Gary Husband


Gary Husband is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer.
Husband is a member of John McLaughlin's group The 4th Dimension and also performs with Germany's Norddeutscher Rundfunk Big Band and as a solo pianist. He has been a member of many of Billy Cobham's groups, the guitarist Allan Holdsworth's groups, British pop/funk band Level 42 and groups led by Jack Bruce and guitarist Gary Moore. As a session musician, Husband also performed, recorded or toured with Jeff Beck, Robin Trower, Nguyên Lê, Lenny White, Randy Brecker, Soft Machine Legacy, Foley, Al Jarreau, Hessischer Rundfunk Big Band, George Martin, Quincy Jones, Andy Summers, UK, Mike Stern, Dewa Budjana, Jack DeJohnette, Tony Levin, Lincoln Goines, Jimmy Haslip, and Antoine Fafard.

Early years and career beginnings

Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, to dancer Patricia Husband and musician Peter Husband, Gary Husband trained as a classical pianist with Dame Fanny Waterman DBE and Bryan Layton. His distinct piano style has been noted to reveal Jazz fusion and Classical music influences. While being an internationally respected drummer, he is essentially self-taught, though he picked up casual lessons with various professional players at a young age and later spent a lengthier term with drum teacher Geoff Myers.
Having been a professional player on drums and piano from the age of 13 he joined The Syd Lawrence Orchestra at 16 as their full-time drummer. In addition to this he picked up session or touring work with artists or acts such as Lulu and The Bachelors among many others. Husband also frequently played in his home town with visiting jazz soloists from London in pubs and music venues.
Upon a move to London at the age of 18, Husband held either the piano or drums chair in groups such as Mike Carr Trio, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, Gary Boyle Trio, the Morrissey–Mullen band, Jeff Clyne's Turning Point, occasionally recording with the BBC Big Band and frequently picking up freelance work performing at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.

Solo career

In 1998, Husband released his first album, Diary Of A Plastic Box, From 1998 to 2001 he led his piano trio featuring bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Gene Calderazzo. The trio's CD releases From The Heart and Aspire, highlight the music of this group. Of his several solo piano album releases, The Things I See * Interpretations Of The Music Of Allan Holdsworth is an imaginative reworking of the guitarist's music. Years later he released A Meeting Of Spirits, presenting a further selection of similarly highly personalised works based on the music of John McLaughlin.
Gary Husband's Force Majeure, his group from 2004 to 2005, featured Mahavishnu Orchestra electric violinist Jerry Goodman, trumpeter Randy Brecker, trombonist Elliot Mason, keyboard player Jim Beard, bassist Matthew Garrison and percussionist Arto Tuncboyaciyan. In 2004 the group won funding from the Contemporary Music Network and BBC Radio 3's Jazz On 3 to tour the UK. The DVD release Gary Husband's Force Majeure - Live At The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London captured the band's London performance from their debut tour.
His next jazz quartet project, Gary Husband's Drive featured saxophonist Julian Siegel, trumpeter Richard Turner and bassist Michael Janisch. Husband released their debut album Hotwired in 2009 and the group disbanded in early 2010.
Among his more recent projects was Dirty & Beautiful, an album project in two volumes featuring performances from himself together with many of his friends and musical collaborators, past and present. Guitarists Allan Holdsworth, Neil Taylor, Steve Topping, John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, Robin Trower, Ray Russell, Steve Hackett, Mike Stern, Alex Machacek and Jimmy Herring appear, along with bassists Jimmy Johnson, Mark King, Laurence Cottle and keyboardist Jan Hammer.
Husband produced a piano and electric guitar duet album with Alex Machacek in 2013 for Abstractlogix entitled NOW.
In July 2013 Gary Husband performed a solo piano concert at the Saint-Émilion Jazz Festival.
In May 2017 Husband took his first big band production to the Norddeutscher Rundfunk Big Band. Consisting of mostly his own material Husband enlisted composer and arranger Dale Wilson to prepare and interpret the scores, while Tim Hagans was brought in to direct the band. The production featured Husband playing both piano and drums. Gary also integrated special guest Zoltán Lantos for the debut concert performance in Hamburg.

Educational

In 1997 Rittor Music Japan released the semi-educational video Gary Husband * Interplay & Improvisation On The Drums.
Husband is an internationally respected drum clinician and has performed over the years in this capacity alongside Ricky Lawson, Omar Hakim, Dennis Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, Denny Seiwell, Todd Sucherman, Paul Wertico, Terry Bozzio, Simon Phillips and Billy Cobham among many others.
He has held a masterclass at the Drummers Collective in N.Y.C., and is a patron and visiting artist at Tech Music School in London.
Husband runs his own motivational and educational drum method course The Gary Husband Drum Videocasts Series from his own website.

