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Gary Husband: A Meeting Of Spirits

By Roger Farbey

Pianist and percussionist Gary Husband is one of the world's most gifted musicians. It would be more accurate to say that he is not merely supremely talented but also a true virtuoso of both drums and keyboards. He played on John McLaughlin's Industrial Zen, released in 2006 and with the guitarist's 4th Dimension since its 2010 debut recording, To The One, where he featured on keyboards. But as those lucky enough to have caught McLaughlin in concert will know, Husband ...

Gary Husband & Alex Machacek: Now

By John Kelman

Over the course of the past decade or so, Abstract Logix has gone from being a web-based shop front for all things fusion--and that's fusion in the true sense of the word, by the way; not just the high octane, often pyrotechnic genre it's narrowed down to over the decades--into a record label with a small but significant discography whose roster includes everyone from Jimmy Herring and Wayne Krantz to Lenny White and John McLaughlin. It made its next inevitable ...

Gary Husband: Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2

By Glenn Astarita

Drummer and keyboardist Gary Husband follows up Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1 (Abstract Logix, 2010) with a second volume, consummated by a star-studded aggregation of progressive rock, jazz-rock and jazz fusion instrumentalists, most of whom are Abstract Logix recording artists. Husband draws upon disparate frameworks; jazz improvisation, electronica, and other facets seed a fertile underpinning in concert with the musicians' signature styles.A drummer possessing gargantuan chops, these days Husband has been manning the keyboards for guitarist John McLaughlin's ...

Catching Up With Gary Husband

By Ian Patterson

Gary Husband has wind in his sails these days. The pianist/keyboardist/drummer and composer has released three outstanding records in nearly as many years, all on Abstract Logix: the heady post-bop Hotwired (2009); the jazz-fusion all-star extravaganza Dirty & Beautiful Vol 1 (2010), and the eagerly awaited follow-up, 2012's Dirty & Beautiful Vol 2. His Dirty & Beautiful sets have brought together some of the biggest names in jazz fusion, whose myriad colors illuminate Husband's strong compositional frameworks. ...

Gary Husband: Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2

By Ian Patterson

With friends as talented as those of pianist/drummer/keyboardist Gary Husband, the musical possibilities are mouthwatering and seemingly endless. With a riotous assembly of jazz fusion greats playing their butts off, Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 follows suit from Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1 (Abstract Logix, 2010). Several threads tie the two records together. Many of the musicians here were on the first record, and Volume 2 is another guitar-centric feast, boasting animated performances from John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Mike Stern, ...

Gary Husband: Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2

By John Kelman

Gary Husband Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 Abstract Logix 2012 If ever there was a musician whose efforts to redefine and reestablish himself are both worthy of attention and working, it's Gary Husband. Emerging as a powerhouse drummer with Allan Holdsworth in the guitarist's I.O.U. band of the early 1980s, Husband has striven to raise his profile as a keyboardist since the turn of the millennium, turning in two overlooked (and stunning) solo piano tributes ...

Gary Husband: Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2

By Johanna McKenna

Multitalented drummer, keyboardist, composer, and arranger Gary Husband continues to raise the bar with each successive release, and 2012's Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 is no exception. Volume 2's collection of originals and fusion classics follows Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1 (Abstract Logix, 2010), featuring many of the same collaborators, but with some additional powerhouse guitarists rounding out this heady lineup.Of particular interest is the appearance of young Grammy-nominated guitarist Alex Machacek, who contributes his original “Lock, Stock ...

Gary Husband: Dirty & Beautiful Volume One

By Ian Patterson

It's almost a shame that Gary Husband's follow-up to the excellent Hotwired (Abstract Logix, 2009) did not take that exciting young ensemble to the next stage, were it not for the fact that Dirty & Beautiful brings together an exceptional line-up of some of the most innovative and influential musicians of the last forty years. Although Husband has formed decades-long musical relationships with guitarist Allan Holdsworth and Level 42 bassist Mark King, his projects as a leader have generally been ...

Gary Husband: Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1

By John Kelman

For some, recruiting an all-star cast means nothing more than a budget to support it, but in the case of Gary Husband's Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1, it reflects the many friendships the keyboardist/drummer has built over the years--all clearly happy to help deliver the album that should, by all rights, put him more squarely on the map as a leader in his own right. John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Robin Trower, Level 42...all well-known names in jazz and rock/pop circles; ...

Gary Husband's Drive: Hotwired

By Ian Patterson

It's a happy state of affairs when a new band gels and the chemistry realizes, as far as is possible, the ambitions and intentions of the leader. Gary Husband must be reasonably delighted with the vibrant horn pairing of experienced saxophonist Julian Siegel and newcomer trumpeter Richard Turner, which brings such thrust and zest to Hotwired. He must be similarly thrilled with the empathetic partnership he has struck up with bassist Michael Janisch, which swings the session mightily. ...

Gary Husband: There were these three Yorkshiremen...

By Ian Patterson

Gary Husband has long cemented his reputation as one of fusion's premier drummers--hell, even Billy Cobham thought two was better than one and hired him as a second drummer. Husband's flexibility has seen him drum in the NDR Big Band, with jazz-funk outfit Level 42, and in a trio format with guitarist Robin Trower and bassist Jack Bruce.

Since the early '90s he has built an impressive discography as a leader which underlines his status as ...

Gary Husband's Drive: Hotwired

By John Kelman

Gary Husband's Drive Hotwired Abstract Logix 2009 Keeping one foot in the jazz tradition and the other on a path to where the music not just can go, but must go is a dicey challenge, even for the most forward-thinking. In many respects, it's the musicians who have spread themselves well beyond even the most distant fringes of jazz who are best prepared to find their way towards a new amalgam that's undeniably jazz but ...