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 quest and development in the improvisational, jazz and jazz/ fusion areas – not to mention his tenure in the pop, rock, funk and blues circuits – are all evident inside Gary's distinct and far-reaching musical personality. His solo album and DVD output over the decades has also reinforced his status as a critically acclaimed composer and arranger in the contemporary music world.
Gary's first professional drumming experience was brought about through touring & recording with Britain's Syd Lawrence Orchestra at 16-years-old. At 18 he ventured from the North of England to London, where he became active on the scene with a number of artists including Mike Carr Trio, Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia, Dick Morrissey / Jim Mullen band, Gary Boyle Trio, Jeff Clyne's Turning Point and others.
At 19 he met and joined forces with the guitarist Allan Holdsworth and forged with him a musical relationship that was to span 35 years. He joined the jazz funk pop band Level 42 1988 (staying three years) and became active with both Billy Cobham's bands and Jack Bruce's rock trio from 1993 onwards. In the mid '90s Gary also worked with Gary Moore, in trio with Geoffrey Keezer & Christian McBride and Andy Summers.
In 1998, Husband released his first (solo synth) album, Diary Of A Plastic Box (later to be re-released as a double CD in 2008, entitled The Complete Diary Of A Plastic Box), From 1998 to 2001 he led his piano trio (The New Gary Husband Trio) featuring bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Gene Calderazzo. The trio's CD releases "From The Heart" and "Aspire" (featuring guest appearances by Billy Cobham, vocalists Mark King, Christine Tobin and Hamish Stuart), 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.
In 2005 Gary started working with guitarist John McLaughlin, and by 2007 the group John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension was formed, in which Gary played keyboards and second drum kit. The group stayed together 15 years.
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 next projects was "Dirty & Beautiful", an album release 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.
In May 2017, Husband took his first big band production "Dreams In Blue" tothe 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 (Hungarian violinist) Zoltán Lantos for the debut concert performance in Hamburg.
On May 19, 2019 Husband collaborated on piano with guitarist Mark Wingfield to make the album Mark Wingfield & Gary Husband - "Tor & Vale", and on March the 3rd 2020 he combined together with Markus Reuter in Tokyo to record Gary Husband & Markus Reuter - "Music Of Our Times". Both albums were released on Moonjune Records.
Husband then brought about his current project The Trackers (which he leads in collaboration with Norwegian guitarist & composer Alf Terje Hana) in 2020. Their debut album "Vaudeville 8:45" was recorded in 2021 (at that point still without a resident bassist) so Husband enlisted a roster of seven special guest bassists to perform on the recording. Bassists Etienne MBappé, Guy Pratt, Jimmy Haslip, Jimmy Johnson, Øyvind Grong, Mark Ming and Kevin Scott all feature throughout the album.
Gary's typically diverse range of associations and credits also include touring and recording with artists such as Mike Stern, Robin Trower, fusion / jam band Gongzilla, Christof Lauer Trio (with Michel Godard), Germany's NDR Big Band, HR Big Band and others. He has also worked with Chick Corea, Jeff Beck, Chris Squire, Al Jarreau, Maria Schneider, Bob Berg, Joe Lovano, Aydin Esen, Andy Summers, Peter Erskine, Ron Sexsmith, Wayne Krantz, Olga Konkova, Dennis Chambers, Dewa Budjana, Michael Gibbs, Steve Hackett and drum n' bass protagonists Lemon 'D' and Dillinger, Dean Brown, Charles Tolliver and Bireli Lagrène.
Gary continues to devote a substantial portion of his time to other artists' projects, new collaborations, educational programmes and drum clinics. As an internationally established drum clinician he has performed alongside Dennis
Chambers, Vinnie Colaiuta, Terry Bozzio, Billy Cobham, Simon Phillips, Omar Hakim, Ricky Lawson, Todd Sucherman, Paul Wertico, Denny Seiwell and Bernard Purdie, and most recently launched a series of motivational videocasts for drummers (The Gary Husband Drum Videocasts).
He is currently working on simultaneous solo project releases, a piano project with an Indian percussionist, The Trackers and the Nguyên Lê & Gary Husband duo.
