Two in One

8220;We have never met and I have never worked with the band before,8221; says Shankar, of the band and its founder member Ian Anderson. 8220;But we know each other8217;s music and have spent the last few months communicating and e-mailing ideas back and forth.

The 61-year-old Anderson, who called flute a heavy metal instrument, still leads Jethro Tull amid the changes in its line-up since the band8217;s inception four decades ago. Shankar, who recently completed her American tour with father Pandit Ravi Shankar, says, 8220;Jethro Tull have been to India several times and each time they came someone got in touch with me to ask if I could be involved in a series of duet concerts. But the timing was always off, and I8217;d be booked for other shows right when they were touring India. Now I am thrilled to be able to work with such a legendary band.8221;

Anderson and Shankar will be performing five shows from November 27 onwards 8212; in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad, followed by a trip to Dubai.

Although their focus is on the new material that is special to this tour, the set list includes a couple of pieces from Shankar8217;s solo albums as well as pieces that blend sitar in more acoustic-oriented Jethro Tull songs. 8220;From our first communication, Anderson was so aware and caring about the logistics of playing these different music styles together. And, I found the lack of the modern casual attitude of just jamming at the last minute and winging it so refreshing,8221; smiles Shankar.

The Delhi show is on November 30 at Hamsadhwani Amphitheatre