Jethro Tull Releases New Album, ‘RökFlöte,’ in Busy 2023
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Ian Anderson, holding his rock flute, with Jethro Tull’s 2023 lineup
Jethro Tull have announced U.S. dates for their 2023 tour, “Seven Decades,” in support of their 23rd studio album, RökFlöte, released on April 21, 2023, via InsideOutMusic. Following the worldwide success of 2022’s The Zealot Gene, the band’s first album in two decades, Ian Anderson and company are returning with a 12-track record based on the characters and roles of some of the principle gods of the old Norse paganism, and at the same time exploring the ‘RökFlöte’ – rock flute – which Jethro Tull has made iconic.
The band has many concerts in Europe, as well as a date in London to celebrate the new album release. The lineup consists of Anderson (concert and alto flutes, flute d’Amour, Irish whistle and vocals), David Goodier (bass guitar), John O’Hara (piano, keyboards and Hammond organ), Scott Hammond (drums), and Joe Parrish-James (electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin). Tickets for the European and U.S. shows are available here.
Anderson explains the album’s title and theme in more detail: “The title of this offering went through a little change or two along the way. I started with the idea of a predominantly instrumental album for rock flute – as in rock music. When the subject material of the album presented itself, I was drawn to the term Ragnarök from Norse mythology – their version of apocalyptic end times or Biblical Armageddon.
“The ‘final showdown’ scenario is ubiquitous and inherent in Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, for example. Ragnarök translates as ‘destiny of the Gods,’ the rök part meaning destiny, course, direction. With umlaut firmly in place, courtesy of the Germanic origins of Old Norse, Flute became Flöte in keeping with the spelling.” “The Navigators” explores the Norse god Njord, who was the god of wealth, fertility, the sea and seafaring.
Watch the official video for “The Navigators”
RökFlöte is available on CD and vinyl, as well as on two limited deluxe formats that include bonus demo material, extensive liner notes & a Blu-ray featuring Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround sound, alternative stereo mixes by Bruce Soord, as well as a bonus track and in-depth interview with Ian Anderson. The album is also available digitally in the spatial audio formats Dolby Atmos & Sony 360 RA.
Listen to the back-to-back tracks, “Wolf Unchained” and “The Perfect One”
Anderson shared more details of the various formats, and teased the band’s upcoming tour, in this unboxing video.
Watch the video for first single “Ginnungagap”
“Hammer on Hammer” takes inspiration from the god Thor, a loyal & honorable warrior who wears a powerful symbolic belt and wields a hammer. His mortal enemy & nemesis was Jormungand the sea-serpent.
Jethro Tull 2023 Tour (Tickets are available here and here)
Apr 28 – Durham, UK – Northern Kin Festival
May 04 – Reykjavik, Iceland – Eldborg, Harpa
May 23 – London, UK – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
May 27 – Vigo, Spain – Auditorio Mar de Vigo
May 28 – A Coruna, Spain – Palacio de la Opera
Jun 03 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – Dvorana Tivoli
Jun 29 – Matera, Italy – Parco del Castello Tramontano
Jul 01 – Caserta, Italy – Belvedere di San Leucio
Jul 03 – Catania, Italy – Villa Bellini
Jul 07 – Klam, Austria – Clam Rock Festival
Jul 08 – Eisenstadt, Austria – Lovely Days Festival
Jul 14 – Rostock, Germany – IGA Parkbuhne
Jul 15 – Marienwerder, Germany – Inselleuchten Festival
Jul 16 – Gorlitz, Germany – Landskron Brau-Manufaktur
Jul 20 – Leonberg, Germany – Leon Palooza Festival
Jul 22 – Spalt, Germany – Lieder am See Festival
Jul 27 – Cologne, Germany – Roncalliplatz
Jul 29 – Bergamo, Italy – Lazzaretto
Jul 30 – Cattolica, Italy – Arena Della Regina
Jul 31 – Pescara, Italy – Teatro D’Annunzio
Aug 06 – Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, Spain – Patio Central Jardines
Aug 08 – San Feliu de Guixols, Spain – Porta Ferrada Festival
Aug 10 – Hanau, Germany – Amphitheater
Aug 18 – Highland Park, IL – Ravina Festival
Aug 19 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater
Aug 20 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center
Aug 22 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend
Aug 24 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap
Sep 07 – Ghent, Flanders – Capitole
Sep 08 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma
Sep 10 – Tonbridge, UK – Walled Garden Musical Festival
Sep 15 – Zabrze, Poland – House of Music & Dance
Sep 17 – Bydgoszcz, Poland – Hala Sisu
Sep 26 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
Sep 27 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
Sep 29 – Lincoln, CA – Thunder Valley Casino Resort
Sep 30 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
Oct 01 – Santa Rosa, CA – Ruth Finley Person Theater
Oct 12 – Berlin, Germany – Admiralspalast
Oct 14 – Neubrandenburg, Germany – Konzertkirche
Oct 27 – Hampton, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Oct 28 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Oct 29 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Nov 01 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
Nov 02 – Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theatre
Nov 04 – Albany, NY – Palace Theatre
With more than 30 albums to their credit and sales totalling more than 60 million, Jethro Tull are one of the most successful rock bands of all-time with a catalog that contains classic rock favorites Aqualung, Thick As a Brick, and more.
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4 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationNever too old to rock’n’roll and always too young to die! Wonderful!
Any of Ian Anderson’s songs with his voice and flute are going to be somewhat reminiscent of Jethro Tull, although none of his vocal edge, that made some of their classic songs so great, is apparently not possible anymore. But beyond that, I don’t quite understand what makes and Ian Anderson record and what now makes another Ian Anderson records a modern day “Jethro Tull” record, except perhaps the ability to market it to a wider audience. Jethro Tull was a band. It’s true that hat band had a somewhat revolving door of members over the years, and while we’re not necessarily privy to why they left, they were all superb musicians who brought a certain sound to the band’s personality, which was always dominated by the huge talents of Ian Anderson. That said, I’m still bewildered by the unceremonious dumping of Martin Barre after so many decades of loyalty to Anderson and to Tull. If there was any other one sound aside from Anderson’s voice and flute that created a “Tull sound” it was Barre’s guitar parts and tone. Therefore, I still hold fast that if there’s no Martin Barre, it ain’t Jethro Tull.
Deja Vu! Noticed that they’re playing at the Hampton Beach Casino in October. Summer of 1971, I was living at the beach with 5-6 guys and in a band playing at a club a few miles down the road from Hampton Beach at Salisbury Beach. One of my roommates had tickets to see Jethro Tull at the Hampton Beach Casino. Aqualung was just released in March of 71 and I don’t think the promoters realized how big Jethro Tull was. Obviously way more people than tickets and a riot occurred. My roommate said it was crazy. After that, the Casino stopped having concerts for years. This happened at at time when everyone was friendly, doors were left unlocked, you could walk into any party and were welcomed. Can’t say that about the insanity of today. Hope all goes well. Then again, I have to agree with the reader who said there’s no Tull without Martin Barre. Very true. Maybe the promoters think that there’ll be a limited crowd because of this too.
I found this quote last year, in Shindig Magazine I believe, by an English band that I can’t recall their name. “When you’re cranking “When The Levee Breaks” at 3am as loud as you can and the neighbours tell you to turn it up, you know 1971 was a very fine year”.
Have you read David Hepworth’s book “1971 Never a Dull Moment”
Fantastic year for music both in England and the USA