Affiliations with others

Allan Holdsworth

A chance meeting with the influential guitarist Allan Holdsworth and bassist Jack Bruce in 1979, resulted in a casual jam session. Soon after, Holdsworth, along with Husband, formed Holdsworth & Co, and eventually found their bass player in Paul Carmichael, also adding vocalist Paul Williams. The group's hugely influential I.O.U. album was recorded soon after, although not released until 1982, upon the band's moderately successful launch in America.
In the decades since then, Husband has internationally toured and recorded with Holdsworth prolifically, through many different group personnel lineups. The association, featuring Jimmy Johnson, continued until Holdsworth's passing in April 2017 and is regarded by Husband as the most significant of his career.
As well as drums, Husband contributed keyboard parts for some tracks on two Holdsworth albums: 'Secrets' and Wardenclyffe Tower. For the former, Husband composed the composition "City Nights" on which he plays keyboards and the drummer is Vinnie Colaiuta.

John McLaughlin

Gary Husband was recruited by John McLaughlin in April 2005 to play keyboards in a formation called John McLaughlin & Friends for a concert in Réunion Island. Soon after, he performed keyboards and drums on McLaughlin's Industrial Zen album.
The regularly touring and recording band John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension was then formed with Husband featured on both his instruments, bassist Hadrien Feraud and drummer Mark Mondesir. Following the departure of Feraud, :fr:Étienne M'Bappé|Étienne M'Bappé joined the group and McLaughlin recorded the highly acclaimed, Grammy-nominated 2010 album To the One with the new lineup, on which Husband was also featured as principal drummer as well as the keyboardist throughout.
Drummer Ranjit Barot later replaced Mark Mondesir in the drum chair, and the new 2011 version of the group recorded the album Now Here This, which was released in Autumn 2012.
In 2007 Husband performed with the John McLaughlin Band at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago.
Husband's composition "Sulley" has long been a popular inclusion to the 4th Dimension's live repertoire, and features on the group's 2009 live DVD in Belgrade.
On 7 October 2013, Husband and John McLaughlin performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as a duet. Following the performance, the Paul Reed Smith guitar McLaughlin played was presented to the museum by its maker.

Billy Cobham

In 1992 Gary Husband joined legendary drummer Billy Cobham's regular touring band playing keyboards and second drum kit. Soon after, he recorded on Cobham's The Traveler album, and to date Husband is still the only additional drummer to have performed a drums duet with the former Mahavishnu Orchestra drummer on one of his own recordings. In 1995 the Billy Cobham International Quartet toured North America and Canada.
Other notable touring or recording periods with Cobham include the 1998 Billy Cobham Quintet, and the 2002 U.S.A. "Spectrum" 30th Anniversary Tour, along with bassist Leland Sklar and guitarist Dean Brown.
Husband also toured with Cobham's Higher Ground, North By Northwest and Culture Mix bands, recording the album Culture Mix with the latter. Husband's compositions "Le Coco", "Blue Dreams" and "Avatar" were performed by Cobham's groups during these periods.
In early 2013 Husband was recruited again as keyboardist and contributing composer for Cobham's 40th "Spectrum" Anniversary U.S. tour, along with guitarist Dean Brown, violinist Jerry Goodman and bassist Ric Fierabracci. In September and October of the same year, the group returned to the U.S.A., Canada and Europe and performed further touring. Husband's pieces "If The Animals Had Guns Too" and "Dreams In Blue" were featured compositions on these tours.
The album "Billy Cobham's Spectrum 40 Live" was released in 2015 and consisted of recorded material from the band's 2013 international touring activity. Husband left the group in May 2015.

Jack Bruce

In April 1992 Husband performed a benefit concert in London with Jack Bruce alongside guitarist Clem Clempson and keyboardist Ronnie Leahy, marking the beginning of a new working relationship with the ex-Cream bassist and singer. In 1993 Husband toured North America and Europe with Bruce along with guitarist Blues Saraceno and performed at the ‘Jack Bruce 50th Birthday Concerts’ in Cologne along with Clem Clempson, Ginger Baker, Gary 'Mudbone' Cooper, Gary Moore, Pete Brown, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Bernie Worrell, Simon Phillips, Kip Hanrahan and others. The events were both filmed and released on audio CD by CMP Records.
Husband and Bruce recorded two tracks on Gary Moore's Ballads & Blues 1982–1994 album in 1994, and the three had been working as a regularly performing power trio. This line-up was the original blueprint for the group which was to become BBM which Husband missed due to touring commitments with Billy Cobham. Ginger Baker was recruited in his place, and since, Husband has also worked regularly in a trio format with Bruce alongside guitarist Clem Clempson.

