Gary Husband - Independent/John McLaughlin/Level 42/Gary Husband's Force Majeure

Gary Husband is one of a rare breed of musicians in that his expression is divided equally in his capacity as a drummer and a keyboardist of international repute. His classical roots, his tenure in the pop, rock, funk and blues circuits - not to mention his quest and development in the improvisational, jazz and jazz/fusion areas - are all evident inside Gary's distinct and far-reaching musical personality.

gary husband.com

gary husband @ myspace 

His solo album and DVD output over the last few years has also reinforced his status as a critically acclaimed writer and arranger in the contemporary music world.

In 1999 he formed the NEW GARY HUSBAND TRIO (with MICK HUTTON, bass, and drummer GENE CALDERAZZO) leading from the piano and keyboards. Material from this period is best represented on the album ASPIRE - GARY HUSBAND & FRIENDS (Jazzizit). In the summer of 2003, Gary was awarded a highly coveted place on the Arts Council of England's CONTEMPORARY MUSIC NETWORK touring scheme to lead a hand-picked ensemble of world-class jazz musicians on a tour across the UK in March 2004.

Gary and his 2008 MMP Masters Series kit

The project, entitled GARY HUSBAND'S FORCE MAJEURE, featured Grammy winning trumpeter RANDY BRECKER, bassist MATTHEW GARRISON, keyboardist JIM BEARD, trombonist and bass trumpeter ELLIOT MASON, Mahavishnu legend JERRY GOODMAN on electric violin, and the Armenian 'world' percussionist ARTO TUNCBOYACIYAN. Gary composed, arranged and directed the band from the drum kit and piano, presenting a series of "evocations" inspired by musical pioneers such as Bjork, Burt Bacharach and John McLaughlin, and the BBC Radio 3 commissioned suite (Stone Souls).

To coincide with the release of the highly-acclaimed 2-disk 5.1 Surround DVD package GARY HUSBAND'S FORCE MAJEURE - LIVE AT THE QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL, LONDON, the ensemble returned to the UK in March 2005 for a further series of concerts which included a wildly-received, sell-out week residency at London's Ronnie Scott's club.

Level 42 - 2006 Promo photo

Gary continues to devote a portion of his time to other artists' projects, new collaborations and educational programmes. His typically diverse range of associations (either playing keyboards, drums, or both) include (or have included) spells with artists such as BILLY COBHAM, ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, JACK BRUCE, JEFF BECK, JONAS HELLBORG, JIM MULLEN, GARY MOORE, LEMON 'D', RON SEXSMITH, STEVE TOPPING, ANDY SUMMERS, ALAN SKIDMORE, AYDIN ESEN, GEOFF KEEZER, CHRISTIAN McBRIDE, CHRIS SQUIRE, MARK KING, RAY RUSSELL and (most recently) JOHN McLAUGHLIN (for live and recording work), CHRISTOF LAUER TRIO and MIKE STERN BAND.

Similar in concept and approach to his highly acclaimed piano CD release of 2001, THE THINGS I SEE - INTERPRETATIONS OF THE MUSIC OF ALLAN HOLDSWORTH (Angel Air Records), Gary's new work (and fifth solo CD release) A MEETING OF SPIRITS - INTERPRETATIONS OF THE MUSIC OF JOHN McLAUGHLIN is available from Alternity Records now.