life. But the music, especially the flute, is really quite good, in my opinion. I was always able to separate the lyrics from the music and appreciate the music for what it is, and I believe my son will be able to do so, too.

I’ve never introduced him to Jethro Tull because of the lyrics, but I am thinking of doing so as a way of expanding his horizons a little. Of showing him that the flute can be more than he might think. I believe he is mature enough to take what is good and leave what is not.

What do those of you who are familiar with Jethro Tull think?

Also, I would like him to consider taking up another instrument that he can enjoy on his own, like piano or guitar.
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The only thing I know about Jethro Tull is the guy stood on one foot a lot… 😃

Is your son familiar with James Galway? Flautist extraordinaire! He played with the early lineup of the Chieftains, a famous traditional Irish group.

That’s a great outlet, if he wanted to join or sit in with an Irish group at a pub sometime. And I always remember a flute in with the folksy guitars during Masses in college. It’s a C instrument so the choir doesn’t even have to purchase separate “flute” parts for them to play with the group…they can play the harmony, descants, or double the melody. (I played trumpet in high school, B-flat parts sometimes cost the parish extra money so you end up transposing your own a lot)

Flute performances with piano or organ accompaniment can be marketed for weddings, too.

I can’t say enough good about the piano, it’s my first instrument and is a truly useful skill to have. It requires an investment, though, and good movers. The only thing I can imagine better is singing…useful, free, and portable!
 
I can’t say I’ve ever heard one Jethro Tull song, but all I know is that my very orthodox (he is an Opus Dei numerary) philo prof–who often lectured about the sorry state of modern music–is a huge Jethro Tull fan. He often talked about how the messages in his music aren’t corrupted by modern philosophy like, say, rock-n-roll today is.

I personally have no opinion on the matter; like I said, I couldn’t recognize a Jethro Tull song if you played one for me.
 
I want to thank all of you for your responses. I especially like the suggestions about selecting songs. I think I’ll burn a CD for him with the songs I like best. It’ll also be an opportunity for me to listen to them again to decide what’s appropriate.
 
Bubba1 said:
I
Despite all this, he has no plans to continue studying or playing music when he graduates from high school. He says that the flute really isn’t an instrument he can play on his own.
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Maybe he is simply burned out on the flute and wishes to take a break from it. If this is something that he is very gifted at playing then time away will not hurt his talent and might increase his love for his music. My call would be to not pressure him to much in this regard. Let him take his break. If not, instead of loving playing the flute, you could inadvertently make it into something that he loathes to do.
 
I don’t know much about Jethro Tull, but this is funny. From Wikipedia: 'The band won the 1989 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, beating the favorite Metallica. The award was particularly controversial as many did not consider Jethro Tull hard rock, much less heavy metal. Under advisement from their manager, who told them they had no chance of winning, no one from the band turned up to the award ceremony.[1] In response to the criticism they received over the award, the band then took out an advert in a British music periodical with a picture of a flute lying amid a pile of iron re-bars and the line, “THE FLUTE IS A HEAVY METAL INSTRUMENT.”.'en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jethro_Tull_(band)
 
I love Jethro Tull…“Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day” is one of my all time favorite songs.

Assuming from your post that your son is 18 years old or nearly so, I would think that Jethro Tull lyrics are quite mild (and more interesting) that what he may be hearing from today’s musicians. As an accomplished flute player, I would also think that he would LOVE Ian Anderson.

Just my two cents ( but you did ask for opinions), but I would most definitely “introduce” him to the music of Jethro Tull but don’t be surprised if they have already “met” 🙂
 
If you’re going to introduce him to Jethro Tull and flute-rock, start with Bouree. Beautiful song. Locomotive Breath is so cool with the symbolism of the flute in the song…but the lyrics are iffy at best.

Now I want to listen to some Tull, and have none handy. 😦
 
To go in another direction, I recall a Carpenters number that had a pretty smokin’ flute solo in it. “Another Song” on the album “Close To You”, I think.
 
I was listening to Jethro Tull when I was 10 years old! I’m hardly a corrupt and misguided adult at 42 :rolleyes: .

I’m sure you won’t be introducing him to anything worse that what he hears on the tv or radio these days anyway. But sheltering him from an extremely talented musician may do more harm to his musical career than worrying about lyrics.

It is only my humble opinion, but I think you are over reacting. I mean he is 18 and going away to school right?

~Liza
 
Wow, I didn’t know the famous farmer, played the flute also! 😃

Anyways, I think it’s great your kid is going through a “progressive rock” phase, rather than the stuff I used to listen to at 18.

He probably knows all about this guy already, who totally dwarfs Ian Anderson, in my opinion. Have him graduate from prog rock to beatbox!

If you son likes ‘Tull, then he’ll definitely also like Thijs van Leer who was the flautist for the Dutch progressive rock band Focus around the same time.

A lot of great rock saxaphonists, like Walter Parazaider from Chicago also doubled on flute (I guess both instruments have the same fingering?), so he might want to check out some of his transcriptions.
 
Jim said:
If you son likes ‘Tull, then he’ll definitely also like Thijs van Leer who was the flautist for the Dutch progressive rock band Focus around the same time.
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Who are Focus?
A lot of great rock saxaphonists, like Walter Parazaider from Chicago also doubled on flute (I guess both instruments have the same fingering?), so he might want to check out some of his transcriptions.
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Who are Chicago?
 
Unfortunately I have to admit to being old enough to remember Jethro Tull when they were a new act. lol. Ian Anderson is a good choice. He’s easily one the most recognized flutists of our time. The words he composed may raise issues but look at them. He wasn’t condemning God, he was codemning some of the outlooks of the Church of England. Lyrics like "So I asked this god a question and by way of firm reply, he said, ‘I’m not the kind you have to wind up on Sunday.’ " I must admit the name of that particular compostion escapes me but it can be found on the old Aqualung album. Another controversial one from that album was Hymn 43. “His cross was rather bloody and he could hardly roll his stone oh Jesus save me…” The lyrics of these tunes cry out for the real meaning of it all. It was if Anderson was saying, “Is this really Christian what we’re doing? Look around you and see the inhumanity.” That theme runs heavy throughout Aqualung as Anderson spins the tale of a day in the life of the old beggar.

He is an excellent choice. He is an accomplished musician. He didn’t write lyrics. He composed poetry. His arrangements weren’t the typical stanza, chorus, stanza, chorus type music that is prevalent in most music. His was orchestrated pieces of art.
Take care
Dennis
 
I wouldn’t introduce him to Tull at all because even if you picked something innocuous like “The Whistler”, he could get intrigued and want to learn other songs, like “Wondering Aloud”.
 
Another good prog rock group from the same era with flutes was the Moody Blues: check out “Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon”. They had far fewer bad songs morally than many of the other groups of the same era, with the exception of “Legend of a Mind” (which, unfortunately, has a nice flute solo on it). Also try King Crimson’s “In the Court of the Crimson King”.
 
Go to their websites

iananderson.com and jethrotull.com

Ian Anderson is a genius. He is an accomplished musician and can really do anything. He has cd’s out as he plays Tull songs with full orchestra (Orchestral Tull).

Let you son browse the website. Anderson goes into how he learned the flute, and which flutes he uses.

Don’t worry about the Tull lyrics. They are mild, as other posters pointed out.

Another suggestion: Does you son like jazz? If so check out “Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano” by Jeannne Pierre Rampal. Claude Bolling is the flautist and amazing to listen to.
 
RascalJones said:
If you’re going to introduce him to Jethro Tull and flute-rock, start with Bouree. Beautiful song. Locomotive Breath is so cool with the symbolism of the flute in the song…but the lyrics are iffy at best.

Now I want to listen to some Tull, and have none handy. 😦
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The score for Bouree is available. I had a student perform it on a recital last yr. It was a fun piece. It opens with a bouree by Bach played as written, and then the variation in rock style follows. Not v difficult, but probably about a 4 (out of 5 with 5 as the highest level) on the general scale of difficulty. You have to use flutter-tongue technique on some notes - fun. No lyrics, so that’s safe.

Aqual Lung; lyrics about a smarmy guy who likes to watch little girls in the park… ugh. I like Skating Away, too. Dharma is rhythmic; but the term dharma comes from, um, Buddhism I think.

Used to listen to Tull more in college; dh didn’t like Bungle n the Jungle or War CHild. They kinda had their moment and then faded away. Saw Ian Anderson on TV for an awareness ad for mesotheliomia - wow. That was a while ago.

I didn’t know Tull did an instrumental album. Might have to check that one out.

That being said, there are MANY more flutists worth listening to, IMO. Galway (beeyootiful tone!!) has already been mentioned. Irish music was also suggested and is fun to play, esp. with a band.

Hope your son keeps playing!

Blessed Lent,
Mimi
 
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