Jack Bruce / Robin Trower / Gary Husband

In 2007 Jack Bruce again joined forces with the guitarist Robin Trower for a third recording together. Husband was enlisted for the new studio album, named Seven Moons. A new three-piece was established as a result of the group's successful chemistry and the trio toured extensively through Europe together, later releasing on both CD and DVD as Seven Moons Live. This was later released as a joint CD/DVD package, retitled as, Song From The Road.

Level 42

Following the departure of original band members Phil Gould and Boon Gould in 1987, Husband was invited to join a new edition of the British chart-topping pop/funk band Level 42 and did so early in 1988 while still holding down work touring work with Allan Holdsworth. He recorded two studio albums with the group during his tenure and left the band in March 1992. In 2000, he rejoined Level 42 frontman and bassist Mark King briefly in his group and then on a session basis went on to perform again on tours as part of a reformed Level 42 lineup before finally leaving a few years later following the release of the band's Retroglide album of 2006. Husband has enjoyed a longtime friendship with Mark King and has supported him on his solo projects, notably 'Mark King and Friends' where Husband played keyboards.

Other affiliations

Jazz

Husband has played with a multitude of jazz artists throughout his career.
During his teenage years he played with saxophonist Alan Wakeman, trombonist Malcolm Griffiths and late avant-garde jazz composer Pat Evans.
In 1980 he toured and recorded a radio broadcast with a quartet led by pianist Gordon Beck and Allan Holdsworth along with bassist Jeff Clyne.
In the 1990s he was a member of saxophonist Alan Skidmore's Quartet, guitarist Jim Mullen's Quartet and a number of others. Gary also played engagements with pianist Geoffrey Keezer and bassist James Genus and toured Canada in 1998 with the pianist along with bassist Christian McBride.
In the 2000s he recorded the album Introducing with saxophonist Renato D'Aiello as pianist. On drums, he was also a member of the Julian Siegel Quartet, played live with pianist Olga Konkova's trio and the Randy Brecker/Bob Berg group with pianist Kevin Hays.
In 2006 he joined forces with saxophonist Christof Lauer for a trio project with tuba player Michel Godard and recorded the album Blues In Mind. Husband was drummer and pianist in the project and the band's repertoire was made up of original compositions from all three musicians.
More recently has worked with pianist Yaron Herman's trio, drummer Peter Erskine, drummer/composer Asaf Sirkis
In February 2015 Husband recorded "The Goldilocks Zone" album in Spain with Olga Konkova Trio along with bassist Per Mathisen
In April 2017 Gary began playing live with pianist Antonio Faraò in trio formation, along with performing guests Biréli Lagrène and Didier Lockwood. In May 2017 Husband performed live with German pianist Joachim Kühn's trio featuring bassist Chris Jennings featuring guest performer Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava

Jazz fusion

Husband deputised for drummer Simon Phillips in the group RMS along with Mo Foster and Ray Russell in 1983, and has also performed and recorded with both musicians in more recent years on their own solo albums.
In 1996 Gary performed on guitarist Anthony Hindson's album It's A Curious Life, which also featured Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar and Jack Bruce among others. In 1999 Husband recorded drums with trumpeter Iwan Van Hetten for his debut album Time.
In 2006 Husband toured Europe with guitarist Mike Stern's group, and then again in 2009, in a version of the group that featured Randy Brecker and bassist Chris Minh Doky.
He has also performed and recorded on projects with keyboardist/composer Aydin Esen, bassists Jonas Hellborg, Janek Gwizdala, drummers Sebastiaan Cornelisson, Jason Smith and the Jazz Fusion/Jam band Gongzilla with bassist Hansford Rowe, percussionist Benoît Moerlen and guitarist Bon Lozaga. Husband also performs with guitarist Apostolis Anthimos's trio and bassist Janek Gwizdala's group on occasions.
In November 2013 Husband joined Lenny White & Friends as keyboardist for performances in London and Switzerland. The group also featured Foley, Bennie Maupin and bassist Jerry Brooks.
Husband guested on Dewa Budjana's 2014 album "Surya Namaskar" on synth and more recently recorded with the Indonesian guitarist on Budjana’s “Zentuary” album as pianist, drummer and lead synths along with Jack DeJohnette, bassist Tony Levin and others.
Husband performed on piano, electric piano and lead synthesiser on bassist/composer Oytun Ersan’s 2018 “Fusiolicious” album along with Dave Weckl, Eric Marienthal, Brett Garsed, Mike Miller and others.

