I googled that and couldn't find any support for your statement. Please support your statement.

It's well a known fact that Ian Anderson's flute act was copied wholesale from Roland Kirk - he openly admitted it and even dumbed down Kirk's Serenade to a Cuckoo on the first Tull album. Rahsaan Roland Kirk was uniquely gifted genius who celebrated what he called The Black Classical Music of the American Jazz Tradition - even after his debilating stroke he still continued to tour & record, even up to his death in 1977 at the tragically young age of 42, playing better with one hand than many could do with two - Ian Anderson included, natch, who is no flute player, just a gimmickly prog-rock showman serving up his tricks to legions of adoring fans. In this, as in many issues of cultural injustice, Rahsaan's cry was Why don't they know? Well, just have a look around on YouTube you'll find plenty of evidence. Besides, the flute was only one small part of Rahsaan's armory - more likely you're going to come across him blowing the ballsiest tenor saxophone you'll ever hear, or else playing three horns at once, such as on this classic clip from 1969 where he takes the soul standard I Say a Little Prayer to the outer reaches of possibility. And yeah, he was blind. As Charlie Mingus said 'This man is what Jazz is all about.' But be sure - Rahsaan dug deep, paid his dues, and testified to the beauty of The Black American Tradition and came back with the goods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uRnvMwD6jM


PS - I might add that I was brought up with the music of Jethro Tull, whose first three albums I still regard as classics; likewise the Living in the Past anthology, bits of Aqualung and all of Thick as a Brick (and perhaps 70% of Passion Play for personal reasons). I even recently bought the Isle of White concert DVD (Nothing is Easy) which captures the band in 1970 at their blistering best (the early take of My God especially, though I could do without the flute solo). After that something went wrong with Ian Anderson's voice and I found I couldn't listen to them. Certainly by Songs from the Wood his voice was so shot & the music devoid of its rooted earthy bluesy human folkiness that was so much of its appeal. I swear as a kid were I found musical heaven & epiphany in the multitracked modal flutes of Witches Promise, but aged 9 I honestly didn't know any better.

Go forth. Seek. And LISTEN.