Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Anderson, Ian
Label: RandM Records
Released: 2003
Length: 55:50
Rating: 4/5
“Rupi’s Dance” is the fourth solo album made under the baton of music legend Ian Anderson, best known to most of the musically aware crowd as the charismatic chieftain of prog rock giants Jethro Tull. The most respected flautist in the history of rock music and the only real troubadour among rockers used the long studio break he gave his band to step firmly onto the path of the solo artist.
After the very good “Secret Language Of Birds” (2000), this pronounced solo awakening has delivered his strongest record yet, one that impresses on every front and blends Ian’s past and present sonic finesse with great success. It wouldn’t have fared badly even if it had come out under the Jethro Tull banner, provided it had featured electric guitar from the indispensable Martin Barre, who released his own third solo record, “Stage Left”, right around the time “Rupi’s Dance” came out. Martin’s presence or absence is the key dividing line between Jethro Tull and Ian’s solo career. The latter, accordingly, has far fewer hard rock elements than the traditional Tull legacy, or almost none at all.
For a charismatic eccentric who once dedicated one of the best Tull albums to a noble breed of horse, it’s nothing out of the ordinary to decide to make an album in honor of one of his household pets. “Rupi’s Dance” is dedicated to Ian’s beloved black cat Rupi, who, believe it or not, he taught to dance to the beat of his flute after she wandered past while they were watching TV together. Thanks to her enterprising owner, Rupi is well on her way to becoming the most famous feline in the music business. Ian has always been a big fan of cats in general, anyway. On his estate he keeps no fewer than 26 different species of small, mostly exotic wild cats, which he occasionally gives away.
Of course, this review isn’t meant to ramble on about Ian’s colorful farming and breeding activities, but to focus on the music on this excellent album. “Rupi’s Dance” could be roughly described as an extremely eclectic mix of different, mostly pastoral styles, drawing both on Ian’s rich musical legacy and on some newer influences. All thirteen regular tracks, which are nicely balanced against each other, feed on the juicy elements of Anglo-Saxon folk, world music, classical, rock and, to a lesser extent, jazz. Multi-instrumentalist Ian, besides handling the flute, his traditional instrument (this time he used three kinds of flutes), also provided seductive acoustic guitar arrangements, while his musical collaborators helped him build rich, sprawling orchestral and pastoral harmonies. It’s worth noting that it’s almost becoming a trend for musicians from Ian’s solo career to end up moving over to Jethro Tull sooner or later. That big leap has worked out for accordionist and keyboardist John O’ Hara and bassist David Goodier, who replaced Andy Giddings (for whom this album is one of the last collaborations with Ian) and Jonathan Noyce. Drummer James Duncan also made a good impression on Ian, and he occasionally fills in for Doane Perry on Tull tours.
Ian and his crew did an excellent job on “Rupi’s Dance” from start to finish. The tracks that leave the biggest impression are the ones where his passionate, instantly recognizable flute playing really gets to shine. The opener “Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song)” fits right into that category, a mischievous pastoral ode to one of Britain’s oldest traditions. The playful title track can stand right beside it. It’s full of cheeky, danceable rhythmic touches that make it easy to picture Ian’s stomping little darling. Over time, the sarcastic “A Raft Of Penguins” has also earned classic status, with lyrics that take a cynical cross-section of Ian’s long collaboration with classical musicians, along with the phenomenal instrumental “Eurology”, where juicy baroque arrangements and Mediterranean melodic touches reign, and “Griminelli’s Lament”. The latter is dedicated to a younger-generation Italian flautist named Andrea Griminelli, whom Ian befriended years ago. With all of that going on, the Scottish bon vivant had no trouble fitting his rather worn-out vocals to the tempo of the individual songs, since gentle acoustic melodies and slower rhythms dominate. “Lost in Crowds” is one of the album’s rare punchier moments, where you could talk about hard rock guitar finesse. Closing the album is the special track “Birthday Card at Christmas”, which works as a short teaser, or rather an ad, for “The Jethro Tull Christmas Album” (2003). I’d say it’s a rather unnecessary move, but one that does the album as a whole no harm.
“Rupi’s Dance” is no dramatic stylistic shift from the successful recipe Ian already used on “Secret Language Of Birds”. Still, thanks to its remarkable fluidity and the markedly wittier nature of the individual arrangements, it’s the best and most mature record of his solo path up to that point, one that will make the heart of every longtime follower skip a beat. Ian, who ages like fine wine, proves he’s still an incredibly vital instrumentalist and a Renaissance creator of music that’s exceptionally rich in expression and emotion. The only shame in all this is that after a rather weak and far from satisfying Christmas album, Jethro Tull went into studio hibernation, and there’s just no end in sight.
Lineup
Ian Anderson – vocals, flute, bamboo flute, wooden flute, piccolo, acoustic guitar, percussion, accordion, bass guitar
James Duncan – drums
David Goodier – bass guitar
Leslie Mandoki – drums and percussion
Laszio Bencker – keyboards, piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer
Ossi Schaller – guitar
George Kapecsni – guitar
The Sturcz String Quartet
John O’ Hara- accordion, keyboards
Andrew Giddings – keyboards, bass guitar
Production
Ian Anderson
Track List
1. Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song)
2. Rupi’s Dance
3. Lost in Crowds
4. Raft of Penguins
5. Week of Moments
6. Hand of Thumbs
7. Eurology
8. Old Black Cat
9. Photo Shop
10. Pigeon Flying Over Berlin Zoo
11. Griminelli’s Lament
12. Not Ralitsa Vassileva
13. Two Short Planks
14. Birthday Card at Christmas [*]
