IAN ANDERSON, the indefatigable showman who put the trill of the flute into rock riffs, is still going strong after clocking up 36 years with his band Jethro Tull.

The accomplished musician thrilled a capacity audience at York's Barbican Centre last night with his exuberant playing and self-deprecating humour.

The fire still burns in his belly, though the trademark troubadour's codpiece and tights have been long since been confined to some bottom drawer, gathering dust away from the stage spotlight.

Anderson fronts a band who defy categorisation: folk/rock; hard rock/metal; jazz; classical - it is all the same to them.

They treated their loyal fans to a two-hour whistle-stop tour of their distinguished career.

The five-piece played Beggar's Farm from Jethro Tull's first album, This Was, released in 1968, as well as several tracks from their latest recording, last year's Christmas Album.

These included inventive arrangements of The Holly And The Ivy, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Pavane by French classical composer Faur.

A medley of title tracks from three albums dating from the mid-1970s - Songs From The Wood; Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young To Die; and Heavy Horses - also went down well, as did a beautiful version of Mother Goose from Tull's classic 1971 album Aqualung.

When Anderson left the stage to take a well-earned breather, his sparring partner, guitarist Martin Barre, stepped into the breach and let rip with a storming instrumental called Murphy's Paw. Cynics who thought Tull quit years ago to go fish-farming had better think again. The band's passion for music remains as virile as a wild salmon.

Updated: 11:08 Thursday, February 19, 2004