Rock and progressive rock

In 1986 Husband briefly became a member of Esquire with vocalist Nikki Squire, bassist Nigel McLaren, guitarist Steve Topping, and keyboardist Charles Olins. In 1996 Husband toured Europe with guitarist Andy Summers to support Summers' Synaesthesia album. He has also appeared with guitarist Jeff Beck.
The long friendship and musical relationship Husband has had with the guitarist Steve Topping resulted in a CD of early jams from the 1980s also featuring bassist Paul Carmichael. Husband performed drums and keyboards on Topping's 1997 debut album Time & Distance and his 2004 album Late Flower.
In May 2012 he joined UK with Eddie Jobson, John Wetton, and Alex Machacek on their Night after Night 2012 tour, replacing Terry Bozzio on drums for their European concerts. He headlined with the group at the NEARfest Apocalypse 2012 festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
He joined guitarist Marcelo Paganini for his album 2012 Space Traffic Jam in 2013 with Eumir Deodato on keyboards, Tony Kaye on keyboards, and bassist Billy Sherwood.
In March 2015 Husband stepped in for drummer John Stanley Marshall, performing with Soft Machine Legacy for a short tour of Japan with John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Roy Babbington, and guest artist Keith Tippett.
In May 2017 he recorded in Spain for guitarist Dusan Jevtovic on his album with Markus Reuter and bassist Bernat Hernández for Moonjune Records.

Big bands / composers and arrangers

Gary had the opportunity to perform with Gil Evans in the early 1980s, in both a live and recording session setting.
Since 2005, Husband has been a regular guest drummer with Hamburg's Norddeutscher Rundfunk Big Band, and through this association he has worked for composers and arrangers such as Colin Towns, Maria Schneider, Jörg Achim Keller, Steve Gray, Dieter Glawischnig, Geir Lysne, Florian Ross, Michael Gibbs, Mischa Schumann, Marko Lackner and behind featured performers such as Joe Lovano, Al Jarreau, Norma Winstone, Maria Pia de Vito and Nguyen Le.
He has also performed in projects with the HR Big Band of Frankfurt, with composer Helge Sunde and the Norrbotten Big Band of Sweden and for a Jack Bruce project with the UK's BBC Big Band.
In August 2012, Gary Husband performed at the Solidarity of Arts Festival in Gdańsk, Poland with Quincy Jones, Tomasz Stańko and the NDR Bigband.
In May 2013 Husband performed and recorded Nguyen Le's "The Dark Side Of The Moon - Tribute to Pink Floyd" project with leader Michael Gibbs, Maria Pia de Vito and the NDR Bigband.

Pop

In 1989 Husband performed as "house band" drummer for The Prince's Trust Rock Gala, backing artists such as Mike + The Mechanics, Andy Bell, Will Downing, Alexander O'Neal, John Farnham, Swing Out Sister, Mica Paris and Spandau Ballet.
Husband toured often with the guitarist Gary Moore through various band lineups from 1993 into the early 2000s, and performed on three of Moore's studio albums. He also recorded with singers such as Jimmy Nail and Brian Houston, toured with singer Ron Sexsmith and recorded for drum n' bass protagonists Dillinja and Lemon D in this period.

Acknowledgements

Gary Husband's proficiency on both drums and keyboards has received praise from other musicians and critics. In 2017, Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree referred to him as "a great, amazingly talented musician!... He's off the charts talented, this guy. I don't know anyone else in the world who can play piano at that level, and drums at that level". Billy Cobham has called his keyboard skill "one of the best-kept secrets in music". Music critic John Fordham of The Guardian considers him one of the best British musicians in the contemporary post-bop scene, describing Husband's pianistic style as "an onrush of long-lined phrases and ambiguous harmonies boldly adapted from Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans."
In 2011, when asked to recommend modern drummers to a drumming magazine, Bill Bruford of King Crimson mentioned Gary Husband, stating that "anything Gary plays on is great" and concluding that he is among the "players are helping push the boundaries of how things should be." Pat Mastelotto said that Husband is an "inspiration to every drummer." Other drummers who have cited him as an influence or expressed admiration for his drumming work are Dennis Chambers, Tomas Haake of Meshuggah. Sean Reinert of Cynic, Peter Wildoer of Darkane, and Rick Colaluca of Watchtower.

Selected discography

Solo album releases