Rupis Dance

Probably the best things that ever happened to Ian Anderson's music were his move to the country and his purchase of a salmon farm. Ever since the mid-1970s, he's had an independent source of income and hasn't been tied to the fickle tastes of musical fashion. As a result he's been free to make quite a lot of excellent music without either the usual market influences or the creativity-stifling pressure of depending on his tunesmithing for his bread and butter. Go right ahead and consider those lilies, folks, but there's something to be said for investing wisely.This CD, as no doubt every reader of this page knows, is very much in the same spirit as _The Secret Language of Birds_, in that it consists mostly of Ian singing and playing flutes and acoustic guitars.The songwriting is every bit as excellent as on _SLOB_, and possibly even just a smidgen better (if that's possible). There's a delightful mix here: several cats, some other animals, some coffee, a couple of lovely instrumental pieces, a touch of "world beat", and the occasional bit of schoolboy humor ("Eurology"? hee hee). There are also some nice photos of Ian posing grimly with his flute.There are also some guest musicians (notably but not only Leslie Mandoki, who sits in on several tracks; Anderson recently appeared on one of his releases as well).Anderson's voice is in good shape, his flauting has never been more liquid, and his guitar work is delicately filigreed. (Incidentally, some of the songs are played on an 1880-vintage C.F. Martin guitar.)There's also a "bonus" track from Jethro Tull's forthcoming Christmas album. The preview is nice to have. (It would be easy to get cynical here and treat the track as a simple marketing ploy, but the fact is that any of us who buy one of these CDs would have bought the other anyway.)Bottom line: if you know this CD exists, you should probably already have bought it. If you haven't, why not?

"Rupi's Dance" is a solo album from Jethro Tull front man Ian Anderson. Much of the material on this one would not seem too far out of place on such folk / acoustic oriented Tull discs as "Heavy Horses" or "Songs From The Wood. Anderson plays the bulk of the instruments here and the songs are all short in the 3 to 4 minute range. There no lengthy instrumental workouts like you might find on a Tull disc, but this music is meant to be lighter in structure and content so this is not a disappointment. Overall I think this may be Anderson's best solo disc. It is similar in style to his previous album "The Secret Language Of Birds", but as a whole the material here is stronger, and there are no real dud tracks to be found. Anderson has become a fine old gentleman in his lyrics, making quaint observations about the passing of everyday life. There are no grand political or philosophical statements to be found here. The album is mainly acoustic, but does rock a bit in spots. Anderson's voice is not quite what it used to be, but he keeps within his current, somewhat limited range and it actually works quite well. Along with the vocal tracks there are also several nice instrumentals featuring Anderson's patented flute work. "Rupi's Dance" is a nice pleasant album that should be pleasing to Tull fans looking for something a bit on the lighter side.

Rupi's Dance is a very listenable album in that it has a good variety of songs; Ian sings on most of the them, but also plays 2 flute solos and has an orchestral background as well. He seems to have gotten into a groove from the opening number and just continues it throughout the album."Calliandra Shade" (The Cappuccino Song) opens the set followed by "Rupi's Dance." Good start. I especially like "A Raft Of Penguins" and "Not Ralitsa Vassileva" (where he's asking his chattering dinner companion, "And do you think you're Ralitsa Vassileva" who is one of the CNN newswomen). Both of these songs got into my head and I've had to keep playing them over and over.Anderson's voice has gotten better on every album since the 1995 release of "Roots To Branches." There was a time from about 1987 up until the '95 release where he sounded somewhat hoarse due to some problems with his throat. Not anymore. He's in fine form here.I also notice that Ian's flute playing has been excellent over his last several albums. This CD also comes with a booklet that includes the lyrics but in addition Ian supplies us with some background info on all the songs which I found quite interesting. One thing I have found to be true about Ian Anderson is that he never shortchanges his listeners.Overall, a most enjoyable listening experience for me. Hope it is for you as well.

On the heels of his last great solo effort, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS, the crusty old curmudgeon continues to mature into what might be called the second coming of TULL. I've been listening to this cantankerous troubadour since JETHRO TULL's 1972 medieval masterpiece, STAND UP. This recording harkens back to the acoustic brilliance of LIVING IN THE PAST as well as the aforementioned STAND UP, to the majesty of the seminal, SONGS FROM THE WOOD. Although, nothing Anderson could possibly do could ever repeat the genius of that recording, Anderson has returned to his roots. Highly masterful flute playing, acoustic guitar, and strings, grace this wonderful performance. Some wonderful instrumentals and a voice that sounds as pure as when TULL was in it's infancy. The only thing missing is a spot o' tea.If you love the aforementioned TULL masterpieces, you might be pleasantly surprised that Ian Anderson is making relevent music again. May he continue to do so for quite some time. IF YOU'RE A TULL FAN, BUY THIS. YOU WON'T BE SORRY.IAN ANDERSON IS BACK. HOORAH!!

