Gary Husband

Gary Husband - Dirty & Beautiful Volume 1 - 2010 - Abstract Logix

Over the course of a remarkable, still-unfolding career, Gary Husband has defined himself as the ultimate musician's musician: a fiery, perceptive presence who elevates every scenario - from the tightly arranged to pure, open-ended improvisation. His newest solo album Dirty & Beautiful Volume One, available via Abstract Logix, is a riveting showcase for the many gleaming facets of his musical imagination. As befits his reputation among fellow performers, the album finds drummer and keyboardist Husband joined by an enviable cast of supporting musicians, among them John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Robin Trower, Steve Hackett (Genesis), Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Jimmy Herring (Widepread Panic, the Dead, Allman Brothers Band), Jan Hammer, Mark King (Level 42), and more. Longtime fusion enthusiasts will note that Dirty & Beautiful marks the first time that iconic guitarists John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth have appeared on the same album, and the first time that McLaughlin, Goodman, and Hammer have been heard on the same project since the glory days of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Husband has honed his formidable skills as a sideman with such exacting artists as McLaughlin, Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth, Mike Stern, Robin Trower, Billy Cobham, Gary Moore, Level 42, Andy Summers, and many, many more. Currently, he is touring internationally as keyboardist and additional drummer with John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension, and is extensively featured on the group's new album To The One. On his own, he has released a series of acclaimed albums ranging from solo piano projects to intricate full-band explorations of the intersection of jazz sophistication and rock exhilaration. With a second volume to follow in Spring 2011, Dirty & Beautiful Volume One is Husband's most ambitious and captivating solo project yet. Composed of compelling new originals alongside re-imagined classics from the pens of Miles Davis, Jan Hammer, and Holdsworth, Dirty & Beautiful Volume One boasts a range of materials and contributors that, Husband explains, ''actually resembles closely what my diary looks like. It documents some of the many relationships and avenues of participation I am fortunate to enjoy in my working life as a musician, with artists that I both love and admire.'' Expertly steered from the meditative to the relentless by Husband's propulsive yet nuanced drumming and nimble, harmonically daring keyboard work, Dirty and Beautiful Volume One is a valuable, long-awaited showcase for one of contemporary fusion's most powerfully inventive figures. – EDITORIAL REVIEW © 1996-2013, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Dirty-Beautiful-Volume-Gary-Husband/dp/B0042OZDEI

Fusion isn't as plentiful as it was back in the 1970s, which was the golden age of fusion just as the '30s and early '40s were the golden age of swing and the mid- to late '40s and '50s were the golden age of bop. But noteworthy fusion can still be found if you know where to look for it, and Gary Husband's Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1 is an example of noteworthy 21st century fusion. An impressive cast of fusion icons joins the British keyboardist/drummer/composer on this 2010 release, including guitarists Allan Holdsworth and John McLaughlin and keyboardist Jan Hammer; guitarist Robin Trower, who is best known for hard rock and blues-rock, is also on board. With such a cast, one would expect five-star results. But Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1 falls short of exceptional, although it's still an enjoyable, solid outing as well as a fairly diverse one. This 51-minute CD, which is dominated by Husband's original material, has its more aggressive moments (including "Ternberg Jam" and "Dreams in Blue"), but many of the tunes are on the reflective, contemplative side; that is certainly true of "Bedford Falls," "Afterglow," "The Maverick," "Averstone Jam," and the mysterious "Boulevard Baloneyo." And Husband reminds listeners that quality fusion, like quality bop, quality Dixieland, or quality swing, isn't just about pyrotechnics -- which is why there is a lot of lyricism on this album to go with all the chops and technical proficiency. Fusion enthusiasts will appreciate the amount of nuance that Husband and his soloists bring to Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1. © Alex Henderson © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/dirty-and-beautiful-vol-1-mw0002060898

