Ian Anderson puts Jethro Tull on hold for fall tour

Longtime Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson goes solo from September through November to play a series of shows in support of his forthcoming disc "Rupi's Dance."

The solo tour--dubbed "Rubbing Elbows with Ian Anderson"--is described by Jethro Tull's website as "an intimate evening of acoustic songs, music and bawdy tales."

Anderson's solo venture will follow Jethro Tull's August tour of the U.S. Anderson has handled lead vocals and played flute in the art-rock group since 1968.

"Rupi's Dance," which is expected to hit North American record stores in mid August, is Anderson's fourth solo album, and his first solo release since 2000's "The Secret Language of Birds."

Meanwhile, "The Jethro Tull Christmas Album" is in the can, and scheduled for release in late October.

"Some might venture that the Tull record is not really a new Tull record at all but a quaint and slightly silly Christmassy, fluffy bit of tinsel to cash in on the seasonal market," Anderson wrote on his band's website. "In fact, I am really pleased with what was one of the most difficult musical challenges to overcome--original and reworked material of musical integrity but with an up-beat and Tull-flavored nod to the Christmas festive fling."

Last May, Jethro Tull released a new DVD titled "Living with the Past," which includes career-spanning footage from live concerts, as well as songs re-recorded with original Tull members--Anderson, Mick Abrahams, Clive Bunker and Glen Cornick--and a string quartet. The group released a CD of the same name in April.