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Artist: Jethro Tull

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Jethro Tull:

The String Quartets

Ian Anderson and The Carducci Quartet have just released - Jethro Tull: The String Quartets Says Anderson: "I felt that there were some songs rather special to me which featured the string quartet such as "A Christmas Song," "Reasons For Waiting" and "Wond'ring Aloud." These were my first experiences of working with a quartet. John [O'Hara] came up with a few suggestions of his own which presented challenges. All had an intimacy and presence which I looked forward to recapturing...."

About his approach to the orchestration, O'Hara explains: "There seemed little point in transcribing the band parts and distributing them to the players. I felt a responsibility to delve deeper and offer a new imagining of each piece. An orchestrator's job is to arrange and compose a new version of an existing work. However, I also felt a responsibility to the Jethro Tull listeners who cherish this material and may not welcome a radical rendition of a beloved song. My ambition was to create a thought-provoking album that remains true to Ian's compositions."

Ian Anderson and The Carducci Quartet have just released "Loco (Locomotive Breath)" from the new album Jethro Tull: The String Quartets, which topped the Billboard Classical Charts. "Loco" is a string quartet arrangement of "Locomotive Breath," Jethro Tull's 1978 hit off the group's album Bursting Out. The String Quartets' version of "Locomotive Breath" is an instrumental that features violin, viola, cello, and bass, with Ian Anderson on flute. It was arranged by Ian's keyboardist John O'Hara, whose mission was to "delve deeper and offer a new imagining of each piece. An orchestrator's job is to arrange and compose a new version of an existing work." O'Hara also felt "a responsibility to the Jethro Tull listeners who cherish this material and may not welcome a radical rendition of a beloved song."

Formed in 1968, Jethro Tull has released 30 studio and live albums, selling more than 60 million copies worldwide. With nearly 50 years' history, the band has performed more than 3,000 concerts in 40 countries, playing 100+ concerts each year. Now, Ian Anderson, John O'Hara, and the Carducci Quartet are set to release Jethro Tull: The String Quartets, a collection of 12 re-imagined Tull classics, allowing Tull fans and classical music connoisseurs to enjoy the band's vast catalog in a new way.