For his tight funk-drumming creativity, melodic and harmonic sense (he's as good a jazz pianist as he is a drummer) and musical inclusiveness, the UK's Gary Husband has the pull to assemble an all-star studio venture boasting the likes of guitarists John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Robin Trower, Steve Topping and Steve Hackett, McLaughlin's former Mahavishnu partners Jan Hammer (keys) and Jerry Goodman (violin), Husband's former Level 42 boss Mark King and more. It's unapologetic jazz-fusion, but being Husband's project it's a subtle one, full of poetic synth effects, hard-nosed bluesy grooving, and flying fast guitar-led themes. Sometimes the leader just jams on squelching synths with his own overdubbed drums; sometimes he drives elegant rock ballads like the yearning Moon Song with Steve Hackett's singing guitar. And the sinister, looming Boulevard Baloneyo is an electronic odyssey for Husband, Holdsworth and bassist Jimmy Johnson. It's a fusion fan's dream, but jazzy and quirky enough for a wider audience. © John Fordham The Guardian, Thursday 10 March 2011 21.31 GM © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/10/gary-husband-dirty-and-beautiful-review

Despite five guitarists and five bassists playing on the album, this is not entirely guitar based fusion, but great stuff just the same. The percussive and keyboard work is wonderful and easily makes up for any loss of guitar. Listen to this album and you will easily understand why magnificent musicians like Allan Holdsworth, Steve Hackett, John McLaughlin and others want to play with Gary Husband. Gary said that "I feel this album to be rich, full of extremes, and passionate. It's not at all my first album, but it feels a little like a debut album, in that it heralds a return to my jazz/rock roots."Listen to Gary’s great “The Things I See” album and “Dirty & Beautiful Volume Two”. Read more about Gary Husband @ http://www.garyhusband.com/gh/bio/ [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 116 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Leave 'Em On - Allan Holdsworth 4:32
2. Bedford Falls - Gary Husband 3:20
3. Between The Sheets Of Music - Jan Hammer & Anthony Smith 3:32
4. Yesternow - Preview - Miles Davis 0:57
5. Afterglow - Gary Husband 2:15
6. Dreams In Blue - Gary Husband 10:12
7. Ternberg Jam - Gary Husband 3:01
8. Moon Song - Gary Husband 4:33
9. Swell - Gary Husband 0:45
10. The Maverick - Steve Topping 4:53
11. Boulevard Baloneyo - Gary Husband 7:42
12. Alverstone Jam - Gary Husband & Mark King 5:22

MUSICIANS

Allan Holdsworth - Guitar (1, 3, 11, 13 )
Robin Trower - Guitar (4)
John McLaughlin - Guitar (6)
Steve Hackett - Guitar (8)
Steve Topping - Guitar (10)
Jimmy Johnson - Bass (1, 3, 6, 7, 11, 13)
Laurence Cottle - Bass (2, 8)
Livingstone Brown - Bass (4)
Steve Price - Bass (10)
Mark King - Bass (12)
Gary Husband - Drums (1-3, 6, 7, 10-13), Organ (1), Synthesizer (1), Keyboards (5-9, 12)
Jan Hammer - Keyboards (1)
Jerry Goodman - Violin (3)

SHORT BIO

A pianist, drummer, and bandleader, Gary Husband is a journeyman jazz-rock musician with a versatile, dynamic, and genre-bending approach to improvised music. Born in Leeds in 1960, Husband studied classical piano and jazz before finding work professionally. In the '90s, Husband began leading his own piano trio featuring bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Gene Calderazzo and released the album From the Heart in 1999. During this time he continued to work with other artists including Billy Cobham, Jimmy Nail, Anthony Hindson, and more. He returned to his solo work with 2004's Aspire as well as The Things I See: Interpretations of the Music of Allan Holdsworth that same year. In 2006, Husband investigated another of his influences with A Meeting of Spirits: Interpretations of the Music of John McLaughlin. In 2008, he delivered the highly personal The Complete Diary of a Plastic Box, which featured works Husband penned while touring as a sideman from 1989 to 1993. A year later, he returned in a more post-bop mood with the album Hotwired: Gary Husband's Drive. In 2010, he was joined by Holdsworth and a list of legendary fusion artists including McLaughlin, keyboardist Jan Hammer, and guitarist Robin Trower for Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1. In 2012, Husband followed up the project with Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 2. © Matt Collar © 2013 Rovi Corp | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gary-husband-mn0000739464/biography