I think the latest Jethro Tull or Ian Anderson albums have a lot in common when you consider the use of the wide range of acoustic instruments and the earcatching folk rock melodies. To tell you the truth Rupi's Dance is an old favorite and considering the fact that my own fellow countrymen - The Sturcz String Quartet also contributed to it along with the legendary Hungarian pop musician Leslie/László Mandoki, you may understand why I ordered it on Amazon.Ian's old and new bandmates Andrew Giddings, Martin Barre, Doane Perry, David Goodier, James Duncan, and John O'Hara also played on this excellent album, which was released in 2003.As for the songs, my favorite ones are Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song), Eurology, Rupi's Dance, Pigeon Flying Over Berlin Zoo, Griminelli's Lament, Birthday Card At Christmas, Old Black Cat, you see this list is endless and if you have managed to see Ian Anderson on tour recently, you must remember him and his band playing one or two of them. Now that is why it is a must for Jethro Tull fans, so if you consider yourself a self-respecting Jethro Tull fan, you will follow my advice and you will get it asap.Enjoy!

I HATE the current music scene, acts as disposable as toilet paper, monkeys dancing for Simon Cowell, nitwits like Bieber and porn videos masquerading as pop videos. What a JOYOUS breath of fresh air it is, then, to come across a new album from a man whose career has spanned the better part of fifty years, and find that it is a glorious, intricate, homely, understated, personal piece of work with all the wit, and wry observationalism that so marked the best of his previous work. Jethro Tull may be on somewhat of a sabbatical, but Ian is obviously very much at the height of his musical powers in home-studio world. All the tracks on here have a light, sure-footedness, an intricate weave and Mr. Anderson's worldview as penetrating as it always was. I won't go on about stand-out tracks, but I adore the title track, as will anyone who has ever owned a kitten, as well as Old Black Cat, for anyone who has ever lost a beloved feline companion. Keep 'em coming, Mr. Anderson, and help us to overturn the ghastly world of current music!!

This is the fourth solo album from Jethro Tull frontman and seemingly inexhaustible musical creative genius Ian Anderson. Free from the constraints of the band he is able to give his whimsy full reign as he creates a disc packed full of rather delightful tunes and lyrics.This seems at times a very personal album, with an ode to Anderson's cat, and songs inslpired by his everyday experiences. Mainly acoustic, with a folk/jazz style and a humour that is uniquely Anderson, this is a real feel good record that is garuanteed to put a smile on your face. After all these years as the main creatinve force behind Tull it is a mystery how he still does it, but he does and here's hoping there is plenty more to come yet!

For many years, devout Tull fans longed for, and probably expected, an intimate and broadly acoustic solo album from Ian Anderson. 'Walk into Light' was the antithesis of that. A great set but fairly impersonal and predominantly electronic. It took until 'Secret Language of Birds' before that expectation was realized.Now we have another offering in the same vein. 'Rupi's Dance' is deeply personal and almost entirely acoustic and his very distictive flute playing is featured on every track; from the catchy opening track 'Calliandra Shade' those flutes grow on you with repeated listening. The intimate nature of the set is revealed by the track 'Old Black Cat'; Anderson claims this song was written hours after his cat's demise. Throughout the collection, Anderson seems at pains to reveal his insecurities, fear of crowds, fear of intimate conversation, his intellectual ability and playing with orchestras before a waiting crowd as in 'A Raft of Penguins'. His song writing is as witty as ever and his singing on form.But there is an important 'But'. The music covers far too much familiar ground for me and one is left wondering what Anderson's role is these days or what his next step might be. I felt an uncomfortable sense of deja vu just too often. His recent work with orchestras made me expect something a little different, even a 'reinventing' of himself; something 'fresher', In this respect the set is disappointing. A great CD, (you'll be singing those songs all day), and a neccesary item for your Tull/Anderson collection without a doubt....but not his best.

This is a wonderful acoustic album with less hard steal or aggression than found on Jethro Tull. Don't get me wrong, there were lovely acoustic soft melodious tracks on Jethro Tull albums. Rupi's Dance was consistently acoustic. Buy this and you'd want his other work "Secret Language Of Birds.