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Former Jethro Tull guitarist celebrates band's history at Yoshi's

Longtime Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre brings his current tour paying tribute to the band's illustrious history Wednesday with a pair of shows at Yoshi's in Oakland.

One of the most eclectic groups to emerge out of the progressive-rock boom in England, Jethro Tull started out as a more blues-focused outfit as it emerged from the London club scene in the late '60s with songwriting shared by charismatic frontman and multi-instrumentalist Ian Anderson and guitarist Mick Abrahams on the band's 1968 debut This Was.

The guitarist would depart from the band over musical differences during the writing process for Tull's second album, resisting with the more folk and jazz direction Anderson's material would take the group. Abrahams would form his band Blondwyn Pig while Tull would soldier on, briefly replacing him with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi before he returned to leading that band and Barre was brought into the fold.

A New Day Yesterday-Jethro Tull by SquidwardTentacles90 on YouTube

The highly skilled player was well-matched to Anderson's songwriting, equally adept at providing delicate acoustic accompaniment or churning out the complex, muscular riffs and jaw-dropping solos that would become one of the band's trademarks on his debut with the band Stand Up in 1969 and Benefit the following year.

Anderson and the group would hit new heights with their 1971 effort Aqualung. The album built around Anderson's vivid character sketches and cerebral, pro-God/anti-religion lyrics featured a number of tunes that would become classic-rock radio staples, including the guitar-driven "Cross Eyed Mary," "Locomotive Breath" and the epic title track.

Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath (with guitar solo) 1977 by 1016vortex on YouTube

The band followed up that album with Thick as a Brick, a dauntingly complex complex album that would become one of Tull's most commercially successful recording yet. Their success would continue with the extended rumination on the afterlife A Passion Play in 1973, the band's second straight album to hit #1 on the U.S. charts.

Bungle in the Jungle (2002 Remaster) by Jethro Tull - Topic on YouTube

The band managed a couple more radio hits on its follow-up effort War Child in 1974, but would move away from the pomp of progressive rock on the more restrained and acoustic Minstrel in the Gallery, eventually closing out the decade with a trio of folk-focused albums: Songs of the WoodHeavy Horses and Stormwatch.

The '80s would initially prove to be a challenging time for the band, with a shake-up in the band's membership leaving Anderson and Barre as the only longtime members and a move into a more electronic directions that largely did not find favor among critics or fans. After a three-year hiatus, Tull returned with a harder-rocking sound for Crest of a Knave in 1987, the album that famously beat out Metallica's And Justice For All... to win the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Performance in 1989.

Martin Barre Band - Aqualung Live in Melbourne FL 2022 | 50th Anniversary Tour | Jethro Tull by raythoven2112 on YouTube

The band would continue to tour regularly and record periodically, but eventually in 2012 the band dissolved and the guitarist would focus on his solo career. Barre has released a number of acclaimed albums, but his live concerts frequently focus on his extensive work with Tull. For his current tour, Barre celebrates the musical journey of the band through the decades at his new show, "A Brief History of Tull." 

The concert features a special visual presentation as Barre and his current band play songs from throughout the band's classic discography. His current onstage collaborators include lead singer/guitarist Dan Crisp, bassist Alan Thomson (who played extensively with the late songwriter John Martyn and Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman) and drummer Darby Todd (Devin Townsend, Robert Plant, Gary Moore). In addition to these two shows at Yoshi's Wednesday night, the tour also stops at Harlowe's in Sacramento Tuesday night.

Martin Barre's "A Brief History Of Tull" 
Wednesday, March 20, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. (8 p.m. sold out) $45-$89
Yoshi's

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