Ian Anderson and The Carducci Quartet have just released "Loco (Locomotive Breath)" from the new album Jethro Tull: The String Quartets. "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.”

The track "Loco" is available now for download and streaming. Jethro Tull: The String Quartets will be available in The United States on March 24th.

Tracklisting:

“In The Past (Living In The Past)”
“Sossity Waiting (Sossity: You’re A Woman / Reasons For Waiting)”
“Bungle (Bungle In The Jungle)”
“We Used To Bach (We Used To Know / Bach Prelude C Maj)”
“Farm, The Freeway (Farm On The Freeway)”
“Songs And Horses (Songs From The Wood / Heavy Horses)”
“Only The Giving (Wond’ring Aloud)”
“Loco (Locomotive Breath)”
“Pass The Bottle (A Christmas Song)”
“Velvet Green (Velvet Green)”
“Ring Out These Bells (Ring Out, Solstice Bells)”
“Aquafugue (Aqualung)”

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.

After the album’s release, Ian Anderson will return to the United States this May, June, and August to present multi-media Jethro Tull by Ian Anderson concerts in the Mountain States, Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, the Midwest, Florida. He will be accompanied by Tull members David Goodier (bass), John O'Hara (keyboards), Florian Opahle (guitar), and Scott Hammond (drums). See below for dates:

May
26 - Red Rocks Amphitheater - Morrison, CO (with the Colorado Symphony)
27 - Route 66 Casino - Albuquerque, NM
28 - Plaza Theatre PAC - El Paso, TX
30 - Smart Financial Centre - Houston, TX
31 - ACL Live at The Moody Theater - Austin, TX

June
1 - Choctaw Casino - Durant, OK  

August
13 - Bethlehem MusikFest - Bethlehem, PA
15 - Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands PAC - Canandaigua, NY
18 - Meijer Gardens Amphitheater - Grand Rapids, MI
19 - Chicago Theatre - Chicago, IL Theater
22 - First Niagara Presents Tuesday In The Park - Lewiston, NY

“Ring Out These Bells (Ring Out, Solstice Bells)” video:

“Pass The Bottle (A Christmas Song)”: